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Shortys Girl & Allan Beck burst clear

2002 CADUCEUS CLUB OF CANTERBURY NZ STANDARDBRED BREEDERS STAKES

Graham and Moira Bell have experienced both sides of the coin when it comes to harness racing. And, oddly enough, both their greatest and saddest moments relate to the same four-legged individual.

About a decade ago the Bells bought the Kentucky mare Spygirl off Curtin's Farms, who was in foal to Soky's Atom at the time. The resulting foal was Soky's Girl, and from 25 visits to the track she managed to win them one race and $4525. "She had a tonne of zip," Graham recalled. "But she got a virus early on in her career and never really got over it," he lamented.

Retired to stud, Soky's Girl's first foal was the New York Motoring filly Shorty's Girl, and while they waited for her to grow old enough to race they continued to send Soky's Girl to different stallions. "We have had nothing but bad luck breeding from her," Bell continued. "She lost a few foals, came home not in foal a couple of times, but then one year she took to In The Pocket and gave birth to a beautiful colt. Last season we were just getting ready to wean him when he died of colitis; that would be the biggest dissappointment we have had to experience."

Last Friday night at Addington, luck tossed the Roslyn Bush couple a moment they will remember for all the right reasons when Shortys Girl blitzed a quality field of mares in the $75,000 Caduceus Club of Canterbury NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes. Beautifully positioned on the outside with cover by trainer/driver Allan Beck, Shortys Girl made a mockery of her suggested inexperience when she shot away from the opposition in the straight.

From just the 13 starts, Shortys Girl has now won seven and is yet to come home without a cheque, banking $88,000. "I thought this race might have been a year too soon for her," Beck said afterwards. "She was held up when she finished fourth in the Oaks here last season, but she went 3:16 that night so I thought then that she would have a future. She has got a good engine, and a bit of speed," he said.

Back home in Invercargill over the weekend, the Bells were still buzzing from what was just their second visit to Addington Raceway. "The whole trip has been an amazing experience," Graham said. "We can't thank Allan and his partner Jo Geering enough for their dedication to the horses." The Bells, who are "in their sixties" haven't started thinking about retirement just yet. The have farmed sheep and beef on a 550-acre property in Roslyn Bush for most of their lives, but have been cutting the size of the farm down in recent years as they prepare to move to a smaller and more manageable property in Lochiel, south of Winton.

There will always be plenty of room for the horses though, and there are a few ...broodmares Spygirl, Soky's Girl, Kanegold and Browngate Happy, some 4-year-olds, a couple of 2-year-olds and two yearlings. "We like to have a bit to do with getting the horses up and running before passing them onto the likes of Allan or Tony (Barron)," Graham said. "Our neighbour Angus Mawdsley is great help, and we work them up over Winter time. We are great believers in handling the horses at a young age, and start leading them as soon as they come back from the stud on their mothers. It can make all the difference, they really respond to you," he said.




Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 06Feb02

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Champagne Party clear of Mirity.

2002 PYNE GOULD GUINNESS PREMIER MARES PACE

Champagne Party caused an upset win in the Pyne Gould Guinness Premier Mares Pace at Addington, but it may have not been much of a surprise to those aware of her record with Mark Purdon.

Until the Premier, she had raced 25 times, and Purdon had driven her in three of them. The result: one win at Addington and two thirds. Now, it is two wins and two thirds, and possibly a chance to improve on that when they contest the Standardbred Breeders Stakes.

Purdon says the Soky's Atom mare has done well since her win, and he said the syndicate may well leave her with him until the Easter meeting at Addington.

She could well encounter stiffer opposition this week. Shania Patron, who finished third and in particular Kym's Girl who was fourth, are expected to offer spirited competition with that race behind them.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 30Jan02

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2002 RYDGES CHRISTCHURCH HANDICAP TROT

Popular Melbourne racecaller Dan Mielicki had made seven trips to New Zealand to see Waihemo Hanger race 13 times prior to this week and only once watched him win, in last year's Ordeal Cup. It was becoming something of an ordeal and Mielicki said on Tuesday that he had discussed with Mark Purdon whether he should stay away this week and not jinx his talented trotter. "He has usually had a gallop when I have been here," said Mielicki. "But Mark said it might be an idea to be here, although we did chat about whether to enter him at Addington or Riccarton," he added. Purdon was just kidding though and had every reason to feel the 7-year-old would be on his best behaviour.

After a sound third in his season's debut in the Ordeal Cup to Dependable and Take A Moment and an unlucky fourth when in tight quarters for much of the run home in the Flying Mile at Ashburton on Labour Day, Waihemo Hanger was a dominant figure in the $20,000 Rydges Christchurch Trot despite having just a head to spare from longshot Ado's Invasion with Gold, Dependable and Special Force next home having had their chances. It was the Straphanger gelding's 11th win from 38 starts and took his earnings into six figures.

Waihemo Hanger has been handled with aplomb this season by Purdon employee Blair Orange and will form a powerful two pronged attack on the remaining Group One features at the meeting with Mark handling mountain Gold. Mielicki and co-owner Terry Henderson are certain to be there again tomorrow for the $50,000 NZ Trotting FFA, where Take A Moment will also join the fray in what will be a dress rehearsal for next week's $100,000 Dominion. They will then head home, but hope to be back for a successful hit and run trip on the final night.

Mielicki, who began race calling at the age of eight as a gimmick and was employed full-time as a sports jounalist at the age of 16 by Channel 10, has been the voice of Mooney Valley for many years and prior to this year - the broadcast went to a rival TV channel - had called the 14 previous Melbourne Cups. It was Mark Purdon and Buster Hanover's win in an Australasian trotting Championship at Mooney Valley which inspired Mielicki to approach Purdon about finding him a nice trotter. "It took 12 months before I heard from Mark again, but I had no problem following his advice, even when he had found a no-name and he was a cheapy at $15,000. Don't ask me what he liked about him, but you have to like Mark's eye for picking them don't you. He never gave us any false hopes, but did always maintain he would be right when he matured mentally and to just be patient. Some people probably think that because Terry (co-owner of Chokin among others) and I have a high profile in the public eye, that we had paid a lot for him as a going horse, but we are just like everyone else looking for a good horse."

It took another year for Purdon to round Waihemo Hanger into shape and produce him on raceday, but that was a winning debut and he won four of his nine starts that season and was into open class the next year as a 5-year-old. It hasn't been plain sailing, but since the departure of Lyell Creek, Waihemo Hanger has often proved he is as good as any around when doing things right.

Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly

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2002 THE NOBILO FREE-FOR-ALL

Ken Barron wasn't sure if he had won two Group races in a night before. He gave himself a fair chance of winning two of the four, not so much with Stars And Stripes but Roland John, who fell to places short of doing so in the Superstars, and with Dependable. Not for the first time, he was caught out by Stars And Stripes.

He was wrong thinking the horse would be a run short in the Nobilo, though his thinking may have been coloured by the disadvantage of being on the back of one of the lesser-performed horses. As it happened, a poor draw on paper turned into a winning lottery ticket, as many on the front line eased back and within 400 metres Barron had Stars And Stripes away from the inside line and on the back of the favourite Cool Hand Luke. It was a sweet trip home from there. In a powerful burst inside the last 200m, Stars And Stripes answered the one-short suspicion as quickly as it was asked, levelling quickly with Cool Hand Luke and drawing clear to win well.

Two trial runs had brought Stars And Stripes to this level, finishing with a 56.1 half in one and in the 58s in the other. "We had a good platform to work on this time," said Barron, "unlike what he had in Sydney for the Inter-Dominions when he was the victim of a poor preparation." Stars And Stripes started like a bomb in that series, but a skinny foundation and poor draws eventually found him out.

Barron should not have been as surprised as he was that Stars And Stripes should win fresh-up. His record before this was four wins from seven starts, clearly an indication of his capability in this condition. The big question now for Barron and his training partner John Lischner as they begin the final push towards a start in the Canterbury Draught New Zealand Cup is what to do with Stars And Stripes from here. They are aware of the danger of doing too much, and the fine line of leaving him a bit soft. And with Stars And Stripes, getting it right is crucial. "It was a month between his win in the NZ Derby and the New South Wales Derby, and we did that by design," said Barron.

Stars And Stripes is three years older now, and quite possibly may only race once more - at Ashburton - before the Cup, as the connections are not keen on Kaikoura. City Rogue moved into the Cup picture with an improver's third, Kym's Girl also found the line well, but Makati Galahad showed no sign of the form that made him a big player last spring.



Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 09Oct02

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2002 GARRARD'S SIRES' STAKES 2YO FINAL

John Seaton loves the thrill of buying and selling. We are not just talking horses here either. In fact, they are one of the last commodities he lets go these days. John deals mainly in sheep and cattle; throw in some property and the various blocks of land that he has bought and then sub-divided over the years, and you will have almost every reason why John is one of the wealthiest men in the harness racing industry.

It all started quite humbly in the little town of Darfield, north of Christchurch, where John was born and raised on his family's 80 acre farm. John loved running and rugby as a youngster, but neither interest was greater than his dislike for school so he turned his back on education at the age of 15. He worked around home, picking potatoes and doing stock work for 12 months, and it was about this time when he had his first taste of dealing. "I bought and sold ponies," he recalled. "And I loved it. I was probably turning over about thirty to forty ponies a year, and making between fifteen and twenty pounds on each one." At 16 John landed a job driving trucks and trailers for Wilson's Motors in Halkett, carting stock, hay and grain to and from various properties around Canterbury. "We had brand new trucks to drive and I really enjoyed those days," he said. "I used to deliver grain to John Noble's where I also met Doug Mangos and Malcolm Shinn who I had been to school with, and at times I would stop and watch the horses working around the track."

Having caught the harness racing bug, John was just 18 when he first took himself along to the Yearling Sales at the Showgrounds, determined to go home with a horse. "I had mamaged to save a bit of money at that stage, so I bought a little Armbro Del colt called Delbrae for five hundred pounds. I was only earning about twenty pounds a week in those days, so it was a lot of money to spend. "I was still there when a guy called Charlie Winter came up to me later in the day and asked to buy Delbrae off me, but I told him he wasn't for sale. Charlie had missed the Sales and was really keen on the colt, he offered me twice as much as I had paid for him. I couldn't turn that down."

John quickly cottoned-on that there was money to be made here. The following year he went back to the Sales and bought himself two more, both of which he on-sold within a month and made nearly a four-figure profit on each, and then 12 months later he was back to put his finger up again, this time to secure Command Castle who later gave him his first win as an owner when successful at Oamaru. Command Castle was later sold overseas for a five-figure sum.

John married Ann at the age of 26, bought the family farm off his parents the same year and left the transport business to grow crops. Not long after he sold that to buy a 900 acre on in Aylesbury, and he went into raising sheep and cattle on a large scale. "It just got bigger and bigger," John said. "We were turning over anything up to 400,000 sheep a year; those were the good days back then - and they still are. These days I will be at the sales two or three days a week, and it's great because I have made a lot of friends. The good thing about this sort of stock is that you can buy them one day, and sell them the next. I have been doing it for thirty years and I love the thrill of it; I love dealing," he reiterated.

As far as the racehorses were concerned, John kept trying to find one that would win him an event worth over $10,000. When Il Vicolo came along, he never looked back. "The return is a lot different with horses," he said. "I mean, you could buy twelve at the Sales and never hear of six of them. I have really enjoyed racing horses with the likes of Colin and Mike (De Filippi), Tony (Herlihy) and Mark (Purdon). They are what has made my racing days really terrific for me."

John's name has become synonymous with the rich Yearling Sales Series Finals in recent years, having won 2-year-old editions with Il Vicolo, Jack Cade and Light And Sound, and 3-year-old editions with Il Vicolo, Falcon's Blue Jean, Perfect Seelster and Jack Cade. And that is not to mention his growing list of successes in the Sires' Stakes Series and other major age group races. The run continued at Addington when the brilliant Light And Sound ended his season with his eighth consecutive victory, taking out the Garrard's Sires' Stakes 2-Year-old Final in devastating fashion.

All these successes don't come without a price though. "We will start looking at colts six weeks before the Sales. And if there is two hundred and fifty in, we would see more than two hundred of them ourselves. It's quite tiring, but you have to do your homework. I am really lucky having Mark because not only does he put the work in, he is also such a good judge. It's so good to have a trainer that can make 2-year-olds."

People might think that John Seaston can go to the Sales and buy himself anything he wants, but that is not the case. Even he is a realist. "Some of them are too dear, even for me. In the days when you paid $25,000 for a horse, that was a good investment.these days, if you pay $70,000 to $100,000 for one, you might not get out of it. I have probably bought about ten at each of the last two sales, and that is too many. I would like to buy more, but you can't keep them all."


Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 15May02

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2002 INTERNATIONAL CARGO EXPRESS RISING STARS 3YO CHAMPIONSHIP

It appears Jim and Susan Wakefield have another good 'London' horse. 'Legend' is the lastest, a worthy addition by the look of it to their earlier forebearers, London Pride and London Express, who under the guidance of Cran Dalgety won eight and seven races respectively.

Although London Legend has only won the one race, he has claims to be in their company, for his opening account came in the Group 2 International Cargo Express Rising Stars Championship.

On the face of it, London Legend was on a cheeky assignment. But Dalgety didn't see it quite that way. "If you had looked at the horse's stats, he had a case. He ran a half in 55.8 at Forbury when he finished second, then ran a two minute rate at his next start there which was quicker than what Russian Road went on the same night. As far as speed goes, he would be in the top bracket with some of the others I have had," he said.

It wasn't always like that, and it was fortunate that he found a mate in Dalgety. "He had no idea how to pace," he said. "But he had such a kind attitude, and he always wanted to help. For a start, he would just pace in spurts, fifty to a hundred metres, but he could pace it very quick. London Pride was very similar. It was also a period where you didn't want to encourage the owners out because his legs were chaffed and blown up. "We tried him over three campaigns, and the day he qualified at Ashburton he ran a quarter in 26.5. What we knew then was that he had speed, but we had no idea on what he was like for stamina," he said.

London Legend was one of the Studholme Park draft at the Yearling Sales, and was bought by the Wakefields for $22,000. Dalgety pushed hard to get him. "I had to twist Jim's arm on this one. He had the same grandam as Classy Filly" - a big winner for Dalgety - "and I have always liked his maternal family," he said.

In their pre-race plans, Dalgety and driver Mark Jones thought they would get a passing lane shot if Franco Eruption led as they thought he would from gate one. That didn't happen, and they were forced to come from the back brought into the finish on the back of Russian Road, who finished second.

"We will make the late payment now for the Sires' Stakes Series and run in the heat at Addington this week," he said.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 09Oct02

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Just Incredible beats Solar Active & Lord Clive

2002 ROYDON LODGE STUD NZ 2YO TROTTING STAKES

Winning a race at Addington isn't easy. It is even harder when you are an erratic baby trotter who is starting from the unruly mark against a form-packed field. Throw in the fact that you cause a false start when your bit breaks and you are lucky to be brought to a halt at all, then in the re-run you are never any closer to the fence than three-wide for the first 1000 metres. And the icing on the cake ...an hour-long enquiry to determine that you didn't interfere with one of your rivals. This is hardly a recipe for success, especially when you are trying to win a race like the NZ Trotting Stakes. To beat such odds, you have to be just incredible. And that is exactly what this trotter is.

Just Incredible overcame hurdles that seemed insurmountable when he won the Roydon Lodge-sponsored Group 2 event at Addington. Turning for home he was three lengths off the leaders and battling, and he would have been forgiven for feeling the pinch after such a tough trip. But Just Incredible would not be denied, and he picked himself up off the canvas and shot through a gap that was hardly big enough to score by half a length.

The leggy Sundon gelding is trained by Michael House, who also had the co-favourite Lord Clive in the event, which he drove himself. Colin De Filippi was called in to handle Just Incredible on this occasion, and House was regretting even asking him after what transpired on the night. "Just Incredible wears a straight rubber bit. It is the same one that Mighty Khan wore, and it has just been hanging up on the wall ever since," House said. "In his lead-up races he had been bleeding from the mouth, so we changed from a steel bit to the rubber one and got Bill Beck to do a lot of surgery on him a few days out from the Trotting Stakes. Bill pulled a dozen caps, some baby teeth and one bad wolf tooth, so it was quite an extensive operation. For some reason Just Incredible's bit broke in the run-up, and I saw him come through the middle of us. You have just got no control over the horse when this happens, and I really felt for Colin; it's a terrible feeling - you are left with a split second decision whether to hang on, or bail out. Somehow Colin managed to get him behind the mobile barrier, and that brought him to a halt."

Fitted with a replacement bit and bridle, Just Incredible and his rivals wheeled up behind the mobile for a second time. Despite the scare, House was still confident that his other runner could win. "I have always thought that Just Incredible is the best horse in this bunch of 2-year-olds," House continued. "All he needed to do was trot and he would prove it. I told Colin earlier in the week not to drive him pretty, and don't feel sorry for him. Even if he felt silly, I said to him that he could sit in the middle of the track and still win. He is such a great stayer. He has got speed - not just greased lightning speed - but there is not a horse in his grade that I would be scared to sit outside," House said.

Just Incredible is raced by the Mike Gourdie managed Trotting New Zealand Syndicate. Six of the members chipped in to buy the son of Sundon and Last Lord mare Princess Della (two wins) at the Yearling Sales, securing her for $10,000, and leased him back to the syndicate. Following on from their success with Castleton's Mission, Just Incredible is a part of the same plan that House and the syndicate members have... targeting good stakemoney for minimal out-lay. "We just can't compete with the likes of Mark Purdon, who takes home ten great pacing colts from the sales at an average of $40,000 apiece," House said. "But with trotters it is different. For less than half as much you can get yourself a good one, and you can make a big ripple in a little pool. And with trotters, the more you try, the more you get out of them. Trotting in this country is still in it's infancy, but there is so much action for a good horse. I mean, Just Incredible's owners turned down a $50,000 offer for him after his very first trial, and there has been other offers since."

Last Friday's was a bitter-sweet moment for House, despite the fact that he also ran third with Lord Clive in the event. From the promising first crop of the Valley Victory stallion Holdonmyheart, one of three stallions which House stands on behalf of principal owners Clive and Rona McKay, to win the Trotting Stakes with Lord Clive would have been the fairy-tale result. "Lord Clive probably should have won with the trip he had, and fifty metres out I thought he was going to," House said. "But I blame myself for that, because he has been up for too long. The aches and pains in his hocks just took its toll near the finish. I probably wrecked his chances by trying to prove a point at the trials earlier on, and all I can do now is look back and reflect on what might have been."




Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 22May02

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

2002 NEVELE R FILLIES FINAL

The Nevele R Fillies Final last Friday night was open to all-comers when the favourite Elect To Live ran out of steam at the top of the straight.

This unexpected development was a surprise invitation to the others, and it was not one of the favourites but Whanau who emerged with the commitment to get home first. It was not by much, half a head to be official, and 10 metres out it appeared as though Angela Jane had edged past. And she had; driver Mark Purdon was sure of it. But over the next 10 metres, Whanau won it back, and caused a huge upset.

The same filly had run well below her best in the New Zealand Oaks the previous week. Trainer Henry Skinner put it down to the fact she pulled hard, but in case he had missed something he got Robert Cameron to handle her when she fast-worked on the Wednesday before the race. Skinner really wasn't in the best shape because he had the flu, but Cameron reported that she worked as well as he would have liked. "I thought she was okay for the Oaks," said Skinner, "but she didn't get the best of runs. But I was dissappointed about where she finished. I had her blood done after that, and everything was right there," he said. On reflection, he thought she had had some bad luck in some of her previous races. In one, she made a break at the start, and when she was due for another she had to miss it because of a cold. It meant she had to do some catching up on what she had missed at the trials.

As good as she went on the night, Whanau also had the benefit of a splendid drive by Peter Jones who was also as good as anyone on the night. He put Lento's daughter into a nice place, midfield on the outer, then caught the back of Hot Blooded Woman who was making some headway forward at the 700 metre mark. It took her far enough for her to strike out on her own near the 500 metres, and Whanau moved into it at a quicker rate than Elect To Live who was moving back. She was not alone because Goodnight Aveross was again showing a lot of cheek and Angela Jane had made her own ground from the back and was chasing hard. Whanau stuck to her guns to give sire Sands A Flyin his second successive winner of the race, following that of Sparks A Flyin last year.

Skinner, who trains a small team at Branxholme and made his name with some wonderful horses such as Sapling, Sure Mart, Forto Prontezza and No Return, races the filly with his wife Karen and the horse's co-breeder, Alex McDonald. McDonald trained and part-owned Lento, (MR 1:56.4, 2000m), with Lorraine Coutts. She was sold last September, in foal to Dream Away, to Robert Famularo's Cavalla Breeding. Lento is also the dam of a 2-year-old by Sir Vancelot, owned by Keith and Lorraine Coutts, who bred Whanau in partnership with McDonald.



Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 15May02

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2002 GEORGE CALVERT CLEANING EASTER CUP

'The Wizard' alias Todd Mitchell, was at his spell binding best behind Gracious Knight at Addington last Saturday night. He mesmerised rival drivers with a heady brew of front-running tactics. There were signs a lap out when Gracious Knight had not been questioned for the lead that some would be caught out, and near the 600m Mitchell knew it. He didn't think there was a horse close enough who could give him a start and turn in a better final quarter. "I was just jogging turning for home," he said.

By this stage, the stayers who had been hoping for 4:00, or content with 4:02 for the 3200n were out of the hunt. Gracious Knight was getting it over in a tick under 4:07, and it was Mitchell's clever dictation of the pace that saw him win it without a fight. He was more than two lengths ahead of Pic Me Pockets who came out of the pack strongly, and Panky's Pacer did the same to run third.

It was Mitchell's third Easter Cup win in four years, following that of Facta Non Verba last year and Homin Hosed two years before that. Facta Non Verba, a stablemate of the winner's, ran a sterling race for fifth after missing the start by at least six lengths but probably much more. "We were standing just three or four seconds too long, waiting for Annie's Boy," said driver Robbie Holmes.

Gracious Knight is a son of Tuapeka Knight, and now the winner of 10 races from just 23 starts. His record is more compelling because his placings include seconds in the Messenger behind Tupelo Rose and third to Holmes D G in the Auckland Cup. It has not been plain sailing for Warren Rich, who trains in partnership with Mike Berger. Gracious Knight is one of 20 Rich has in work at Pukekohe, and Berger has as many at Morrinsville. Rich said Gracious Knight took a while to gait up, but this season he has had muscular problems that Syd Weatherly treated for a start and now Clare McGowan is handling it. "She comes once every two weeks on average," he said, "and he does swimming as well."

Rich who was born in Christchurch and worked for Mike Nicholas, Barry Purdon, Jeff Crouth and Brian Hughes before partnering Berger, said the Auckland Cup was not originally in the plan but the Easter Cup at Addington always was. "The Auckland Cup seemed to make all the difference to him. It gave him a lift round the stables and in his trackwork," he said. Rich said that 95% of his stable, including Gracious Knight, is owned by the Happy Valley Syndicate. There are three in Hong Kong, and two in New Zealand, one of them being Jacko Shiu, whose acceptance speech of the George Calvert trophy was more memorable than the race itself. It was a humble, gratifying response that brought favourable comment from every quarter. And he has more good prospects ahead. Rich says the syndicate has a 3-year-old half-sister by Road Machine to Graciuos Knight that "I like very much."

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 04Apr02

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Light And Sound & Mark Purdon

2002 FERRYMEAD RESTAURANT & BARS NZ WELCOME STAKES

Mark Purdon has chased around a few brilliant In The Pockets in his time. Like a lot of trainers and drivers, he was on the receiving end of the good old fashioned hidings that Under Cover Lover, Christian Cullen and Courage Under Fire dished out, and it took a while before he could join the party with one of his own.

"I probably had about six or eight In The Pockets when I trained up north, and they were pretty much all flops," he said. "Ouch was a good horse, but he had been already 'made' by Geoff Small when we got him. Apart from him there wasn't much to speak of. That was just bad luck though; you only had to look at what horses like Christian Cullen and Courage Under Fire could do to know that In The Pocket left stock of extreme quality."

Purdon has finally got himself one now. The tide turned when John and Ann Seaton, Tim Vince and his partner Janine Browne parted with $55,000 to buy Light And Sound at the Yearling Sales this time last season. After being narrowly beaten on debut in December, the In The Pocket half-brother to Stars And Stripes has strung together five sensational victories, the latest of them in the Ferrymead Restaurant & Bars NZ Welecome Stakes.

Using his speed to work to the front early, Light And Sound never looked out of second gear, and he only needed a sharp sprint home in 57.9 and 27.9 to hold nearest challenger Russian Road at bay. There was nothing awe-inspiring about Light And Sound's overall time for the 1950 metre event, but it was hard not to be impressed with the way he went about his business.

Harness racing fans have grown accustomed to the superlatives that follow Light And Sound around now, so probably the freshest news on Saturday night was the mention of plans to geld the 2-year-old. "It is a hard call to make," Purdon said. "If he was in America, there would have probably been a contract out on him by now, by someone trying to secure his siring future. I am surprised no-one has contacted his owners about that. In my heart I would love to keep him a colt, but I am a racehorse trainer and I have got to advise what is in the best interests of the horse."

The subject of gelding Light And Sound surfaced after his trip north to Alexandra Park for his debut. "He is just too colty, and he behaved very immaturely when we went to Auckland in December. He got his leg over a fence while he was being stabled in Pukekohe, and although he is paddocked on his own he did the same thing back here at home prior to the Sapling Stakes at Ashburton. He is actually a lovely colt, but he gets very dominant around other horses. It happens though, when you get horses at their peak and they are feeling good, that is when they get dynamic. That is why we have not travelled again with him. If he is on a float or a plane around other horses he is the sort that would kick out; you could end up having a puffy joint and then it would take a couple of days before you could work him again. But I have no concerns at all that he wouldn't come back after being gelded, because he is such an athlete," Purdon said.

Plans to geld Light And Sound will be shelved for the meantime though, as focus now switches to his two remaining missions this season...the PGG Yearling Sales Series Open on May 3, and the Garrard's Sires' Stakes Final a week later. "He has got a lot of brilliance, this horse. If they took him on in a race he could pace his last mile in 1:56. He is special."


Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 04Apr02