Costalivin Delivers Impressive Goulburn Victory for Kurrinda Bloodstock

Costalivin Delivers Impressive Goulburn Victory for Kurrinda Bloodstock In 2026

Costalivin continued her exciting progression at Goulburn on Thursday, September 24, producing a strong and professional performance to win the Goulburn Post Class 2 Handicap over 1500 metres.

For Kurrinda Bloodstock, trainer Matthew Dale and the mare’s ownership group, it was another rewarding result with a horse who continues to show that patience and careful placement can pay dividends.

Ridden by Keagan Latham, Costalivin justified her position at the top of the market, defeating Skirmish by 0.8 lengths, with Smichov a further 0.1 lengths away in third.

The winning time of 1:28.98 on the Good 4 surface was complemented by a final 600 metres of 34.82 seconds.

But statistics alone don’t capture what made the victory so encouraging.

Costalivin didn’t simply win another country race.

She demonstrated that she is developing.

She handled the step to 1500 metres.

She responded when the pressure went on.

And, perhaps most importantly, she showed the determination required to progress through the grades.

For a lightly raced four-year-old mare having only the fourth start of her career, there remains plenty to be excited about.

Reward After Going So Close

The victory was particularly satisfying because Costalivin had gone desperately close to winning at the same track less than two weeks earlier.

On September 11, she contested a Country Boosted Class 1 Handicap over 1300 metres at Goulburn.

She settled around midfield before working strongly into the contest and going to the line almost alongside Wolf Island.

The official margin was just 0.19 lengths.

It was the sort of defeat that can be frustrating for owners but enormously encouraging from a form perspective.

Costalivin had demonstrated she was ready to win again.

The question was where Matthew Dale would place her next.

The answer was to remain at Goulburn but step up in distance.

That decision proved perfect.

Twelve days later, Costalivin returned to the races.

This time she wasn’t leaving without the prize.

Stepping Up to 1500 Metres

One of the biggest questions entering Thursday’s race concerned the distance.

Costalivin had won previously over 1200 metres and produced her excellent second over 1300 metres.

Now she was being asked to stretch out to 1500 metres for the first time.

For a lightly raced horse, an additional 200 metres can reveal plenty.

Some horses possess brilliant speed but struggle once races extend beyond sprinting distances.

Others become better as they are given additional ground.

Costalivin’s performance suggested that the extra distance certainly isn’t going to restrict her.

She was able to travel comfortably through the race before producing her effort when required.

More importantly, she remained strong through the line.

That opens options.

A horse capable of performing effectively from 1200 through to 1500 metres provides a trainer with considerably more flexibility than a one-dimensional sprinter.

And with Costalivin still learning her craft, it will be fascinating to see where her optimum distance ultimately lies.

Keagan Latham Takes the Ride

The booking of Keagan Latham proved another important ingredient.

Latham has developed an outstanding record at Goulburn and brought plenty of experience to the assignment.

Costalivin carried 56kg and jumped from barrier two.

That inside draw gave Latham options.

Rather than being forced to make an immediate decision from a wide barrier, he could allow the mare to find her rhythm and conserve energy.

In a 1500-metre race, that matters.

The difference between covering ground and obtaining an economical run can ultimately determine the result.

Latham gave Costalivin the opportunity to produce her best.

When it mattered, she responded.

And once the race was there to be won, Costalivin showed exactly the sort of determination connections wanted to see.

A Competitive Class 2

This wasn’t a race handed to Costalivin.

There was genuine opposition.

Smichov entered the race in consistent form and carried the topweight of 61kg.

Divine Secrets represented the Peter Snowden stable.

Skirmish, trained by Kerry Parker, proved particularly difficult to shake and ultimately finished second.

The market also reflected the competitive nature of the field.

Costalivin was favourite, but there were several horses considered genuine winning chances.

That makes the result more valuable.

She didn’t simply overpower an ordinary maiden field.

She stepped into a Class 2 contest and defeated horses with greater racing experience.

For a mare at only her fourth start, that represents another important step.

Four Starts and Still Learning

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Costalivin is how inexperienced she remains.

She has now raced only four times.

That is nothing in the context of a thoroughbred’s racing career.

Some horses require five or six starts simply to understand how to properly race.

Costalivin has already demonstrated considerable ability despite still being at the beginning of that learning process.

Her career has now produced two victories and a second placing from four appearances.

That is an excellent foundation.

It also means there is still scope for improvement.

Experience teaches racehorses things that training alone cannot replicate.

How to settle when surrounded by horses.

How to conserve energy.

How to respond when a gap appears.

How to absorb pressure.

How to fight when another horse challenges.

Every race adds another piece to the education.

Thursday’s victory added several.

From the Inglis Classic Sale to the Winner’s Circle

Costalivin’s journey with Kurrinda Bloodstock began at the 2024 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Offered by Riversdale at Scone, the Toronado filly attracted the attention of Kurrinda Bloodstock and MJ Dale Racing.

She was purchased for $160,000.

At that point, everything was potential.

That is the fascinating challenge of purchasing yearlings.

Nobody knows exactly what a young horse will become.

Buyers study pedigrees.

They assess conformation.

They watch horses walk.

They consider athleticism, balance, temperament and physical development.

Veterinary inspections are undertaken.

Then comes the auction.

Eventually the hammer falls and the real journey begins.

Costalivin is now turning that potential into racecourse performance.

The $160,000 yearling has become a multiple race winner.

And importantly, she appears to be improving.

The Toronado Influence

Costalivin is by Toronado, a stallion who has become an extremely successful influence in Australian racing.

The son of High Chaparral brings an interesting mixture of speed and stamina.

Toronado himself was a high-class European miler, winning the Group 1 Sussex Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes.

His Australian progeny have demonstrated considerable versatility.

They can sprint.

They can stretch to middle distances.

And many improve with maturity.

That latter characteristic is particularly interesting when assessing Costalivin.

She isn’t a horse who was rushed into an extensive two-year-old campaign.

Her career has been allowed to develop progressively.

Now, as a four-year-old, she is beginning to put the pieces together.

There may still be considerable physical and mental development ahead.

Swift Sis Adds Serious Speed

Costalivin is out of Swift Sis, a daughter of Husson Lightning.

Swift Sis was herself an accomplished racehorse, winning multiple races in Western Australia and demonstrating considerable speed.

That gives Costalivin an attractive pedigree blend.

Toronado provides class, scope and versatility.

Swift Sis contributes speed and proven racetrack performance.

The result is a mare who has already demonstrated that she can win at sprint distances while now showing the capacity to stretch successfully to 1500 metres.

That versatility could become one of Costalivin’s greatest assets.

The Matthew Dale Approach

Costalivin’s progression is another example of Matthew Dale’s ability to develop horses patiently.

Not every talented horse needs to be rushed.

Indeed, one of the most important skills in training thoroughbreds is knowing when not to push.

The temptation with promising horses is always to look ahead.

Bigger races.

Better prizemoney.

Metropolitan meetings.

But there is enormous value in allowing a horse to build confidence while progressing through suitable grades.

Costalivin’s campaign demonstrates that philosophy.

Her narrow defeat at Goulburn suggested she was ready to win.

Dale didn’t need to reinvent the wheel.

He found another suitable race at the same track, stepped her up in distance and gave her an opportunity to progress.

The result speaks for itself.

Another Reward for the Ownership Group

For Costalivin’s ownership group, Thursday was another reminder of what makes racehorse ownership so enjoyable.

There is nothing guaranteed about buying a yearling.

Between the sales complex and the racetrack lies an enormous journey.

Breaking-in.

Education.

Spelling.

Pre-training.

Barrier trials.

Veterinary checks.

Race planning.

And endless anticipation.

Owners wait months, sometimes years, to discover whether the horse they bought can run.

That makes every victory special.

But there is something particularly satisfying about watching a lightly raced horse begin to progress.

You aren’t simply celebrating what happened yesterday.

You’re wondering what might happen tomorrow.

Costalivin has now given her owners that opportunity.

She is a multiple winner.

She is still lightly raced.

And she is continuing to improve.

Another Kurrinda Bloodstock Graduate Making Progress

The victory continues a strong period for horses carrying the Kurrinda Bloodstock connection.

The philosophy behind syndication isn’t simply about getting horses to the races.

It is about identifying horses capable of giving owners genuine experiences.

That begins at the yearling sales.

Costalivin represents the type of horse every syndicator hopes to uncover.

A commercially attractive yearling by a proven stallion.

A filly with a strong physical profile.

A horse from a proven racing family.

Then, most importantly, a horse capable of converting those attributes into performance.

There is still a long way to go in Costalivin’s career.

But two wins from her first four starts provides a very encouraging beginning.

Where to Next?

The obvious question following any victory is what comes next.

With Costalivin, there is no need to rush the answer.

She has just demonstrated that 1500 metres is within her capabilities.

She has progressed from maiden company into Class 1 racing and now successfully through a Class 2.

The next stage becomes increasingly interesting.

Does Matthew Dale continue progressing her through country and provincial company?

Does she eventually get an opportunity in metropolitan grade?

Could she stretch further in distance?

Those questions will be answered over time.

What Thursday’s performance provides is choice.

Good horses create options.

A mare who can settle, relax and finish strongly over 1500 metres gives her trainer considerably more flexibility when looking through the racing calendar.

Building a Racing Record

For a mare, every victory has significance beyond the immediate prizemoney.

Eventually, Costalivin will have a second career as a broodmare.

Her pedigree already gives her residual value.

She is by Toronado.

She is out of a multiple-winning mare in Swift Sis.

Now she is building her own race record.

Every victory strengthens that profile.

That doesn’t mean anyone needs to be thinking about the breeding barn anytime soon.

Costalivin’s racing career is only beginning.

But it illustrates another advantage of racing quality fillies and mares.

Success on the racetrack can create value that lasts long after their final race.

For now, however, there is plenty more racing ahead.

The Importance of Confidence

Winning can transform horses.

It teaches them what their job is.

They begin to recognise the routine.

They learn to travel through races.

They learn to attack gaps.

And importantly, they learn how to put their head in front.

Costalivin now knows how to win.

More than once.

Thursday’s victory was also different from simply dominating weaker opposition.

She had to work.

She had horses chasing her.

She had pressure.

And she kept going.

That type of experience can become enormously valuable when she progresses to stronger company.

A Mare Going the Right Way

It is easy to become carried away after a victory.

Racing has a way of bringing everyone back to earth very quickly.

There will be tougher assignments ahead for Costalivin.

There will be stronger horses.

There will be difficult barriers.

There will be races that don’t unfold perfectly.

But that’s exactly why Thursday’s performance should be appreciated for what it was.

Another step forward.

Costalivin was asked a new question over 1500 metres.

She answered it.

She was asked to progress in grade.

She answered that as well.

And she was asked to justify favouritism against a competitive field.

Again, she delivered.

Patience Beginning to Pay Off

There is a tendency in modern racing to judge horses extremely quickly.

A horse can be labelled after two or three starts.

But thoroughbreds don’t develop according to a fixed timetable.

Some of Australia’s best horses weren’t stars immediately.

They developed.

They strengthened.

They learned.

They improved with racing.

Costalivin is only four starts into her career.

Nobody knows where her ceiling sits.

That is exactly what makes the next stage exciting.

If she can continue improving as the distances increase and the competition becomes stronger, there could be considerably more ahead.

A Special Day at Goulburn

Thursday, September 24 will now occupy another important place in Costalivin’s racing story.

It was the day she stepped to 1500 metres.

The day she progressed into Class 2 company.

The day Keagan Latham climbed aboard.

And the day she delivered another victory for Matthew Dale, Kurrinda Bloodstock and her ownership group.

From a $160,000 purchase at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale to a multiple race winner, the journey is gathering momentum.

The most exciting part is that it still feels like the beginning.

Costalivin has raced only four times.

She is still learning.

She is still developing.

And after Thursday’s performance, she has demonstrated another important quality.

She knows how to win.

For everyone involved with the mare, that makes the road ahead particularly exciting.

Costalivin came to Goulburn ready to take the next step.

She leaves a Class 2 winner.

And now the question isn’t whether she can progress.

It’s how far that progression might ultimately take her.

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With years of experience and a strong reputation across Australia, Kurrinda Bloodstock is trusted for its transparency, communication, and commitment to owner satisfaction. Their syndication process is designed specifically to make newcomers feel welcome and informed.

From selecting quality horses with proven trainers to ensuring every owner feels valued, Kurrinda goes the extra mile to deliver a rewarding ownership journey. Whether you’re dipping your toes into the sport or looking to build a racing portfolio, their friendly and professional team is here to help.

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Kurrinda Bloodstock Syndications stands out as a trusted and proven syndicator in the world of Australian horse racing.

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