From earliest colonial times in the New Zealand and Australian thoroughbred racehorse development, stock descending from modest homebred lines were graded second class equine citizens compared with their imported counterparts, especially those from Britain.

Admitted the stigma has mellowed, but the “colonials” had a memorable success when Cut The Cake (Yamanin Vital–Icing On The Cake, by Straight Strike) won the Derby from Mount Street and Masai (both by the Shirley Heights horse Kilimanjaro) with the highly rated Waitoki Dream, Philamor, Russian Pearl and Maroofity failing to fully see out the 2400m assignment.

There was a further focus on the Cut The Cake female line (descending from Gipsy), as it had almost died out 50 years ago.

Cut The Cake, who paid $17-10 on the win machine, is by a beautifully related stallion Yamanin Vital (Sir Tristram-She Might Hula, by Caucasus), who stands at a $1500 service fee at the Anderton family’s White Robe Lodge Stud at Wingatui, outside Dunedin.

Cut The Cake descends from an 1840 Australian mare Gipsy, whose origins are a little vague but has an accepted thoroughbred status.

Gipsy’s family developed a strong New Zealand Derby affinity when the event was first established in 1860 as the Canterbury Derby. Early Derby winners from the Gipsy breed when the classic was held at Christchurch were Azucena (1863), Envy (1870), Deramation (1871) and Calumny (1872). There was a gap to Manton in 1888 but fortunes waned till Cut The Cake sped home with his inside run in the 2003 renewal, nowadays at Ellerslie.

The numbers representing the Gipsy lineage almost lapsed last century but the hotbed for the revival seemed to emanate from the Foxton region.

Among the leading influences was Mr VE Bryant’s Triple Crown (Wheriko-Hinearoha, by Boniform), who left Pinnacle Ridge (Hawke’s Bay Cup, WRC Summer Hp) by the New Zealand bred Levin stallion North Island.

A Triple Crown grandaughter Heirship was grandam to an accomplished sprinter Saxonvale. An Heirship half sister Romantic produced Bill Wills’ Cream Puff (Ernie Poole Stakes at Hawera) and Royal Chick (WRC Summer Hp).

Through another Heirship half sister Kaiponu descended a further Bill Wills triumph, the current Group I performer Hello Dolly.

Heirship was also second dam to Shekanwyn, who left the Avondale Cup winner She’s A Meanie. A half sister by Centaine to She’s A Meanie is listed for the Karaka premier auction on Tuesday January 27.

For linebreeding exponents Cut The Cake carries Never Bend (Nasrullah—Lalun, by Djeddah) in the fourth remove and a sex balanced triple involving the half brothers Royal Charger and Knight’s Romance.

New Zealand Derby winners have experienced mixed fortunes with other three-year-old classics as the New Year develops. The main target is often the AJC Derby at the Sydney Easter carnival but Kiwi aspirants have often peaked on Boxing Day and find the A J C challenge a difficult one. Their adversaries are often better focused on the AJC classic four to five months later in the New Year.