Weekend to remember for Sam Langrope

North Canterbury horseman Sam Langrope, estate manager at Dancingonmoonlight Farm, and his employer Robert Famularo enjoyed a weekend to savour — producing three winners on either side of the Tasman in just 24 hours.

The run began on Saturday night at Menangle when talented five-year-old Miki Cohen led throughout to capture the opening heat of the time-honoured Carousel Series. The Always B Miki gelding has now won twice from three starts at the Sydney headquarters track and four times overall.

Miki Cohen is the third foal of the royally bred Kusadasi, a daughter of the four-time Group 1-winning filly Oaxaca Lass.

“Kusadasi was the first mare I ever had. She was gifted to me by the late Ian Dobson,” Langrope recalled.

“Ian had raced her with R.J. and John Dunn but wasn’t sure what to do with her next. I expressed an interest in breeding her and ‘Dobbo’ gave her to me.”

Langrope sold Miki Cohen for $60,000 through the NZB National Yearling Sale at Christchurch in 2021.
“He was strong, had a great walk, and a good temperament,” he said.

The gelding won twice earlier this year for Tisbury trainer Kirstin Green before being sold to New South Wales interests.

Kusadasi’s first foal, Kardesler (by American Ideal), won six races in New Zealand before heading across the Tasman, where he has since added another 12 wins in Victoria and Tasmania for a career bankroll of $153,402.

“He was plagued by wind problems and I don’t think we ever really saw the best of him,” Langrope noted.

Her second foal, Kusanova (by Changeover), was raced by Langrope and a group of friends, winning four races in New Zealand before being sold to Australia, where she won three of her six starts in Victoria.

“I had intended to keep her to breed from, but when we dissolved the syndicate she was sold. She later shattered a splint bone and is now being bred,” Langrope said.

Langrope sold Kusadasi about five years ago to prominent NSW breeder and Wingate Farm principal Jake Stockton, and she has since produced this season’s Menangle three-year-old winner Lady Deloris.

The winning weekend continued on Hannon Memorial Day at Oamaru, where Langrope and Dancingonmoonlight Farm notched a double with exciting two-year-old Incentivise and talented trotting mare Midnight Diamond.

Incentivise, a Bettor’s Delight gelding, came from second-last to take out the Diamond Creek/SBSR Juvenile Stakes in a slick 1:55.7 mile rate over 2000 metres.

The youngster is out of the Tintin In America mare Dana Delany, who Langrope leased for two years from Burnham breeder David Kennedy.

“I was looking for a specific mare to go to Bettor’s Delight and after a couple of false starts I found one,” he explained.

Incentivise is the second foal from Dana Delany.

“We had two horses in the Dancingonmoonlight draft for the 2024 sales — Showmethetanlines and Incentivise — and neither got a single bid!” Langrope laughed.

“We threw both boys into our American-style training program aiming to have them ready for the first two-year-old races of the season. Showmethetanlines won the first and Incentivise won the second.”

Showmethetanlines was later sold to Perth owner Ian Barker and won the Group 3 $50,000 NSW Sapling Stakes at Menangle on debut in Australia.

Incentivise, whom Langrope sold as a yearling to Famularo, has now won two of his three starts and is being aimed at the Sires’ Stakes Series.

“We received a couple of very nice offers from Australia straight after the Oamaru race, so I don’t know where his future will lie,” Langrope admitted.

Midnight Diamond, a five-year-old Royalty For Life mare, rounded out the day in style, finishing strongly from midfield after being given a perfect drive by Mark Purdon.

“She’s had three starts for us for two wins and a second and I don’t think she’s done there either — she looks like she’s got a bit of ability,” Langrope said.

Both Incentivise and Midnight Diamond are trained at Swannanoa by Ross Houghton, adding further depth to Dancingonmoonlight Farm’s burgeoning race team.