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| Habibi | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Ekraar |
| Grandsire | Red Ransom |
| Dam | Danny Holiday |
| Damsire | Danasinga |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 4 September 2009 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | H J & P J Crofskey |
| Owner | G P, H J & P J Crofskey & P A McIntyre |
| Trainer | Donna & Dean Logan |
| Record | 7:6-0-1 |
| Earnings | NZ$602,575 |
| Major wins | |
| New Zealand Derby (2013) Championship Stakes (2013) | |
| Last updated on 3 March 2013 | |
Habibi (foaled 4 September 2009) [1] is a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse. She is most noted for winning the 2013 New Zealand Derby; [2] one of only five fillies since 1980 to achieve this feat. She is trained by Donna and Dean Logan.
New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.
The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day of Auckland Cup Week. The purse of the race in 2019 was $1 million.
Habibi made her raceday debut in October 2012, winning at her home track of Ruakaka. Wins at Avondale and Ellerslie followed, before she was asked to take on the top male three-year-olds over the Ellerslie Christmas Carnival. This decision proved successful, with Habibi easily winning both the Great Northern Guineas on Boxing Day and the Championship Stakes on New Year's Day. These wins made her unbeaten in five starts, and saw her become a clear favourite for the New Zealand Derby. A solid run for third in the Avondale Guineas was her only subsequent lead-up run to the Derby. In the Derby, she started from the inside barrier, settled four-back on the rail before getting clear in the straight and running down another filly, Fix, for a half-length win. The victory gave rider Vinnie Colgan his fifth success in the New Zealand Derby, the most of any rider since the race was moved to Ellerslie in 1973.
Ruakaka is a small township in the north of New Zealand approximately 30 kilometres south of Whangarei in the Bream Bay area. Originally a small beachside community, Ruakaka has seen development due to its proximity to the expansion of the country's only oil refinery at Marsden Point during the 1980s. A recently established timber processing plant at Marsden Point has further stimulated growth.
Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit of approximately 1,900 m in the suburb of Ellerslie.
Boxing Day is a secular holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day. It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or two days later.
