LEADERBOARD takes the last on his way to winning the Australian Grand National Steeples – Ballarat – August 2025 – Will Gordon aboard 

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Headline News

LEADERBOARD brings his career to an end in Saturday’s Waikato Steeplechase

Vale Rick Middleton and Keith Parker

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Fortuna has three runners this weekend – one in NZ and two in Victoria

Trackwork highlights – Fortuna Runners

Riccarton

Vivacious (H Durrant) galloped over 1000 metres in 1.09.6, last 600 in 38.1.

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Other News

LEADERBOARD brings his career to an end in Saturday’s Waikato Steeplechase

Yes all good things must come to an end and so it is with Leaderboard, or “Tiger” as he is known to his legion of fans – successful on both the flat and the jumps and on both sides of the Tasman, this much loved galloper and ‘Chaser brings a close to his $1m racing career on Saturday – see the article below from the Racing publication Raceform, written by one of NZ’s foremost racing journalists, Dennis Ryan 

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Vale Rick Middleton and Keith Parker

It is was much sadness that we announce the recent passings of two very valuable and, indeed, venerable long-standing Fortuna clients, Rick Middleton of Warkworth and Keith Parker from Paeroa

Both Rick and Keith were members of the Melody Belle syndicate and that experience was certainly the highlight of their racing lives

Rick Middleton

Rick and his wife, Anne, are longstanding Fortuna stalwarts – residents of Warkworth, Rick was a chartered accountant by profession before retiring and for many years was a rugby referee at Senior level in both the Auckland and North Harbour unions. Passing away peacefully in his 86th year, Rick, along with Anne, just loved their involvement with the Fortuna Team and over the years had taken shares in more than 25 of our runners, with  the mighty Melody Belle being their most successful, but Leaderboard was also right up there as one of their very favourite horses and last November, Rick and Anne took a 5% share in the very promising 2yo Colt, by Snitzel, Zafar, who won a Stakes race on debut at Riccarton in May and who seems to have an outstanding career beckoning.

Keith Parker

Keith, along with his wife, Judy, are also long standing Fortuna clients with Melody Belle being their standout success, but also enjoying winning success with the Group One placed Burgundy Belle, Angels Wings and more recently the 3yo Filly, Emma Twigg, who won on debut at Te Aroha in March. Keith loved his horses, his extended family and his garden and had reached the grand age of 93 before passing away

I am sure that all readers of this Friday Flash will join me and Jessica in extending deepest sympathies to Anne and Judy and the extended families of both of these fine gentlemen

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Guest Commentator – Des Coppins

Greetings John, Fortuna followers and Friday Flash readers

Wishing the great 11 year old, Leaderboard, all the best in what may probably be his last race in the Waikato Steeples on Saturday.
Mind you, if he happens to run a beauty maybe consideration will be given for a final trip to the capital and cap off his career on the track that gave him two magical moments amongst his many wins, the Wellington Cup (2023) and the NZ St Leger ( 2022). Regardless of the decision, he’s been an absolute gem of a racehorse winning in the UK, NZ and Australia and hopefully win, lose or draw, he gets around safe and sound.

I’VE BEEN WONDERING??

1. HOW much thought went into the recent mandatory call by those in charge to introduce the retirement age for jumpers to 11? Was there consultation with our leading jumping trainers? If not do you consider it a bit of an indictment on these  people who live and breathe with their well looked after animals?

2. WILL multi premiership winner Lisa Allpress return to race riding and reach the magical milestone of 2000 wins?
I wouldn’t bet against it. For the record she sits on 1946 NZ wins.

Let’s just wait until the early spring before we know for sure. She’s been having a few practise runs on horses like Happy Star who was terrific when winning the Awapuni Hurdles on Wednesday.

3. IF you’ve been racing horses for 52 years what would be a good number of wins to have do you reckon?
How about 432!  Yes, that’s how many unsung hero CD owner Mark Fearon has accumulated as a share holder.
He grabbed another with Bradman on Wednesday and get this, his first winner was Belle Serena, who was trained by Herbie Bergerson, the father of Roydon Bergerson, who trains Bradman.

4. WHETHER  Tutin Cans will take the next step up from the impressive novice hurdles win on Wednesday to the much tougher Wellington Hurdles in 2 and a half weeks? Tutin Cans is trained by Jay Jay Rayner whose famous dad, Evan, won the race with Van Winkle in 2006 and 2007 and with Mister Divinsky in 1990.

5 ON the subject of jumps races is that one element of the business that’s turned the corner and is now showing growth.  It certainly appears that way when you see fresh faces in the jumps jockeys ranks and the better sized fields.
Trentham this week split their maiden hurdle race into three races such was the volume of support; something that was unheard of two or three years ago.

6. INSTEAD of pouring millions upon millions into developments of brand new venues why not spend a lot less and stick with what we’ve got and spruce up the existing facilities that have long passed their use by date?

7. TVNZ, on their sports segment this week, highlighted fake news surrounding sports heroes on Facebook.
I’m not a Facebook user but I did notice some of the same on racing people when I breezed through it out of curiosity.
What to believe and what not to believe is enough to keep me right out of that social platform unless those in charge at the coal face can reassure us such disturbing material is out of the way for good,

8. HOW unfortunate was the abandonment of Timaru and the postponement on  Saturday of Trentham to Wednesday?
My spies tell me that the double whammy cost the TAB around 1.7m in turnover. Timaru clearly has further issues with the trials this week as they try and remedy the slippery problem just past the winning post. On the other hand 55mils in 24 hours left Trentham almost underwater.
Despite a finer day on Saturday there was no chance of the water evaporating.

There was a time when we raced on waterlogged tracks continuously in the winter months and any thoughts of health and safety were never in discussion.
Check out the photo of the St John’s pair crossing the course proper at a winter meeting at Trentham which certainly wouldn’t be happening today.

9. On Saturday we see the running of the Waikato Hurdles. Amongst the great heroes of the race you can’t go past Van Der Hum, who won it in 1982 as 10 year old some 3 and half years after winning the Melbourne Cup.

10. ABOUT PLACE EXTRA which is something new on our TAB app. 
It isn’t a bad option to have a look at for punters who wish to minimise the risk.
A good way of playing is through a multi and it’s quite surprising how three horses you may like on a top 8 place multi adds up in a 12-horse field. I did one yesterday as an experiment and it tallied up to $3.40.
It’s a bit of fun!

IMPROVERS FROM TRENTHAM

SO CALL ME: he’s never been out of the money in four starts over hurdles and he poses a big threat to all comers in the Wellington Hurdles in a fortnight.

ARKSEY: was ready to go a beauty in the last over 1600m and he didn’t disappoint. He charged through late on the inferior part of the heavy track and clearly looks a next up winner.

BRUCIE: was “on and off” with his runs last year over jumps but he’s had 4 placings in 6 starts in the cross country arena and after a game third he could be the smokey in the upcoming Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeples.

Good punting!
Des Coppins
021 448 052

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