Son of No Nay Never lands his sixth stakes race when taking out Saturday's Wellington Guineas

The Jamie Richards-trained Need I Say More (3 g No Nay Never - Bo Bardi by Fastnet Rock) continued his dominant form when he added sixth stakes success to his CV when taking out Wellington Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) at Trentham on Saturday. 

The winner of the Waikato Stud Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) as a juvenile, the gelding added the Group 2 to his record, having already won the Northland Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), Sarten Memorial (Gr 2, 1400m), Almanzor Trophy (Gr 3, 1200m), Mufhasa Stakes (Listed, 1300m) this season. The son of former Coolmore Stud shuttler No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) has won seven of his nine starts and earned NZ$283,780 in career prize-money. 

After jumping from his wide barrier, Johnathan Parkes settled Need I Say More into a smooth rhythm and when Parkes pushed the button in the home straight, Need I Say More bounded to the front. The gelding stayed on strongly to beat last-start Levin Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Bonham (Per Incanto) by a length and a half, while the winner’s stablemate Cornflower Blue (Savabeel) was another nose away in third. 

“He had to do a lot of work today, but he’s a winner, no doubt about that,” trainer Jamie Richards said. “Parkesy gets on well with him, and I can’t fault the horse at all. He’s going really well.

“He was a little bit light and immature when he made the trip down to Christchurch in the spring, but with a good break at Te Akau Stud and a heap of feed, he’s come back and had a great late summer and autumn for a really good group of owners.

“I don’t think he needs to do a lot more this season. The horse probably deserves a nice break, and then we’ll get him ready for next year.”

The gelding was purchased at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale by Kilgravin Lodge for $65,000 from the Burnewang North draft and then failed to make his reserve of NZ$150,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Book 1 sale in 2019, but was snapped up by David Ellis outside the ring for NZ$130,000.

The son of No Nay Never is the first foal out of the winning Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Bo Bardi, who is herself out of Listed winner Our Golden Dream (Medaglia d’Oro). 

Further back this is the family of Listed winners Icabad Crane (Jump Star) and Savvy Street (Street Sense). 

Bo Bardi’s filly by Dissident (Northern Meteor) was purchased by Robert Kingston Racing for $60,000 at this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and in 2020 Bo Bardi produced a filly by Impending (Lonhro), while she was covered by Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) in October. 

No Nay Never shuttled to Coolmore Australia for two seasons and he has sired 13 winners in Australia and New Zealand, with Need I Say More the only stakes winner. The son of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) is standing at Coolmore in Ireland for a fee of €125,000.