Greetings John and Friday Flash readers
It was a big weekend of celebrations both on and off the track. Watching from home the outstanding Well Written deal to a hot group one line up at Ellerslie was very special. And the next night the industry gathered together to celebrate the previous seasons outstanding achievements, culminating with the horse of the moment, Well Written, taking out the Horse of the Year title.
As expected the Fortuna team won hands down the two year old championship award with the season’s unbeaten, black type two year old, Lara Antipova and let’s hope she runs a pearler in Melbourne on Saturday. Whatever she does I’m sure she will continue to improve,
MY 7 QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
WITH the NZTR hierarchy enforcing the mandatory retirement for all jumps race horses after December 31 as 12-year-olds how ironic that on the last CD jumps programme of the year at Woodville on Sunday two 12-year-olds, Odyssey and Prince Turbo, were winners. I’m sure the connections of both horses had mixed feelings on Sunday and so they should! If a horse is checked on regularly; well looked after by the stable and showing decent enough form, why terminate their racing careers? No one knows their horses, irrespective of ages, than the stables themselves.
Putting it frankly, ordering someone like Kevin Myers to retire your horse (Prince Turbo) because he is at an age where he should be permanently eating grass, is hard to get the head around don’t you think?
2. Which is the fairest, allowing horses like Prince Turbo and Odyssey race with a collective number of starts sitting on 151 or the 11-year-old trotter, Rachmaninov , who has start number 327 at Methven on Sunday? To his credit the old boy ran 3rd. Well done! For the record there’s no retiring age limit for standard breds in NZ.
Here’s another fun fact on aged horses carrying on their careers season after season. The NZ bred Destreos, who first raced in NZ out of the Butcher stable, raced mainly at Albion Park in Brisbane before venturing to Tasmania. He raced until he was 15 and won 101 races from 485 lifetime starts.
3. Do you remember the great stayer Gurner’s Lane, the winner of the 1982 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double?
How about, Sovereign Red, the top staying three year old of his era in Australia after winning the group one Caulfield Guiness and the VRC Derby. Both horses were by the “ daddy of them all ” in Sir Tristam out of the Hermes mare, Taiona, bred by the late, great Sir Patrick Hogan. Taiona, twice NZ Broodmare of the year, is also the 5th dam of the incomparable Ka Ying Rising, who on Sunday smashed his own 1200m record by one second to record as astonishing 1.06.11!
He lumped 61.2kgs like a featherweight. He’s an absolute machine, isn’t he? What a drawcard once again for the Everest at Randwick on October 17. He’d have to be terribly off his game to be beaten. You’d have to think all the Aussie contenders would be fighting for second money.
Of course the Everest isn’t a handicap race and Ka Ying Rising will carry the same weight as last year, 58.5kgs, almost 3kgs lighter than the world record time in winning last Sunday.
And then there’s Mr Brightside. Can you believe it, his 5th dam is also Taiona? Who would’ve thought between them they’ve already won $NZ 71 million! When I look at this galloping guru sprinter from Hong Kong I keep reminding myself that his mum, Missy Moo, ran unceremoniously in the Wellington Cup in 2018, finishing second to last!
4. THE Well Written group one Proisir Plate certainly went to script last Saturday, didn’t it? NZ racing badly needs a hero. We’ve been bombarded with way too much bureaucratic stuff and needless negativity in recent months and this wee girl is just what is needed to focus on what is the most important part of our business, the horse itself.
The story is only half told, however. She really needs to take the next step because as well we all know NZ racing is historically defined by a top horse in NZ going on to beat her counterparts in Australia. She has a couple of decent assignments to look to, the Epsom Handicap on October 3 and the Golden Eagle on October 31, both at Randwick.
5. In light of the passing of his wife Bev last week, champion strike rate trainer Ken Kelso would’ve been so proud don’t you think of Alabama Lass’s game second to the 7-times unbeaten Well Written.
For a brief moment down the straight when she attacked for the lead she looked the winner but Well Written clearly had her measure. Her group one moment can’t be too far away.
It was interesting to focus on the finish of the Proisir.
Well Written was 2 lengths ahead of Alabama Lass who in turn was one length ahead of third horse Media World.
Not all the runners who finished behind the pacemaker Media World had the best of runs through either being brushed in transit or working hard from difficult draws.
However, between the 4th horse Tardelli and 9th home, She’s A Dealer, less than a half length separated them.
Without Well Written engaged it’s a real toss up from the beaten brigade who will be best suited to the 1600m of the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Howden Mile at Hastings, on Saturday September 26.
Ten Proisir also rans are nominated including Waitak, who may have only ran 11th out of 16 on Saturday, but charged to the line with the fastest sectionals from the 800m to the line.
For the record, the second quickest over the last furlong was First Five, who ran 12th.
6. Is it Interesting or worrying that the first four home in the group one on Saturday, Well Written ( by Written Tycoon): Alabama Lass ( Alabama Express); Media World ( Written Tycoon) and Tardelli( I Am Invincible) all are by stallions that stand in Australia?
7: Would this be the greatest milestone of the decade? Leonard Stewart, who trains in partnership with his grand daughter, Lacy, trained his 100th winner at Timaru on Sunday when Palace Princess won the rating 65 over 1200m.
Leonard is 94 years young!
Congratulations, sir!
A FORMER TOP RIDER TURNED POET
BACK in his day as a jockey in the 60’s and 70’s Rodney Heaslip was a competent rider. He not only rode Easter Handicap and Railway winners but when weight got the better of him and he turned to jumps riding and he won the 1979 Australian Grand National Hurdles- Steeples double on Kevin Thomson’s charge, Somoy.
A very interesting poem came to me this week. It was penned by RT Heaslip. Let me share it with you.
FROM GO TO WHOA
I was a foolproof racehorse
At least that’s what my owners thought
As they forked out too much money
For me , the racehorse , they just bought
They had been pre-warned by an agent
I think his name was Paul
Who didn’t like me from the start
And said I was way too small
The conformation is pretty weak
Her knees are really crook
And what about her pedigree
Is that from some comic book?
There’s not a zip of Danehill
Per Incanto or Zabeel
And no black type of any sort
Are you folks here for real?
She’s got no hope I tell you
She’ll sure as hell go lame
But they thought they all knew better
And purchased me just the same
They tried me as a racehorse
But alas I wasn’t fast
And though I beat a few some days
I usually finished last
It’s not that I didn’t try
I bust my gut I swear
And when I reached the winning post
Most were already there
They tried different vets
And an equine chiropractor
Yet no matter how he pulled and poked
Increased speed just wasn’t a factor
Then they tried to sell me
I should’ve gone and hid
For even though I walked the walk
I never nailed a bid
So next I’m on my way to “Jimbos”
The pet food connoisseur
At least they’d get 100 bucks
For my carcass on the floor
As I wallowed in the knacker’s yard
I mused on what could’ve been
Why wasn’t I a champion, a public idol or group one queen?
So I was doomed and plodded around
Just awaiting my fatal slaughter
When a well groomed man who drove a jag wheeled in his crippled daughter
The girl she smiled at me and said
Dad, she’s sweet, I like her style
Can we save her from the dogs and let her live for a while?
And though I never won gold cups or silver to adorn any trophy table
I’m now a group one winner in many eyes
At the Riding For The Disabled
If that brought a wee tear to your eye you’re not alone.
THREE IMPROVERS FROM THE WEEKEND
At New Plymouth last Saturday Kevin Myers saddled up a debutante, TELEOST. After a couple of trials and jumpouts he was expected to perform but after gaining a decent run behind the pace he was taken back by the tiring runners near the turn and was back last. He hit the line boldly to run second. He won’t stay a maiden for long.
At Ellerslie I liked the run of THE PERCURSOR in the last over 1600m. He has raced well fresh over a mile in the past but as a year older he was seemingly outpaced but he weaved his way through the field in the home straight. He wasn’t far from the placegetters and a decent Cup race is looming large for this out and out stayer.
Also at Ellerslie clearly the wide draw in the group one counted against SHE’S A DEALER. She got back and made her run extremely wide into the straight entrance and held her ground. On my assessment she may have run third with a decent draw.
Good Punting
Des Coppins
021 448 052
