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RACING HISTORY

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Phillippa Wakelin & Steve Noble.

Three rugby mates have Steve Noble to thank for their win by Awesome Imace in the Group 2 $35,000 NRM Sires' Stakes 2-Year-Old Championship at Addington last Friday night. "Come and have a look at him, Steve said to us," recalled part-owner Mike Moore. "Front on, he looks just like Sir Castleton. After this, I believe everything Steve says now," he said.

Still, it wasn't all plain sailing after a hiccup last week when he galloped at his previous start, behind Brite Speed, when third in the running. This was after two false starts, which left Noble and his training partner Phillippa Wakelin in two minds whether lining him up so soon after it was in the best interests of the horse. But Awesome Imace had a strong week. "He's so laid back, nothing fazes him," said Wakelin.

The journey for the pair was a pleasure, sitting behind the pacemaker and favourite, Mountbatten. "I knew he could outsprint them from there," she said. Galleons Assassin attacked with a bold run from the turn, and appeared to have the race in hand 100 metres out. But Awesome Imace came with the speed Wakelin knew he had and turned the tables quickly inside the final 50 metres.

"We just needed our luck to change," said Wakelin, who weaned the colt for breeder Ian Starkey, and Noble arranged the lease with a right of purchase for himself, Moore, Stephen Hill and Alistair McLay.

Wakelin has had a thorough background in harness racing, especially with trotters, starting with Erin Crawford, where she spent three years, followed by four years with Ian Cameron. She drove five winners as a junior driver, then went to Brisbane, winning 30 races while employed by Stuart Hunter. On her return, with Noble, she worked for Mike Berger, then did yearling preparation for Merv Neill, and before establishing their own stable at Oxford, spent five years at Wai-Eyre Farm. They have two racehorses in their team of 12, plus three nearly due at the workouts.

Awesome Imace is the first winner in New Zealand sired by the Balanced Image horse Brylin Boyz and is from Awesome Lass, a Straphanger mare who won once from seven starts and got hurt. He is the third foal, and the first two have qualified, and there are two by Sundon to follow. Starkey was on-hand for the win, and recalled racing the grandam Not Surprise, a Hodgen's Surprise mare who won seven races for Bryce Buchanan. Starkey raced a number of horses from Gavin Hampton's stable, including Chiola Sam, the winner of five, and Wakfield - his first winner - in 1956.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 18May05