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2009 UNITED FISHERIES TROTTING FFA

Stig achieved something he'd never done before when he won at Addington on Saturday. He set a NZ Record.

The undisputed star of trotting in Australasia has now blessed us with 13 victories to date, but he seemed to lift the bar even higher again in the $75,000 United Fisheries Free-For-All because he literally gave his rivals a start and a beating.

Nearly four lengths out of position on the outside of the second line when the mobile pulled away, Stig was dangerously giving some talented types even more of an advantage than he needed to. And over the sprint trip of 1950 metres, the task ahead could've very easily turned into 'mission impossible' after such a tardy beginning.

But this is Stig we're talking about - and like he's done numerous times before, the great horse just got down to business and produced an unbelievable performance. Narrowly avoiding two breakers early, the son of Armbro Invasion was never closer in than three-wide all the way around the bend into the straight the first time. Soon afterwards he had cover behind Sovereignty, and by the time the 800m pole came and went he had crossed over to be up outside the new leader King Charlie.

Rounding the home bend it was obvious that he was travelling sweeter than anything else, and down the straight driver David Butt did little more than flick Stig with the whip as he checked inside and out for dangers. There were none really, and at the line he had the fast-finishing Springbank Richard covered by a neck. Then gasps emanated from the small on-course crowd as Stig's time was announced...2:22.7, a scintillating mile rate of 1:57.7, and more importantly it meant that he had smashed a full 2.2 seconds off the existing national make held by Castleton's Mission.

Afterwards, trainer Paul Nairn admitted that Stig even surprises him sometimes. "It's just his will to win - he overcomes things," Nairn said. "I knew myself that he was no cert today, drawn where he was over the sprint trip, and it wasn't a great start he got. I don't know what happened there; Davey just said he got too far back and couldn't make up the ground. It's not the first time he has done that though (surprised me), he's just such a great stayer."

Nairn always had last Saturday's Listed event in the back of his mind for Stig, but only if he pleased him in training. "He had a three-week break after the Dominion, and has been in work about six weeks since, and if he wasn't up to this today I wouldn't have been worried. But when I worked him last Friday he seemed fit, and I thought he was ready to compete."

"There is a chance I will go north to Auckland now for the Cup Meeting, and will have to make a decision on that in the next week or so. The main problem with that is the young ones I've got at home, but I suppose I could also take up the likes of Red and Brite N Up to make the trip worthwhile."

Nairn says a couple of the youngsters he has in work "could make 2-year-olds," including a sister to De Gaulle named Mamselle who's "a nice wee trotter" and Landora's Pearl (Earl- Landora's Image) who "trots along a bit too".

Credit: John Robinson writin in HRWeekly 4Feb09

2009 PGG WRIGHTSON NZ BREEDERS STAKES

It was exhilarating watching Kiwi Ingenuity leap clear of the chasing pack at the 300 metres in last Friday night's $100,000 PGG Wrightson NZ Breeder's Stakes. It was a clinical demolition of a high-class field of mares, for she won by four lengths which is a handsome margin in any company.

It was also amazing in some ways because she had not been quite herself before and after her win and loss at Ashburton, which was only a fortnight before this more important target. Even on Monday of last week, she had mucus round her nose which told trainer Robbie Holmes that there was a little to worry about but not much. "To be perfectly honest, when I took her out of the barn the day after Ashburton, there were signs she had a cold coming on. So we pulled some blood and the results of that told us she'd had an infection and was getting over it. There were no other signs. She always eats well and her work was great, and she always rehydrates herself. In the paddock, she just drops her head and relaxes."

The form of Kiwi Ingenuity has been picture-perfect this season - five starts for five first finishes, only to lose the one at Ashburton in the Enguiry Room. Holmes thinks he was hard-done by there. Otherwise, the score this season is 100%, with Holmes saying the strength she has developed between the end of her last campaign and the start of this has been the key to her tremendous step up.

"This time in, it has just been continuous improvement, and she has been peaking with every run. It has become pretty exciting, and the things she's done mean she doesn't have to prove anything. I wouldn't be afraid of taking her to Auckland, because she actually steers better that way round, but that won't be happening. And people ask us when will we be meeting Auckland Reactor, and I can't see that happening either, not for a while."

In the meantime, Kiwi Ingenuity is having a rest, with only the Harness Jewels being of interest for the rest of the season. She can have a month off, and have a race or two before then, or what she needs." Further from that, Holmes says it's unknown. "Hamish (Scott) is a breeder, and he doesn't like his mares to be over-raced. She is likely to do some racing next season, but to what extent we don't know. Hamish has three others in work, and there are three to come in, and one is a Falcon Seelster 2-year-old half sister to Kiwi Ingenuity who is big but I really like her."

And Holmes is clearly keen to get Kiwi Fantasy back, a horse he has a lot of time for. "It's a very nice team. Romper Stomper is due in, and Indy Village and CC's Mademoiselle are coming up nicely."

For the star of his success, Holmes owes it to Simon Pavlovich, a good friend, good horseman, and now living a good way away in Western Australia. "We worked together in a camping ground in Queensland fifteen years or so ago, and it was Simon who introduced me to Hamish. He started with a share in Kiwi Express, and it has gone from there."

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 18Feb09

2009 FIRST SOVEREIGN TRUST 3YO FLYING STAKES

First called upon to fill a seat due to sheer weight of numbers, Jimmy Curtin has again been handed the reins behind Sleepy Tripp for this Friday night's NZ Derby.

Curtin has teamed up with the Courage Under Fire gelding twice so far...in the Sires' Stakes Final on Cup Day last November (when trainers Mark Purdon and Grant Payne sent forth nearly a quarter of the field), finishing ninth - and again last week at Addington, where Sleepy Tripp produced a jaw-dropping performance to win the 3YO Flying Stakes from the parked position after the last 800 metres sizzled by in 54.8.

The Inter-Dominion suspension of Purdon has necessitated a need for Curtin's services once more, and he is the right man for the job. He couldn't recall how many times he has driven in the Group 1 feature race to date, but was quick to add that he had "never looked like winning it" in the past. Things are totally different this time around. "He went super last week," Curtin said of Sleepy Tripp's latest victory and final sectionals.

"I knew we were doin' a bit, especially over that last half, because he was a little flat until I pulled the plugs turning for home - and then he kicked again. The distance of the Derby should suit him; there's no doubt that he has got speed and can stay as well, so he has got a few things going for him. But it's a pretty good field too, and of course it all depends on the draw and what sort of luck he gets in the running."

Luck - all of it bad - kept Sleepy Tripp from being a major player in the finish of the 1950m Sires' Stakes Final earlier this season, but the extra three and a half furlongs of Friday night's contest should ensure that every contender gets their chance. "He never got into the race that day," Curtin said, thinking back to November. "He was a victim of circumstances really though, and was now show at all."



Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 1 Apr2009

2009 PAUL & PAULINE RENWICK NZ TROTTING DERBY

As breeders, Keith and Bevan Grice virtually own the NZ Trotting Derby. The Ashburton-based brothers have bred the winners of four of the last nine Derbies: Dependable in 2001, Shirley Temple (2007), Doctor Mickey last year and now Ima Gold Digger, who took out Friday night's Paul and Pauline Renwick-sponsored Group 1 with another powerhouse display of square-gaiting.

The Grice's affinity with the prestigious event is all thanks to Janetta's Pride, and the continuous stream of winners she's left to Sundon. Three of the aforementioned quartet share the same set of parents, while the 'odd one out' Doctor Mickey is a son of their full-sister Jo Anne - which all signifies quite an amazing 'nick'.

Making the occasion even more memorable last Friday night was the fact that it was also Bevan's birthday. "Yes, somebody said that - I was trying to forget about it," quipped the sprightly 78-year-old. "But this is a great thrill, and the best birthday present I've had in years. To think that the mare's now left three Derby winners and the dam of another one - it's unheard of. We have been breeding for some sixty-four years, ever since we were at school, and something like this just blows you away. I couldn't believe Ima Gold Digger's time either; that's the sort of time the pacers do."

Ima Gold Digger won this year's 2600m mobile Derby in 3 17.4, slicing nearly two full seconds off the previous NZ Record held by Flame Up which had stood since the latter set it in the very same event a decade ago. It was Ima Gold Digger's third national mark this term, and will safely secure him the 3-Year-Old Trotter of the Year title come August.

What amazes the Grices even more about Janetta's Pride and her Sundon stock is that they bred two full-sisters to the same stallion, numerous times, and "never got anything". "That's the funny thing about breeding though," Bevan said. "We first sent Janetta's Pride to Pernod Eden, and then Chiola Hanover, but the foals came to nothing. Then she just clicked with Sundon. Vivian Leigh was another by Sundon out of her that had talent too. Lindsay Kerslake was one of the last to train her, and he reckoned none of his pacers could match her for speed. She just couldn't get near the barrier."

Following on fron Ima Gold Digger is Spin Doctor, a 2-year-old full-brother, and Rugged Cross, a yearling full-sister, but the stream of Sundon foals out of the Gee Whizz II matron comes to a halt after that. A couple of seasons ago Janetta's Pride was covered "two or three times" by her favourite stallion but didn't 'take', so she went to Monarchy instead - and last year she missed again to the son of Arndon, and is currently carrying a Thanksgiving foal. "Her Monarchy filly is a yearling, and steps around the paddock as good as anything you'll see," Grice enthused. "So we will be getting her broken in early, like we do with most of our horses."

As for Janetta's Pride, she is now 20 but showing no signs of needing to slow down. She juggles between her two owners' properties, depending on wherever the best paddock is at the time. No prizes for guessing whose court she'll be visiting again next breeding season. "I think she was sixteen when she foaled Ima Gold Digger," Grice said. "But I have maintained for years...if you're breeding from an older mare, they've got to be in a nice paddock on their own with good pasture. Otherwise they tend to compete with the younger mares for feed, and end up not nourishing the foetus."

Although it's their success with trotters that puts the Grices in the spotlight, they breed from just as many pacing mares as well; their hoppled heroes in recent times include the likes of Indian Giver, Wiltshire, Parasite, Pretty Dollybird and this season's Kindergarten Stakes winner El Nino. "We put thirteen mares to stud last year," Grice said, adding that they've bred more at times in the past. There's about a dozen other mares out in the paddock which are all in foal as well, but we're in partnership with Michael House on those ones. It's a hobby for us, and we breed to lease. Everybody's got to have a hobby, whatever walk of life they're from - because if you don't, you'll die of boredom."

Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 1Apr09

2009 CHRISTIAN CULLEN NZ DERBY

When it comes to Sleepy Tripp, not much has changed in three years. As a foal he was almost impossible to catch in the paddock, and these days his rivals on the racetrack have trouble getting near him too. That sheer tenacity was again on display at Addington last Friday night, when Sleepy Tripp kept all challengers at bay and won the $300,000 Christian Cullen NZ Derby.

Bred and raced by Pleasant Point's Terry and Adrienne Taylor, Sleepy Tripp was providing the couple with one of their most cherished moments in life when he took out the Group 1 event last night. So they must shudder at the thought that they could have easily sold him early on. "He was a little bugger," Terry recalled. "He would always keep at least an arm's length away from you, his mother was the same. Of the four horses we bred that year, I remember thinking he would be the first to go."

The Taylors had been dairy farmers in the Bay of Islands and Whangarei for 30 years, where they also had a Jersey Stud. Shifting south at the turn of the century in search of cooler weather, they originally settled in Oamaru before purchasing a 350 acre beef farm at Pleasant Point in 2001. They opted for a lifestyle change soon afterwards though, selling off the bulk of their new property but leaving themselves with enough land (50 acres) to run a few cattle, build a new home, and pursue one last passion which had been only a dream up until that point - breeding racehorses.

"Adrienne had been my 'right-hand man' on the farm all those years," Taylor said with a smile. "And you can get a bit sick of it (the lifestyle) after a while. We are both in our seventies, so we decided we may as well sell up and enjoy ourselves."

Terry and Adrienne have always enjoyed going to the races, and when living up north they tried to get along to Alexandra Park "whenever we had the time". Now that chance to breed some horses had finally arrived, they were going to need some broodmares, so Terry started attending Mixed Sales and picked up the odd mare here and there. Admittedly knowing very little about harness bloodlines, the Taylors stuck to the basics and what they remembered from three decades of dairy farming - plus the advice of a learned friend: that producing quality stock was "ten percent breeding and ninety percent feeding".

Some good luck never goes amiss either though, and in this regard you would almost think that the Taylors were blessed with the 'Midas' touch, because just about every one of the of the dozen or so horses they have bred since they began has either won or been sold overseas - and their good fortune started right from the word go.

One of the first mares they purchased was Sleepy Tripp's dam Fancy Fitch, outlaying $1200 to secure the daughter of Fitch II and Happy Widow from a mixed sale when she was in foal to Mystical Shark. "There's a bit of a long story about her," Terry said. "When she came home from the stud after giving birth, she had the wrong foal on her; there had been some sort of mix up in the paddock, and the foals must've swapped mothers. The horse turned out to be Franco Smoothie (Holmes Hanover-Smooth Performer), and he won a couple of races for us before we sold him to the States. The Mystical Shark foal out of Fancy Fitch never even made it to the trials, and actually ended up dying."

The Taylors then bred Fancy Fitch to Live Or Die and she produced Dead Or Alive, who won races at two, three and four here before they sold him to Australia in May last year. Waiting in the wings at the same stage was Fancy Fitch's then 2-year-old by Courage Under Fire, the Taylors choosing to stick with Nevele R because "they'd been good to us", and he was named after the famous American speedway driver Sleepy Tripp.

Broken-in by Maree Price, she had thought enough enough of Sleepy Tripp early on to suggest that the Taylors go straight to the top and ask Mark Purdon to train him, and after joining the roster at All Stars Stables he had caused a few headaches there as well. "He was a bit silly," Purdon said. "He'd shown a bit of speed at two, but he wasn't coping mentally with the work as we were stepping him up. He was too fierce, and just wanted to run all the time. He'd rear up at the start on occasions too - just hypo, really." Purdon and training partner Grant Payne had pretty much ironed out Sleepy Tripp's idiosyncrasies by the time he debuted at Addington towards the end of October last year, and after being sent out a red-hot $1.60 favourite he won with a leg in the air despite being three-wide and parked throughout.

So emphatic was the victory, even a reinsman the ilk of Mark Purdon was left reaching for superlatives. "He really impressed me that night," Purdon said. "It wasn't just a good maiden win. Tim (Butt) had lined up one with a bit of a reputation, but we'd sat outside him and beat him easily. I thought then that he'd be able to step up to the better 3-year-olds."

Such a display of raw ability hadn't gone unnoticed by the talent scouts out there either, and within days Purdon was on the phone to the Taylors with the news of a six-figure proposition. "Mark rang and said he'd received a big offer," Terry said. "But we didn't need the money, and I remember thinking that if someone else thought he was that good - we may as well keep him." Neither his trainers or his connections could've predicted a NZ Derby victory within six months though, but Purdon is now adamant that Sleepy Tripp's going all the way to the top. "He's gone to another level again. He's just got that 'all-rounder' quality, and definitely looks like a Cup horse in the making."

Sleepy Tripp's now won eight of his 12 appearances and nearly $390,000. After the icing on the cake last Friday night, the Taylors have yet to come back to earth. "It's a huge thrill for us," Terry said. "Some people try for years to breed a horse like this; we definitelty didn't think it would happen so soon."

Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 8 Apr09

2009 NZ TROTTERS TRUST NZ TROTTING OAKS

Despite the myriad of training successes they have enjoyed, something still manages to keep Mark Purdon and his training cohort Grant Payne guessing. Her name's Pocaro. The Sundon filly enjoyed being back against her own gender again in last Friday night's NZ Trotting Oaks at Addington, and after getting around from her unruly draw to lead the 1950 metre Group 3 event, she clung gamely to the task to hold out a spirited bid from Jumanji Franco. Both horses broke late in the piece, and Purdon was left scratching his head about the winner's performance.

"On her training this week I thought she would've won for fun," he said afterwards. But it was a better showing from her, because at least she (almost) got around in one piece." As a 2-year-old Pocaro had one speed - full bore. She's calmed down a bit in that regard this season, but has still got a tendency to voer-race early, which is why her trainers placed her on the unruly in a bid to curb that enthusiasm.

As Pocaro has shown throughout her career though, when she's good she's very good, but the trouble in more recent times has been her breaking during the running. All Stars Stables has left no stone unturned trying to get to the bottom of the problem, with Purdon saying that she has undergone extensive examinations on numerous occasions with her vet Bill Bishop, also having her joints injected and even having a chiropractor look over her. But he still believes that the Sundon filly may be sore somewhere. "Sher would be a great candidate for that treatment where they pump a blue dye through a horse's system and it shows up all the hot spots. I think it's something I'll have to talk about with the owners."

Pocaro is raced by Trevor Casey, Jim and Tim Wheelan, Stephen Ward and Shane Hausler, and so far she has won the quintet over $85,000 - the result of seven victories from 13 outings, two of the Group 3s. "She is a very strong trotter, with a lot of speed," Purdon enthused. "We will go up north with her now, for three races. She thrives on trips away, and has won up there before so she could well be safer the Auckland way around."

Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 8Apr09

2009 GARRY THOMPSON/ FRED SHAW SOLICITORS NZ TROTTING CHAMPIONSHIP

One Over Kenny won the 29th race of her career when she took out the $100,000 Garry Thompson/ Fred Shaw Solicitors NZ Trotting Championship at Addington last Friday night. The great mare led for the last half of the 2600m mobile event, and after reeling off a 57.9 half she won it ever so easily by nearly a length in 3.16.7. Amazingly, it was her fifth Group 1 victory on New Zealand soil.

"It just shows you how good Stig is," trainer/driver Tony Herilhy said afterwards, referring to how dominant the latter had been over his mare in their last two clashes this year. "You never like to see good horses injured, but we were just pleased to be there (Addington) ourselves and we'll take it."

It was also satisying for Herlihy because it proved the One Over Kenny was back to her best again after a 'failed' Inter-Dominion campaign across the Tasman, which he put down to her being sick and not being "half the horse" she normally is. "She definitely seems to have come up a lot stronger this time as well," he said.

Herlihy used to believe that One Over Kenny trotted better the Auckland way round, but she has had a Murphy Blind added to her armoury since the Flying Stakes victory at Cambridge on January 2 and now he is not so sure there is any difference at all.

The 7-year-old Sundon mare will be shooting for victory number 30 when she steps out again in Auckland a week before the Rowe Cup, and then it is onto the big one itself as she attempts to emulate her win of two years ago.

Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 8Apr09

2009 FIRST SOVEREIGN TRUST 4YO TROTTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Two of the Phil Williamson stable's rising stars were on display at Addington last Friday night, one with half as many legs as the other. First there is Leighton Hest, a Dream Vacation 4-year-old who ran third first-up this season and has now won his last six in a row. And the other up-and-comer is the young chap who sits behind him, 18-year-old Matthew Williamson.

The duo combined to record their biggest wins to date when Leigthon Hest took out the $30,000 First Sovereign Trust 4YO Trotters Championship last week, running along in front to score more easily than the half-length margin suggested.

"He's pretty good," said Matthew, who was beaming after his first Group victory. "He's a great stayer, but he's got speed as well. I wanted to keep him running and take a bit of the sprint out of the rest of them. He's just lazy, and pulled up halfway down the straight when there wasn't any other horses round him."

Williamson didn't have much else on his mind other than rugby when he attended Waitaki Boys in Oamaru, but there was little doubt in his mind what he wanted to do once he left school. His parents already had one son (Nathan) choose harness racing as his career, did they really want another? "Mum probably didn't, but Dad needed helpers. And I love it. I wanted to try and get to fifteen wins as quick as I could this season, so I could drive in the big races - like this one."

Nathan has already established himself as a talented reinsman, and when he joined the Kirk Larsen stable at the start of the season there was a space for Matthew in their parent's barn. Plenty of friendly rivalry goes on between the two brothers too. "He's usually the first to tell me if I have a shocker," Matthew said with a smile. "And he's a wee bit too big to give a bit of ribbing back too - I just normally give him a touch-up on the way past."

Understandably, parents Phil and Bev are very proud of the start that their second son has made. "I'm delighted with him, winning a Group race in his first season of driving," Phil said. "Nathan did the same. But, it's not through any tuition from me. All we want is that they do what they want to - kids have got to have their own passion for things. We never forced them to come down to the stables, they did that on their own accord; both Nathan and Matthew started getting interested on a day-to-day basis by the time they'd reached high school."

There are two more Williamson protégés waiting in the wings...daughter Jasmyn, who is 16 and keen but more likely to stick to riding ponies rather than driving harness horses, and youngest son Bradley, a 14-year-old who's "looking very capable" and a "natural talent" like his brothers before him.

As for Leighton Hest, the chief of the Williamson stable says he's been a bit of a surprise to them all. "He's stepped up, for sure. At home he's not a horse that shows you what he does at the races, put it that way. But going from being a maiden to winning a Group 3 in one campaign is a pretty good effort. It's hard to put a big rap on a horse when they win against the lower grades, but after this there's no doubt he's going to the top. He's got the all-round game...an enormous desire to win, and when he knocked off tonight like he did - that's the sign of a really good horse. He's definitely exciting us."

It is amazing to think that yet another top-line trotter is emerging from the Williamson stable, especially when the list is already a long one. Humbly, Phil puts it down to basics. "It's a kindness thing. And a love of horses - a passion for them. When you love them, and treat them kindly, if they're any good they're going to reward you."

The rewards could keep coming thick and fast from Leighton Hest, with his next main target being the Jewels. "We'll give him a freshen up now, and possibly one or two races before the big one at Ashburton in May. We've got to be a wee bit careful though, because it's been a long season for him. He'll be okay from behind the mobile, even though he hasn't had one yet, and the mile should suit too."



Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 1Apr09

2009 BROMAC LODGE NZ WELCOME STAKES

Since then and until now, it has been a long time between good horses for Tony and Gay Abell. The space has been occupied by one or two handy horses prefixed with 'Kotare' but none as classy as the first one.

Nearly 40 years ago, the Abells struck it rich with Kotare Legend, a horse they bred. The son of Fallacy won 14 of his 56 races while trained by Leicester Tatterson, but none of them in three light racing campaigns after he turned five and ended at seven with Gary Hillier. He had a bumper season at three, winning nine races but not a Derby, and finishing ninth on the all-time money list that season behind Arapaho, Robalan, Young Quinn, Easton Light, Koarakau, Noodlum, Bachelor Tom and Speedy Guest. It was hard to find one half as good after that, although the ill-fated Kotare Testament went close to doing so.

But Abell had many more strings to his bow and harness racing, to its benefit, found them out. He waited longer than most to become a member of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club. "There was a waiting list when I wanted to join, and I gave John Osborne a cheque - which he discovered in a trouser pocket eighteen months later." After serving as a steward and then as a committeeman, he went on to become President of the Club and these were good years. He was Chairman of the Inter-Dominion Harness Racing Council - now defunct - and he was Chairman of the NZ Sires' Stakes Board - all posts that took a man of merit to handle. These were front-line jobs, and Abell said it was nothing for him to be in and out of town three times a week.

He still holds his AI ticket, and it's probably true to say that no-one has had it longer. "Back then, I stood Bay Foyle, Brad Hanover, Estes Minbar and Dominion Hanover, and when AI came in that was pretty much the end of it for back-yard breeders. It was time to give up. It was work for the vets, but I asked Cliff Irvine why it couldn't be done by others, and Cliff said there was no reason at all why not. So I went on the first AI course, and being an 'A' followed by a 'b' my name was the first on the list, and I was the first to get a certificate. I still do it now, for my mares and a few who are nearby."

One of them is Extra B G, the dam of Kotare Mach, a 2-year-old colt by Mach Three. In winning the $100,000 Bromac Lodge NZ Welcome Stakes at Addington last Saturday with crushing ease against moderate opposition, Kotare Mach has signalled that the Abells have one with the talent that could match what Kotare Legend did. It would also be a just reward for the countless hours and effort that Abell has given to harness racing as a distinguished administrator. As sponsor Bob McArdle said: "One can't measure the influence Tony has had on the industry, and I know we will be seeing a lot more of this horse in these circumstances."

The Abells bred Kotare Mach, but it was the late Peter Andrews, who followed Tony as the Chairman of the Met, who started the ball rolling. He bought Tanisa Vance as a yearling at Auckland although the official owners when she first went to stud were Graham Heenan, Keith Miles and Graeme Hawkins. "I can recall how tiny Tanisa Vance was, and she was tried and was no good, so they bred her to Pathfinder," said Abell. "I remember the foal was a thin, terrible looking thing, and they asked me to look after her. The mare was in foal to Butler B G, so I also reared and weaned the filly she had, and it was broken in and tried but didn't race."

In the meantime, Abell had leased Tanisa Vance and bred two from her - the smart Kotare Jaeger by Andrel who won eight, and Kotare Jay, and Jane Moody used her later to breed Ross The Boss. Having taken over the Butler B G filly, named Extra B G in return for looking after her, Abell sent her to Camtastic, Falcon Seelster and Presidential Ball for filly foals, Armbro Operative - to whom she left a capable horse in Kotare Jago - and a filly by Village Jasper before he settled on Mach Three. "Extra B G was from a strong family and she was a good size herself. She hadn't had many colts, just one in fact, and I really like Mach Three from the start. I actually had a booking, but when they put the fee up from $6000 to $8000 I didn't take it up. Then, we were up at Auckland for the final night of the Inter-Dominions, and Mach Three was advertised at a special rate of $6000 just for that night. I booked in Extra B G then."

The mare left a brown colt and if Abell didn't know he had something a little extra then, the figuring came soon enough. "He was a little bull, always strong and capable. I liked him right from the start and I told this to my neighbour, Dennis Bennett. And he looked bigger than he's turned out to be. I thought he might be half a hand taller than what he is." Abell broke him and did all the early work with him. "As is my habit, with anything I think a bit of I send to Mark Smolenski for evaluation. He usually has them for a month. He got very excited about him, and of course that didn't surprise me."

"He was just a happy, easy-going horse. And my question to Mark was 'will we qualify him?" He did that well enough; Dexter Dunn driving him for Smolenski in a qualifer he won by 11 lengths on November 1 at Ashburton. There was talk of big money for him after that. "We had three approaches before he raced, and the answer to each of them was no. We really breed horses to sell and shouldn't fall in love with them, but with this one we did. Mark suggested even then, before he raced, that Mark Purdon should have him, but we were happy to leave him where he was for his first start. He got a rough run in that, and a punctured tyre, so we left him there for the Sapling Stakes and Mark took him after that."

From three starts for Purdon and Payne, Kotare Mach has won three, setting a New Zealand record over 1700m at Invercargill, a win in a Sires' Stakes Heat and then his wholesale destruction of the Welcome Stakes field. From the sidelines, and being a horseman himself, Abell had mixed feelings of losing his young star. "He looked forward to his work every day, and I do miss him. But I suspected he could be a bit special, and I knew I had to give him up. My only hope is that I get him home to look after at some time, but then I might not."

Always enthusiastic, Abell is not slowing down at 74, and is handling six yearlings. Extra B G has a filly foal at foot by Live Or Die and her next mating will be back to Mach Three in 2010. They will all carry the 'Kotare' moniker, but it will be 'Mach' who should continue the legend.







Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HR Weekly 16Apr09

2009 STALLION STATION EASTER CUP

Monkey King ended his campaign on a high note by winning the Stallion Station Easter Cup from All Tiger.

The 3200m took Monkey King 3.58.2 and with a length and three-quarter margin it suggested that he could have gone quicker had it been required.

He won the race last year in 4.01.8. He 25 wins and 16 minor placings have yielded $1,151,013.

Photo caption: Royal smiles...Sara Famularo,'Benny' Hill and Ricky May enjoyed it when Monkey King reigned at Addington again on Saturday night, winning his second consequtive Easter Cup in a brilliant 3.58.2.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HR Weekly 16Apr09