 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2012 RESOURCE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES SUPERSTARS CHAMPIONSHIP
Gold Ace might have struggled a tad against the open class pacers in recent starts but the gifted son of Bettor's Delight proved yet again that he is one of New Zealand's best 4yo pacers when winning the Group Two $40,000 Superstars Championship
He had to be good tonight and he was downing favourite and New Zealand Cup winner and arch-rival Terror To Love by a neck.
Peter Ferguson situated him in the one-one down the back straight the first time. They were three-back on the outside at the bell and were followed ever step of the way by Terror Tor Love and Jim Curtin.
But the Steven Reid (Pukekohe) trained black entire, despite being several lengths back at the quarter, and then the widest on the turn still had too much sprint for Terror To Love and Franco Ledger (Hamish Hunter).
Winner's time for the 2600m standing start event - 3:12.8 (mile rate: 1:59.3) with final 800m and 400m sprints of 56.7 and 28.1 seconds.
Tonight's victory was Gold Ace's 14th from 30th starts and brought up the $750,000 in career stakes. His Group One victories came at Addington on November 9, 2010 in the $165,596 Sires Stakes 3yo Final and the $175,000 Golden Nugget 4yo Championship .at Gloucester Park in Perth on November 25, 2011.
He is owned by Ms Wendy Reid, D. G. Moore, M. Ng, and the D D Syndicate. Moore also did the breeding.
Credit: Duane Ranger writing in HarnessLink 23 Mar 2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2012 GLENFERRIE FARM 4YO TROTTERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Paramount Geegee is back and could be heading for a big season on both sides of the Tasman if the way he dealt to tonight's Group Three $25,000 4yo Trotters Championship opponents is anything to go by.
The John Dickie trained driven gelding started well from his 20m handicap and Robbie Holmes had him fifth down the back straight the first time and then in the one-one at the bell.
On the turn they stalked the pace-makers before grabbing the lead three-wide at the top of the lane. They then slipped clear to win by a length in 3:21.5 (mile rate: 2:04.6) for the 2600m stand. Last 800m: 61.1. Last 400m: 29.6.
Favourite Thanesan (Anthony Butt) made up ground late to finish second, a-1/4 lengths clear of outsider Phil's Gift and Jamie Keast.
The son of Pegasus Spur has already won a Harness Jewels Final (New Zealand) and two Breeders Crowns (Australia). The way he won tonight don't be surprised if he does make it the double and treble come August 19.
Paramount Geegee's biggest wins to date have been the $80,000 Northern Trotting Derby at Alexandra Park on May 6, 2011; $80,000 NZ Trotting Derby at Addington on May 20, 2011; the $100,000 3yo Harness Jewels Ruby Ashburton in June 2011; the $165,000 and $100,000 Breeders Crown 2yo and 3yo Trots at Melton in August 2010 and 2011.
All-up Paramount Geegee has now won 17 of his 26 starts and placed six times for $556,005 in stakes.
He is owned by Mrs J. R. Davies, J. B. Davies, C. B. Blackwell, J. J. Hope, Mrs J. E .Sutherland.
G. F. Gimblett and Studholme Bloodstock Limited did the breeding.
Credit: Duane Ranger writing in HarnessLink 23 Mar 2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Smolda was magnificent in defeat when second in the Group 1 $150,000 Ricoh New Zealand Derby at Addington last Friday night.
But all was not lost for the multi-armoured All Stars Stable and its tight three, Neil Picher and Phillip and Glenys Kennard. As well as being part-owners of Smolda, they are also partners with Gavin Douglas and Phil and Margaret Creighton in Fly Like An Eagle who won the classic after everthing went right.
It was not as if everything went wrong for Smolda, but he did have a predictably hard slog; up from the back before the last lap, up second outside Scandalman at the 1000m, appearing to struggle at the 400m, up again to head him at the 250m, only to be caught by his stablemate who had just enough gas after a soft run behind Scandalman. It was a run of great fortitude. Mark Purdon gave him credit for it. "The other horse could not have done what Smolda did," he said.
Fly Like An Eagle had a perfect run in the trail behind Scandalman. "When Smolda comes round, I won't be letting him go," said Jimmy Douglass, Scandalman's tiny Australian driver, before the race. Purdon didn't press the point when he came up, although Smolda was keen to get on with it. Closer to home, Scandalman was soon in a bit of bother. "He wasn't as good tonight," said Douglass. He hadn't raced for three weeks and he needs a race at least a week out. We couldn't find one at home and couldn't get over here for the first night. I think he was a run short."
Fly Like An Eagle had been on the ladder of steady improvement, following his Northern Derby fourth with a game lead-up second in th Flying Stakes, only to be collared late by Smolda. This has all come from a late start to the season, forced on him by the operation to remove two bone chips from a knee when he was in Ballarat as a late 2-year-old. "I wasn't really unhappy at the time," said Purdon. "He was needing a break and the three months he had out after that was really to his benefit," he said.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 4 Apr 2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Michael Taranto presents the trophy to Trevor Casey |
It would be hard to recall a better young trotter than Escapee. Some will come to mind and may be as good, but it would have to be special to be better.
Escapee has won seven of her 11 starts. There were two seconds, when she started off, and her untested win in the Group 1 Seelite Windows and Doors New Zealand Trotters Derby at Addington was her sixth on end.
In the domnating form she's now in, it's hard to believe how the losses occurred. But for the record - second on debut to All Shook Up, disqualified from fourth behind Flying Isa, second in the Jewels to Flying Isa, all at two; and 12th on the grass at Orari when first-up as a three-year-old.
It was unfortunate that You Rock was not there - forced out owing to veterinary treatment - because that may have given her competition the others couldn't. No Boundaries was the best of them, more than three lengths back, after running a trailing second throughout.
The performance of Escapee was no less than what Mark Purdon expected. "I thought she was actually better this week, than last week, when she won the Oaks," he said. "And she reminds me very much of Dependable, same frame, same way of going, and I trained him at the same age." Purdon, in fact, gave Dependable 10 starts at three and won three, including two Group 1s.
Escapee is owned by his breeder, Trevor Casey, a big man in the game in so many ways. Sponsor Michael Taranto was on the mark when he said: "It's great to see an owner and a breeder who puts back so much as a sponsor, get a reward like this." Casey said "It was a relief. The pressure is on when you have a $1.20 shot."
Escapee still has much ahead of her, with a trip north to come, and You Rock, will be waiting, and Not Likely as well. Not Likely, a strong third in the Oaks, was not at her best for the Derby and galloped when leading at the mile. She has also been sold, to Australian Ray Cahill, but will stay with trainer Andrew Grant until after the Jewels.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 4Apr2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Owners Clive and Rona McKay had a speedy return on a horse they bought on Friday. On the morning of the premier meeting at Addington they paid Spreydon Lodge for a half-share in the 2-year-old Franco Nelson, and by the time the night was over, they had part of the payment back.
A colt by Christian Cullen, Franco Nelson had made a stunning debut a fortnight earlier, beating Border Control and Sir Tosti Mach. The Purdon-Payne pair were in again, badly off at the start, but the big danger was Ohoka Punter, off the pole, and Franco Nelson was drawn to follow him out. That's what happened, but instead of Okoka Punter doing enough to hold him out, he didn't.
Franco Nelson worked up the passing lane for Craig Thornley to win the Avon City Ford Welcome Stakes by half a head, and the McKays were $11,000 better off. The money should keep coming because driver Craig Thornley said he would only keep getting better. "It was a big training effort by Steven (McRae) to win a Group race at just his second start, but the horse is very good. Ohoka Punter got a length and a half on me turning in, but I didn't panic, and just chased him up."
While Thornley is uncertain what Franco Nelson would do next, he thinks it won't be very much in the short term. "I know Steven has the Breeders Stakes in mind. He is a very good trainer, and if he has a plan he sticks to it."
After leaving Franco Nereus, Fanco Noriega and four others before Franco Nelson and a filly by Live Or Die since, Notafella Franco was offered at a Spreydon Lodge dispersal sale a year ago in foal to Badlands Hanover where McRae, Andrew Stuart and Gareth Dixon bought her for $8000. The colt foal was born dead, and she was not served this season.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 4Apr2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Habibti went to the head of the first season trotting class with an emphatic display in the $25,000 Glenferrie Farm NZ 2YO Trotting Stakes at Addington last Saturday night.
In the first juvenile trotting feature of the season, where favouritism had been disputed between Royal Aspirations and Paramount Queen, Habibti was eased away from the seven gate by David Butt but a quick burst at the 1300m landed the flashy chestnut filly in front and Butt was able to dictate things from there. Another spurt with a 29.6 quarter down the back took the stuffing out of the chasers and Habibti was on her own in the run home, crossing the line with three and a half lengths to spare over Sheemon and Paramount Queen.
On a blustery night which subdued times noticeably, Habibti posted 2 27.8 and a 2 01.9 mile rate and this was only .3 of a second outside Kylie Ree's national filly record. The all-comers mark is still held by Tony H at 2 27.1 after a titanic struggle with the freak filly Jo Anne in the 2001 Trotting Stakes.
Habibti has been in pretty much every battle from the start of the season and she has now had two wins, three second and three thirds from eight races for Rangiora's Robert 'Bolty' Paterson and David and Catherine Butt's Birchbrook Breeding Ltd. Bred by Gaby Maghzal, Habibti is the fourth foal and first filly from the Sundon mare Ten To One, who began racing at five for Dick Petrie and who retired at 11 with six wins, five of them at seven. Her first three foals have qualified without racing yet, with Maghzal acquiring her as a broodmare and her second foal Gabrielli, after first racing a close relation and smart juvenile Signor Gabrielli some 30 years ago. Paterson also races Musgrove, a winner of $170,000 and a game third from 40m two races earlier.
Habibti was coming off a slightly disappointing second at Rangiora the previous week, when she was gunned down by Rosemma. "We had her blood done after that and it turned out she was a bit crook," said David Butt. "She's only made two wee mistakes in her life - in her first start back in January and then in her first look at a grass track at Methven. She's always appealed as a good staying type and she's getting stronger all the time," he added.
Habibti is not paid up for the Sires Stakes in a month's time, bu Butt said they will "have to look at the late entry fee now. Initially I wasn't that keen because the $6000 is only for the one race - it doesn't put you back in the 3yo series. But we'll have to think about it now that she has won it I guess."
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 12Apr2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Inter-Dominion champion I Can Doosit pretty much wrapped up the Horse Of The Year title with another dominating display in Saturday night's $80,000 NZ Trotting Championship at Addington. This was his eighth straight win dating back to November's Dominion when he made an uncharacteristic break and the sequence includes three Group Ones and two G2s, with two further G1s now seemingly at his mercy back in Auckland in coming weeks - the $200,000 Anzac Cup and $150,000 Rowe Cup.
With his 26th win from just 43 races, which includes five G1s in all, I Can Doosit is now also just $22,000 away from being New Zealand's latest millionaire trotter. In this respect he will join Lyell Creek, Take A Moment and One Over Kenny. So it is getting to a point where one has to ask 'what more can you say' and 'what's left to prove?'. The asnswer to the first question is a little disturbing because I Can Doosit is actually getting better all the time, now being much smoother in his gait.
The big Muscles Yankee gelding has developed tactical speed to compliment his endless staying powers and Mark Purdon used that to great advantage in the Trotting Championship. It was a race which promised to be a wonderful match-up with the remarkable Stig but in the end that clash proved a fizzer. Stig was not a shadow of his former self on this occasion and the writing may well be on the wall for the injury-plagued rising 10-year-old. Improvement is expected the Auckland way, but Paul Nairn will need to somehow find plenty. Instead it was left to Jaccka Jack to run the race of his life for second, and for Clover Don to pick up his third G1 placing.
Breeder-owner Ken Breckon, who has almost certainly wrapped up at least one of those titles for the season as well, is now coming under intense pressure from European interests to take I Can Doosit to the Elitlopp at the end of May, and while that is something he would love to do, logic or common sense would seem dictate it won't be happening for the time being. Taking on the best European trotters over a mile at the 1000m Solvalla track in Sweden at such short notice is a daunting prospect to say the least. Tremendous gate speed is critical when the guns are blazing at the Elitlopp and it is a task which has already proved well beyond Pride Of Petite, Lyell Creek and Sundon's Gift. As a gelding, I Can Doosit is not eligible for the Prix d'Amerique in Paris at the end of January. "I haven't even spoken to Mark about it yet, but with such a big and powerful stable to run, it's hard to imagine when and how he could get away," said Breckon. "Plus I know just how desperate he is to win the Dominion, the one G1 race in New Zealand to elude him," he added.
Purdon has a plan to spell I Can Doosit after the Rowe Cup and set him for the Dominion again, and then there is the likelihood of a new $300,000 race at Melton next February to replace the Inter-Dominions. The 6-year-old I Can Doosit should have won the Dominion in 2010, but after a tough run in record time he was just nutted by Stylish Monarch and a great drive from Ricky May. He was raging hot favourite for this season's event, but he made that rare mistake at the start, and he wasn't at his best that day either. Quite simply, I Can Doosit can win a lot more money by staying at home over the next 12 months, than tackling the best trotters in the world on their home turf.
So the answer to the latter question is a lot easier than finding more superlatives for I Can Doosit. But Breckon is not discounting the idea of taking I Can Doosit on to the world stage if at all possible at some point and he won't be lacking for any encouragement about a "trip away" from wife Karen. "There's some longer distance races on the European Grand Curcuit in our winter which would suit him nicely.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 12Apr2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Hands Christian well and truly announced his arrival on to the big stage with a thrilling win in a grand finish to Saturday night's Easter Cup at Addington.
Not that the Christian Cullen gelding hasn't been in the limelight since he began his career in earnest as a spring 3-year-old, when it took Gold Ace to narrowly down him in the Sires Stakes, but the more recent version is proving a much more mature model and this was his first G1 win when he has looked fallible at times in the past. "He has been a bit of a late developer, both physically and mentally, but he has shown glimpses of genuine ability at times," said Mark Purdon. "We've had some very big offers along the way, but I'm quite pleased we kept him now," he added.
One of those glimpses was at the Jewels last year when Hands Christian split Gold Ace and Terror To Love in a similarily nose and head grandstand finish, but he has sort of been living in their shadow for much of the time. Gold Ace and Terror To Love have seemingly been waging a private war, with the recent Superstars being just a return to their epic encounters as late 3-year-olds, but Hands Christian has always been lurking and on this occasion he beat them both fairly and squarely and on their merits.
After bobbling away and missing the start by 10-12 lengths, Hands Christian bided his time towards the tail of the field and he still had only Franco Ledger behind behind him at the 600m. Purdon began his charge soon after and flushed Terror To Love for a drag into the race, but coming wide from so far back hardly seemed a recipe for success at the time. But this had been a solidly run affair on a cool and windy night and the race would be one of quickly changing complexions as class became the biggest factor.
Just as the doughty Mah Sish had put Franco Emirate away early in the run home, Gold Ace and Terror To Love loomed alongside and seemed all set to go at it again. For once Terror To Love was obviously going to get the better of Gold Ace, off the back of a kinder trip for a change, only for Hands Christian to bomb them both right on the line. A time of 4:04 was more than respectable in the conditions and Hands Christian had come home in 56 and 27 and change to get around them.
"I sort of set him for this when we decided against a start in the Auckland Cup. He was very unlucky in the Superstars when I decided to try for an inside run on the home turn and he never really got clear. I thought we'd wait for Easter when he might have got a bit of a head start on the good ones. Things didn't work out that way, but he still got the job done."
This was just another outstanding Premier carnival performance from the all conquering Purdon & Payne stable, a G1 double on Saturday night being complemented by three supporting acts by Trilby, Harrison Maguire and Southwing Arden, and following on from Escapee's Trotting Oaks and Derby double and the quinella in the NZ Derby. The All Stars Stable won 14 races and well over $300,000 in stakes over the three nights, taking their seasonal tallies to 101 wins and $1.85m, the latter figure easily more than twice any other stable. And just to cap things off, the Easter Cup was a race the stable co-sponsored.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 12Apr2012
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2012 NEVELE R FILLIES FINAL
O Baby reignited the race for top dog status amongst this season's 3-year-old fillies with a blistering turn of foot to race away with the $150,000 Nevele R Fillies Sreies No.34 Final at Addington on Saturday afternoon.
With dual G1 winner and favoured Twist And Twirl battling into fifth after plenty of early pressure, the title is still up for grabs and will likely be settled in this week's New Zealand Oaks and at the Jewels. Twist And Twirl will certainly appreciate the extra distance of the Oaks, but the race could still be wide open when the draws are done for a mile at Cambridge.
O Baby once again proved she is right up to the best in this group however when she carried Natalie Rasmussen to the biggest win of her brief and intermittent driving career in New Zealand. Rasmussen had no option but to ease O Baby back to last early from the outside of the front line, but with plenty of sparks flying up front over the first 800m, out of the early action was the best place to be and Rasmussen had O Baby in the three wide train and tracking Elusive Chick when it really mattered over the last 800m. Elusive Chick was brave after being camped three wide in the open, but O Baby had been sitting pretty and went whoosh over the closing stages to score by almost three lengths.
Rasmussen wound up second with Blacks A Fake in last year's Inter-Dominion in Auckland and her first driving success here was a good one with Vi Et Animo in the Methven Cup in the spring, but she had never been in this sort of position before. "I never really thought about much after the draws came out and even though we were travelling easily down the back, I didn't think about maybe getting up when we swung for home either," said Rasmussen. "But just towards the finish I thought to myself...oh shit...I'm going to win. O Baby had no luck in the big races while in Auckland, but she's quick and she's strong - she has a bit of everything and is versitile," she added.
Rasmussen, a 'third stringer' for the All Stars Stable behind Mark Purdon and Blair Orange, completed a memorasble day when Minnie Moose won the Pascoes The Jewellers FFA three races later, again accounting for partner and 'boss' Purdon with the favoured Southwind Arden and again for breeder-owners Braeden and Mrs Caroline Whitelock. The Whitelocks had an even more memorable day as Paddy Brown had started the ball rolling when bolting away with the ChCh Casino Pace for Orange.
This year's Fillies Final was a torrid affair right from the start and O Baby's 2:21 and 1:56.3 mile rate in a cold and breezy easterly was exceptional, second onlt to Carabella's 2:19.7 in much better conditions last year and since the race went to 1950m 14 years ago. Purdon had to do his utmost to keepThe Burning Question from crossing in the first 400m, and then Twist And Twirl soon had the attentions of Dancing Diamonds and Here We Go Again, the latter maintaining the pressure as Carpenter's Daughter and Alchemist also made midrace moves for position. In the end it was the three horses in the three wide train over the last half that filled the first three placings.
"She wasn't a big foal but she could be very naughty - Caroline would have to take a stick with her at feeding time," said Braeden. "Mark has always said she's like a big horse in a small body trying to break out," he added. O Baby won last year's Sires Stakes in Auckland, but having just missed at the Jewels a race later, this success at Addington and in Canterbury was special and the best yet for the Whitelocks as breeder-owners. They race dual Sales race winner Dancing Diamonds ($342,000) with Phil and Margaret Creighton after buying her at the Premier, but she has yet to win a G1 and O Baby has now won two and $243,000.
More to the point for them, Caroline is a daughter of Nelson Dalzell of the 'Moose' breed and hails from Culverden, and O Baby descends from a family which produced Nelson Derby for her great grandfather George Craw in the 1920s. Nelson Derby was from Norice and the Whitelocks got back into this family when they acquired Tuapeka Star (Smooth Fella-Sakuntala) late in life and bred the good racemare and now producer Braeside Star. That Soky's Atom mare has left good winners in Ohoka's Artsplace, Braeside Derby, Johnny Bravo, Paddy Brown and the promising Bettorbeastar, and O Baby is the first foal from her only unraced daughter in the Artsplace mare Braeside Lady. Artsplace was a big factor in this race as he also sired Twist And Twirl and Carpenter's Daughter.
The second foal from Braeside Lady in a Bettor's Delight colt has died, but the mare has a weanling brother bound for Karaka next year and she is back in foal to Mach Three. "Our rule is always to sell the colts and keep the fillies and never have more than six broodmares, so sometimes we've sold the odd filly like Meredith Maguire (2nd in Fillies Final two years ago). "We'll be guided by Mark on what's best to do with O Baby, but maybe we'll have to make room for her one day and it'll be her mother that has to go.
"This has been a wonderful day for us, but we had a jolt earlier to remind us what has happened here and that many other people are still hurting."
Credit: Frank Marion writing in HRWeekly 16 May 2011
YEAR: 2012
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2012 SEELITE WINDOWS & DOORS SIRES STAKES 2YO TROTTERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Mo Hahn leaves for Cambridge on Friday and Sheemon will be on the float with him. Not only are they fairly new paddock mates but they both make the trip taking winning form from Addington with them.
Sheemon scored a narrow win by a neck for Dexter Dunn over Habibti in the Group 2 Seelite Windows & Doors Sires' Stakes 2YO Trotters Championship. Habibti has never missed the first three in ten starts this season. Sheemon has won three from nine starts and only once been worse than third. In their last three clashes, Sheemon has now beaten Habibti twice and Habibti won the other.
As usual, Habibti tried to beat them for stamina, but she was not able to get away with her hard-running style this time. Paramount Queen led the chase and joined her before she was beaten back over the last 100m. In the meantime, Dexter had cut the corner with Sheemon. It allowed him to pinch some ground, and the son of Monarchy was soon up the lane and closing on Habibti. It was just the little touch of genius that turned hope into reality.
Trainer Kevin Townley is keen on getting back to Cambridge, where the Jewels have been fair to him before. "I've been placed with horses each time there now," he said. But Sheemon has the speed to win it, and he's up a level on Townley's previous contestants, Neville Vaughan, The Ultimate Galleon, Medora and Dream Machine. "All along I've meticulously watched every race for the 2-year-olds," said Townley. "I'm not saying Sheemon is any better than the others, but I can't say I've seen any that are better."
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 16 May 2012
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