Puccini (foaled 25 September 2010) is a
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
thoroughbred racehorse. On 1 March 2014 he won the 139th running of the
New Zealand Derby
The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held in March each year.
History
The New Zealand Derby i ...
.
Born in 2010, Puccini is a half-brother to six-time Group 1 winner
Sir Slick
Sir Slick (foaled 2001) is a bay gelding Thoroughbred racehorse by Volksraad from the Paris Opera mare Miss Opera. The New Zealand bred Sir Slick was the winner of Six Group One races in New Zealand and he also raced in Australia, Singapore and ...
. He is also closely related to stakes-winning and Group 1-placed sprinter Little Wonder, who won a Group 3 event on the undercard on the day Puccini won the Derby.
Taking time to grow and mature, Puccini took eight starts to win his first race. After that he won five of his next seven - including the Group 1 Derby and three Group 2 races. With his increasingly impressive and dominant victories in the Great Northern Guineas, Waikato Guineas and Avondale Guineas, Puccini became renowned for his bold front-running style. It was a tactic that was widely expected to be repeated in the Derby. But Puccini was slow out of the gates and was fourth last in the 18-horse field after the first 500m. He made a spectacular move halfway down the back stretch, sweeping to the lead. He kicked strongly at the turn and held on for an impressive and convincing two-length win over Rising Romance, with Glorious Lad another three lengths away in third.
Puccini was rated by rider
Michael Walker as the best horse he had ever ridden.
Puccini won the 2015
Thorndon Mile
The Thorndon Mile (formally WRC George Adams Handicap) is a Group One (G1) Thoroughbred horse race contested at Trentham Racecourse by the Wellington Racing Club. The race is run on Wellington Cup day, traditionally the last Saturday of January.
...
at Group One level, the Thompson Handicap (
Trentham Racecourse
Trentham Racecourse is the main thoroughbred horse racecourse for the Wellington city area in New Zealand. It is located in the suburb of Trentham, New Zealand, Trentham in Upper Hutt, next to Trentham Military Camp.
The races are conducted by t ...
) and Merial Metric Mile (Awapuni) at Group Three as well as a number of placings in Group races in New Zealand and Australia.
Stud career
From 2017 Puccini commenced stud duties. He stood at Mapperley Stud, Matamata.
Notable progeny include:
* Full of Sincerity
* Le Villi
* Wolfgang, winner of the 2025
Wellington Cup
The Wellington Cup is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand held annually in January by the Wellington Racing Club at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham, New Zealand, Trentham.
History
Inaugurated in 1874, the Wellington Cup has been ra ...
See also
*
2014 New Zealand Derby The 2014 New Zealand Derby was a horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 1 March 2014. It was the 139th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Puccini.
Puccini was the favourite for the race on the strength of i ...
*
Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand
The racing of Thoroughbred horses (or gallopers, as they are also known) is a popular gaming and spectator sport and industry in New Zealand.
History
Thoroughbred horse racing commenced soon after European settlement. The first totalisator ma ...
References
2010 racehorse births
Thoroughbred family 18
Racehorses bred in New Zealand
Racehorses trained in New Zealand
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