 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Lennon winning the PGG Southern Graduate |
In The Pocket colt Lennon reaffirmed his position as the front runner of the first-season pacers at Addington after a blip in the scoreline, but Mark Purdon knows the pack is not far behind. And that the dust won't have settled on the issue of 2YO Pacer of the Year until after this week's Welcome Stakes and next month's Yearling Sales Series Final, such is the quality of the opposition.
Fortunately though, about half of the pack are stablemates, which was evidenced in last week's $50,000 PGG NZ Yearling Sales Southern Graduate, where the first three home qualified for the $200,000 Final on May 9 and joined northern graduates in Born Again Christian, Anothernightout and Tango Tango.
This is a very classy and competitive crop of juveniles, and Lennon had to fight like a tiger to get past Sounds Like Albert in the passing lane after a good trip. Stablemate Likmesiah (Jimmy Curtin) also closed purposefully to be only a nose away and a length ahead of pacemaker and another Christian Cullen in Purdon's barn in Born Again Christian (Purdon), who wilted late after setting up a 57.3 closing half. Tumble (In The Pocket gelding) was not far away either for Colin De Filippi, nor was Classy Cullen, the third Christian Cullen and fourth Purdon runner.
Purdon, who handed Lennon's reins over to second-string driver Blair Orange because he is more bullet-proof at this point in their careers, said Lennon was now back in tune after "getting away on us a bit" when beaten into third on the track after leading up. "He had some hard racing, particularly at Wyndham after an early miss-cue, so we went easy on him for a while, and last time when I went for him he didn't respond," he said.
Lennon had twice put away Julius Caesar, in the Cardigan Bay Stakes in Auckland over Christmas and in the Sapling Stakes (in 1:56.9) at Ashburton in February, after sitting parked, and dead-heated for first in the Kindergarten Stakes in 1:57 after another tough trip before going under to Likmesiah and Classy Cullen. A few weeks and the addition of pull-up blinds, which had signalled things had been turned around when Lennon was worked at Addington early last week, was all that was needed to have him back to his forceful best.
Lennon, the first foal from the speedy Vance Hanover mare Penny Lane, has now raced six times for five wins and $81,000 after being purchased at the Premier Sale a little over a year ago for $68,000. Purdon was not entirely happy with Born Again Christian however, after trying for an all-the-way win. "He doesn't feel dead right so we might have to get him checked out."
Sounds Like Albert, an Albert Albert gelding from the winning In The Pocket mare Sounds Swell with Graham Court, was a $14,000 purchase last year and has now won over $10,000, $1500 of which was for being the first non-winner home, a scheme which also saw Tumble taking home $2800 for finishing fifth in his debut, a stake which is often better than finishing first in a maiden.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 9Apr03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Kevin Judson has done some lifting in his day. He has won the world power-lifting championship in his grade, competed in the 1982 Commonwealth Games at Brisbane and won the ultimate title, Mr New Zealand.
He did some lifting a few months ago, of the spiritual kind, when he promised Gareth Dixon a horse whenever he chose to set up his own training stable. In February, Dixon was in business, and Judson was as good as his word. He sent him Allstar Blue Jean. Not only a star in name, but Allstar Blue Jean was a star in the making. He had been trained by Glen Harwood, until Harwood decided to seek his fortune in Canada. The 3-year-old had been an up-and-comer, but there was much ahead of him. It was now over to Dixon.
In short order, Allstar Blue Jean has raced three times for three wins. The latest was the $50,000 Nobilo 3-year-old Flying Stakes at Addington when he weaved his way from midfield to catch Raptorial, trained by Dixon's old boss, Tony Herlihy. On the way through, he hiked past the favourite Light And Sound and another esteemed employer, Mark Purdon.
Judson didn't see much of this, and had to settle on a television replay to see just how it happened. "I saw him on the corner, but not again until they went past the post and I saw him in front," he said. Judson has been in the car business and the gym business, and now he is a keen player in the amatuer drivers' ranks in the north. Dixon said Harwood deserved the credit for getting Allstar Blue Jean to the biggest level. "I had always thought he was as good as Elsu and the rest of the 3-year-olds, with the exception of Light And Sound. He was a victim of circumstances in the Sales Series, but the great thing with this horse is that he looks after himself. His heart rate is brilliant and he has a tremendous recovery rate, and he is actually getting better," he said.
Dixon has made a flying start to his training career, which only started in February. He has taken four to the races - Russley Fire, Allstar Blue Jean, Patch Adams and Rock'n Rhonda - and all have won. He is breaking in a number of yearlings, including sixv he will keep to train, by Holmes Hanover (two), Badlands Hanover (two), Dream Away and Il Vicolo. One of them is Judson's.
Considering Dixon has been around the world, caring for such greats as Pride Of Petite and Il Vicolo, his steady approach and early success is not at all surprising.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 2Apr03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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The leaders in the $150,000 NRM Sires' Stakes Final on Cup Day were literally firing on all 'for' cylinders.
Northern visitors VFor and Winforu both rocketed out from their wide draws in the 1950 metre mobile event, and in the end the role of pacemaker went to the latter. Winforu took the field along at a breathtaking rate, almost too quick for his own good really, and he was a sitting duck to those waiting in behind.
In steps Roman Gladiator. Driver Colin De Filippi had him beautifully placed just beyond midfield and waited for the right moment to pounce, which surfaced inside the the last 150 metres after De Filippi took a sly clance over his shoulder and straightened Roman Gladiator for the charge. The response was instantaneous, and after repelling the late charges of Likmesiah and Kotare Testament, Roman Gladiator put his name in the record books. The Christian Cullen gelding's time for the event was a staggering 2:20.4, representing a mile rate of 1:55.8. It bettered both Courage Under Fire's existing 3-year-old colts and geldings mark of 2:21.3, and the all-age record of 2:21 held jointly by Holmes D G and Happy Asset.
De Filippi paid Roman Gladiator the ultimate compliment after the race. "I don't compare any horse with Courage Under Fire, but this bloke is probably the next best thing," he said. De Filippi must have been relieved to actually complete a race with both sulky tyres in the same condition that they were when they first went out there...three times the duo have had punctured tyres during the running in recent weeks, and on one of the occasions both tyres were flat as a biscuit and off the rim. "Everything went right for us today," he said.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 13Nov03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Hamish Hunter |
"This is the pinnacle of my life," said Hamish Hunter as he un-geared Grenadier following their win in the $30,000 Firestone Direct Junior Free-For-All. Hunter had also tasted success in the opening event with Galleons Cheer, and he said that to win two races at Addington on Cup Day was unbelievable.
Grenadier had indifferent form leading into his latest victory, the sixth of his 30-start career, but it didn't worry his trainer/driver. "I actually thought he went pretty good at Forbury Park last start," Hunter said. "He was slow away off a twenty metre handicap, and then he pulled really hard so I had to let him run. We tried to get the lead but couldn't, and ended up sitting parked, so all things considered I thought his eighth was a good run because he wasn't that far away from the winner."
On Cup Day Grenadier sat in the trail as Pocket Me took on the role of pacemaker, and it was all the encouragement that the J C's Suprimo gelding needed to produce his best. "He has got a mind of his own, this horse," Hunter continued. "I have always thought he has got a fair amont of ability, and when he gets it right he is a very good horse. But he doesn't always do that."
Grenadier is raced by Southland enthusiast Graham Cooney in partnership with his Wellington-based brother Brendan and the latter's partner Aya Kovesy. Graham helps to run the Blue Skies Meatworks plant, and is on the board of both the Southland and Highlanders rugby clubs, and is a keen breeder and horse owner, something that Hunter says makes it even more enjoyable to train a winner for him.
"They bought his dam (Butler's Fury) through the 'Harness Racing Weekly' from a National Bloodstock dispersal sale," Hunter said. "She was in foal to Road Machine at the time, but the foal did not come to much because it was just a pony. Then came Grenadier, and I just qualified a 3-year-old Caprock daughter out of the mare the other day. Unfortunately Butler's Dash died foaling last year."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 13Nov03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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He might be aptly named insofar as his self-confessed "battling" connections are concerned, but Last Link did the best possible thing by breeder/owner/trainer Bob Porteous and driver Craig Newfield when he took out the $21,504 Christchurch Casino Trot. For both, it was considered their biggest win, surpassing the Sundon gelding's success on the final night of the Inter-Dominions on the course in April, for a similar stake when racing those who had not qualified for the Final won by Take A Moment.
Last Link is the only horse that Porteous has in work nowadays, having sent his sister Sunworthy to stud, and for Newfield, apart from Dark Shadow, a pacer he trains for Porteous which has won twice at Addington since May, he is pretty much the only horse that Newfield has been required to handle on raceday in recent years. "I have been in the game long enough and haven't been successful so it is time to look for other things," said the 43-year-old Newfield on Tuesday. "So, I am getting out, but whatever is around the corner, I don't know just yet," he added.
Newfield, who bought the 38-acre Templeton property of his father Felix when that top horseman moved to the Gold Coast about 10 years ago, is presently sub-dividing a 10-acre block of that land, running about 30 head of cattle and working for nearby breeder Mike Stratford. "When there isn't Mike's horses to be done, such as weaning the foals, I am working as a labourer for Mike in his property development. We are also doing a bit of hay contacting in the summer."
Newfield is actually a little lucky to have been involved in Last Link's two biggest wins at all. While he began from the start by handling Last Link in his 2-year-old days, a hand injury saw him replaced for a time last year by Jim Curtin, who won twice with him at Addington. When Curtin became committed to Golden Blend however, Newfield won with Last Link when they were reunited again for the first time, beating Sonofthedon at Addington in October last season, and they have been associated ever since.
Porteous says he could have also sold Last Link a few times over as well. "We have turned down $85,000 for him, knowing that at our age we will never get another one half as good as him," said Porteous. "I was talking about it one day to Mike De Filippi, and he said you could spent that much looking for another one. I have had my share of 'clunkers' over the years, and at my age we are starting to feel the pace a bit. So he is all that is keeping us going these days. Some have turned him back because he knocks his knees, but he can just keep on knocking his knees as far as we are concerned," he added.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 13Nov03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Roman Gladiator took the early high ground amongst the 3-year-olds with a lion-hearted win over Winforu in the International Cargo Express Rising Stars 3-year-old Championship at Addington.
After sitting parked in a cold breeze over the last lap, he left 10 others liking their wounds. He could have been forgiven for wilting on his run near the end, but there was no sign of it. Lennon was third without giving the impression of doing any better.
As good as his name suggests, Roman Gladiator is quartered for the time being with Julie and Colin De Filippi, his early target being a heat this Thursday of the Sires' Stakes Series. Colin puts him where he should be. "He was as good as anything last year," he said. "He didn't get much time off between campaigns, but he looks as if he has developed a wee bit. He is the first and only Christian Cullen I have had on the place," he said. Maurice McKendry, the driver of Winforu, suggested that twice into the wind might have taken the edge off him, but he still made a good fist of it.
More might have been expected of Lennon, the favourite, who had cover three-wide behind Stylish Lavros down the back. His driver Blair Orange, who won the following race with Harnetts Creek, was inclined to agree. "You could say it was a nice, tidy run, but also a wee bit disappointing. I thought he might be better coming off their backs, but maybe he is better doing it hard like he did last season," he said.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 8Oct03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Tim Butt warned us about it in pre-season interviews. And Take A Moment proved it when he stepped out at Addington last Thursday night. The champ has come back looking even better than he was last season.
Put that into perspective, and it's a scary thought. This is the horse that won 15 of 16 starts during 2002/03, capturing every major trotting event there was on his way to a bounty of over $500,000 in stakemoney - not to mention a well deserved Harness Horse of the Year title.
Can he actually be better than that? "Well, he has definitely strengthened up a lot," said Butt as he welcomed his stable star back at the stalls after winning the Ordeal Cup. "He has come back as good as you would hope. You never know after a long seasson like he had , but we never over-taxed him. That was a good hitout for him. It was a small field, so the conditions were in his favour."
Take A Moment did indeed look a picture when he resumed last week, and the now 8-year-old performed like a horse half his age. Sent around to joint the pacemaking Major Decision starting the last mile, Take A Moment sat comfortably off his wheel and waited patiently for pilot Anthony Butt to ask him to get serious. Butt did this around the final turn, and the response was instantaneous as Take A Moment careered away for the easiest of wins. As if the spectacle wasn't awe-inspiring enough, Take A Moment's time of 3:16.5 for the mobile 2600 metre event on a chilly night - under absolutely no duress - was.
Cool under the pressure of another job well done, Anthony paid the Armbro Invasion gelding the ultimate compliment. "Most good horses have their little faults, even Lyell did. But driving Take A Moment is like driving a car - you can stop and start him whenever you want to. He is just about the perfect racehorse."
Even some of Take A Moment's rival drivers were reaching for the white flag after the event. "You can't beat him," said one. And to be honest, how could you? If Take A Moment is stronger and better and even more keen to be out there kicking out top trotter's backsides, bad luck is the only thing that stands in the way of him having another unbelievable season.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 17Sep03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Diedre Don met his match when Citra Jati swooped on the hot favourite inside the final 100 metres to score a runaway win in the $25,000 Roydon Lodge NZ Two-year-old Trotting Stakes. Diedre Don was the form horse, having won three of his five starts.
While Citra Jati looked speedy in his opener, he was not as sharp as he could have been in two subsequent starts at Addington. According to Frank Bebbington, whose three daughters - Lynn Neal, Julie Bebbington and her twin sister Maree Harris - race the horse, Citra Jati had been off colour with a blood disorder and "wasn't right in himself." He made steady progress during his stay with Weedons trainer Nigel McGrath, and trainers Lynn and Andrew Neal were not surprised at the dramatic change in his form.
Citra Jati is one of the first crop of 11 sired by Special Branch, a son of Gee Whiz II who won the Trotting Stakes in 1998. He is now at stud in Australia. His dam is Highland Tour, a mare by Roydon Boy who died suddenly the day before the race. Citra Jati is from a family of fast trotters, including Royal Armour, Trafalgar, Globetour (9 wins) and Kiwi Tour (7).
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 28May03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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When Alta Serena was first broken in, it was thought that she would never even grace a racetrack. The filly had a real cantankerous nature, and co-trainer Brian Hughes says that is putting it mildly. "She was a real bitch, actually," he said. Alta Serena put on quite an act the first time she went to the races too, in March last year, pig rooting and playing up behind the mobile before running home late for fifth; oddly enough, that is the worst placing of the filly's career.
Nearly 14 months and 21 starts later, Alta Serena has now won 10 times, netted nearly $185,000 in stakemoney, and last Friday night she scored her biggest victory when taking out the Nevele R Fillies' Series Final brilliantly. The win was some recompense for her enormous effort in the NZ Oaks a week earlier, in which Alta Serena was relegated from third after her driver Frank Cooney was found guilty of causing interference on the home turn and copped a suspension.
David Butt was chosen as a replacement. Alta Serena's luck with the draw stayed bad when she drew 12, but of all the second-line draws she had the best of them because she was following out hot favourite Champagne Princess who was expected to punch out and lead from three over the 1950 metre trip. "Davey and I talked about that, but there was a chance she could have been caught wide early and get shuffled back so we decided to stay out of that," Hughes said.
Butt did his bit, getting Alta Serena into the three-wide line with cover, and when he asked the filly to stretch out at the top of the home straight she pounced like a tiger to win by half a length, shaving nearly a second and a half off the national fillies' record in the process. "She has got real explosive speed," said her co-trainer afterwards. "But she can sprint and stay, her run in the Oaks proved that. Alta Serena has been plagued by bad draws throughout her career, and she has done a lot of work in a lot of races where they have gone great times. She is very, very good, and very under-rated," Hughes added.
By Fake Left out of the Smooth Fella mare Heard A Whisper, Alta Serena was bred by Tony Dickinson's Alta Breeding Company Ltd and sold cheaply through the sale ring for $4000. Moira Green bought the filly on impulse, and races the 3-year-old in partnership with her son John and his wife Trish, John being Hughes' training partner as well. Moira was on-course at Addington for the Oaks, but last week she offered to look after her grandchildren back in Auckland while John tended to other members of the racing team at Alexandra Park, and Alta Serena provided her with the perfect birthday present.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 21May03
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Roman Gladiator had something to crow about after winning the Ferrymead Restaurant & Bars NZ Welcome stakes.
This was the race he should not have won. Because not only did he give hot favourite Lennon a start and a beating, he did it with a flat tyre wrapped round the rim. After starting from the second line, behind Bull Run, he improved three-wide down the back, hauling the damaged wheel that had been affected from as far out as the 1400m peg. Lennon lost ground on the corner, while he was trailing his stablmate Classy Cullen, and then sorted himself out to rally strongly in the straight. And just when it appeared he had done enough to win, Roman Gladiator came with a woosh down the outside to take it by a neck.
Roman Gladiator is raced by Amanda Swain and Marie Neil, of Sydney. They bought the Christian Cullen-Assisi yearling colt for $19,000, when they really shouldn't have done so at all. "Marie wanted us to buy a filly, so her husband Peter could race and then breed from it," said Robin Swain, Amanda's husband and Knapdale co-trainer of the 3-year-old with Colin Baynes. "I don't exactly know why we finished up buying a colt, except that I thought he had a head just like his father's. He had a wee curb at the back, but I knew that wouldn't worry him. I suppose I just liked the look of him," he said. For his education, Swain put Roman Gladiator in the cart most days and has seen him improve each time he's been in.
He was driven in the Welcome by Colin De Filippi, who will continue to care for him now that the owners have decided to make the late payment for the Sires' Stakes Series. He has a heat for that at Forbury Park on Thursday, and another week or so later at Addington. "It is not often we race 2-year-olds," said Swain, "and if we do it's usually in our home area. Country Ways was one we could have, but he hurt a stifle at that age," he said. Swain and Baynes have 10 in work, including By The Left, a 3-year-old by Fake Left that Swain maintains will go right through the grades. "I was hoping there would have been a race for him on the last night of the meeting up here, and I think he would have won it," he said.
De Filippi has already given the horse a stamp of quality. In a quick reflection immediately after the race, he said: "He could be the second-best 2-year-old I have driven, after Courage Under Fire."
Roman Gladiator is the eigth foal fron Assisi, the winner of 11 races including the Leonard Memorial at two. Her first foal was the good performer, Chiavari. Roman Gladiator was bred by Stephen Shanks and Maurice Scown.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 16Apr03
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