Military Move (Chinese:軍事行動) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. On March 6, 2010, he won the 135th 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 on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

. The gelding is trained by Shaune Ritchie, who was the strapper for the hugely successful and popular 1985 Derby winner

Bonecrusher Bonecrusher may refer to: * Bone crusher, a machine used to crush animal bones * Bonecrusher (horse), a New Zealand racehorse * Bonecrusher (Transformers), a fictional robot supervillain character in the Transformers robot superhero franchise. * Bo ...

. Bonecrusher was trained by Ritchie's father, Frank. Bonecrusher was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame less than 24 hours before Military Move's Derby win. Never further back than fifth in his eight starts as a three-year-old, seven of which were at stakes level, Military Move was the best male three-year-old in the New Zealand 2009-2010 racing season. He made his case for that title when dashing well clear of the field early in the home straight in the

New Zealand 2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas is a Group One set-weight Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1600 metres at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch New Zealand cup week The New Zealand 2000 Guineas is hel ...

Riccarton Park Riccarton Park Racecourse is the main thoroughbred horse racecourse for the Christchurch city area in New Zealand. History The Canterbury Jockey Club was established in 1854 and held its first meeting at Hagley Park in Easter 1855. The Riccarton ...

in November, ultimately holding all but the outstanding filly Katie Lee at bay. Despite producing a highly promising Derby trial when finishing strongly from well back to finish a close fifth in the

Championship Stakes The Championship Stakes, run at Ellerslie Racecourse, is a Group 2 horse race run for three-year-olds at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. When the New Zealand Derby was moved from December to March in the 2005-06 season, the race w ...

, Military Move slipped under the radar and went out as a relative outsider at 15-1 in the Derby two weeks later. But aided by a magnificent ride by Michael Walker, he again opened up a big break early in the home straight and determinedly held off all challengers to record an upset victory in New Zealand's richest race. The New Zealand Derby was Military Move's last start in New Zealand before he embarked on a Hong Kong career. He returned to New Zealand after being retired in Hong Kong in 2013.http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/turf/mick-dittman-and-son-luke-eye-group-one-glory-with-keep-the-peace/story-e6frepmx-1225843384117

Four-year-old career

Military Move began his four-year-old season in a 1400m Class 2 handicap at Sha Tin in Hong Kong in December. Over a distance short of his best, Military Move dropped well back early in the running before storming home late to finish third. His second-up run resulted in a second placing over 1400m. He finished unplaced in his five subsequent starts, including a sixth placing in the Hong Kong Derby.

References

{{reflist 2006 racehorse births Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in New Zealand Racehorses trained in Hong Kong Thoroughbred family 2-j

Four-year-old career

See also

References