| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 2011
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There's very little consolation for having to scratch the favourite out of a Group 1 event at Addington. Apart from winning the race with your second-stringer, of course.
Such was the predicament that Cran Dalgaty found himself in on Saturday night at Addington...just hours after breaking the news to one set of owners that Raging Bull wasn't right to take part in the NZ Welcome Stakes, Dalgety was receiving handshakes from another when Orl Black held on to win the Avon City Ford-sponsored thriller.
Not that stable client Ross Stanbury minded either way, because he's listed in the ownership of both juveniles - racing the unbeaten Raging Bull in partnership with Trevor Inwood and Haleem David, and joining Pete, Debbie and Patricia Smith together with Clive and Rona McKay as the bill-payers for Orl Black.
"There's nothing seriously wrong with Raging Bull," Dalgety confirmed. "You just get a lot of little coughs and colds amongst the team when the Winter snaps start coming at this time of year. We had a few wee health issues with Orl Black recently too. But he's over his, whereas Raging Bull's still coming through some."
Orl Black was faced with the widest draw over 1950 metres on Saturday night, and Dalgety says he and his number one reinsman Dexter Dunn discussed how best to tackle barrier eight. "It wasn't really the plan to lead," he said. "From out there you can either roll forward and hope that you don't spend too much petrol getting handy, or pull back to last - but if you do the latter you lose all momentum and can't kick -start again. So I said to Dex, you just make the call fifty metres before release."
If anything, Orl Black made Dunn's decision for him as they speared forward at a great rate from wide out, and once in front they did enough to beat a game Alberto Contador after that rival had eyeballed them for the last half-mile. "He's quite an authoritative little competitor, so he probably wanted to roll the gate anyway," Dalgety continued. "And because he's got a lot of speed, he made crossing them look easier than it was. But it was probably the winning of the race, as he got to set up his own terms in front. You can never head into a Group 1 race feeling cocky, because eight out of them out there are as good as each other, but his work this week had been awesome again."
Purchased 'on spec' from Day Two of last year's Premier Sale for $52,000, Orl Black is an In The Pocket colt out of Cracker Kate, a winless Holmes Hanover daughter of Pleasant Franco; this makes him a three-quarter brother to Christian Cullen and Julius Caesar, amongst others. Nowdays the 'golden cross' seems to be Bettor's Delights out of In The Pocket mares," Dalgety says. "But it always used to be In The Pockets out of Holmes mares. And I've had a good run with the In The Pockets; I bought him because of his stature, he looked like he'd make a 2-year-old. Everything he wins from here on in is a bonus," Dalgety added, referring to the fact that Orl Black's $45,025 cheque for first on Saturday night took his earnings to over $65,000 in five starts.
Dalgety's Kentuckiana Lodge had another runner in the Welcome Stakes on Saturday - Texican, who staged a mammoth performance for sixth after being caught three-wide without cover for the entire journey, with his driver Mark Jones stating afterwards that "he would've run third had I been able to steer him".
All three 2-year-olds have the same programme for the next couple of months...the Sales Series Open Final on May 14, the Sires' Stakes Final a week later, and the Harness Jewels 2YO Emerald at Ashburton in early June. "Orl Black has run third in a heat of the Sires' Stakes, which I'd like to think would get him into the Final, but we'll start in the last heat if we have to," Dalgety said. "He's more in the mould of an early runner, whereas Raging Bull is quite big in stature, and doesn't look like a natural 2-year-old. That's why we think he's a wee bit special, and he feels like he's got a bit of stamina too. Texican is about a month behind the other two in foundation, but ability-wise he's shown that he's not a million miles behind them. And Mark is quite confident about him as well. There doesn't seem to ba a standout amongst the youngsters this year yet, eveyone's having their turn."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 28 April 2011
YEAR: 2011
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Western Cullen, a Sales buy-back and later sold privately in the Spring to the Poli brothers, Paul and Tony, from Perth, won the $250,000 PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales Series 2YO Open from a tough Texican on Stauday.
Blair Orange gave him a tonne of time to settle from the second line while Orl Black sped out and ran hard. After being parked, Texican went past and gallantly established a break. In the meantime, Western Cullen had come from a cover in midfield, and was unleashing a torrid sprint. He swept past to win in dashing style, with Texican unchallenged by the trailing Franco Hemmingway for second.
Western Cullen is the first foal from the outstanding juvenile Western Dream - by Badlands Hanover and the winner of $336,361 - and he was taken home by his breeder Vin Devery when bidding in the ring stopped at $37,500. "We weren't even square at that," he said. "I knew he was a nice horse, but at that stage of his development he was not as well put together as some of the other Cullens were," he said. It didn't take long before the colt made the right steps. "He did progress well, and after he qualified I turned him out," said Devery.
Through the work of a local agent and Western Australian trainer Ross Oliveiri, Western Cullen was sold and joined the team of Mark Purdon and Grant Payne after his spell.
Western Dream is in foal to Mach Three after missing to him last season.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 18May2011
YEAR: 2011
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The Group 1 $180,000 Garrard's Sires' Stakes Series Final was a feather in the young siring cap of the Life Sign horse, Real Desire. One of his first crop in NZ is Lets Elope, a surprise but convincing winner in the 2YO feature over Western Cullen at Addington last Friday night.
Lets Elope had not been further back than fourth in five starts, but a wide draw on the front line of the gate and some minor health concerns leading into the race had put trainer Frank Cooney on the back foot. "I know Frank was not happy with him for quite a few days and almost scratched him," said his wife, Anne. "It was only the twenty-four hours before the race that he turned the corner and he was happy with him," she said.
Cooney gave him a good run in midfield on the outer, while Western Cullen had no luck early and Orl Black went rough and broke. He ranged up on the corner, and the immediate dangers were the Ken Barron-trained trio of Chancellor Cullen, Midnight Dylan and Franco Hemmingway who all travelled well with cover. But Lets Elope laid down the law, pushing on strongly, and Western Cullen arrived well but too late to make an issue of the finish.
Lets Elope is half-owned by Anne, along with regular stable clients, Peter Haslam and Warren Outtrim. He was bred by the Cooneys from Alta Vista, a Soky's Atom mare they bought as a maiden from Geoff Small's stable. "She did a good job for us, and could be ratty, but she won a race and that was a bonus," she said. Her first foal, by Dream Away, was Belle Vista who went to Barry Purdon's stable and won four, and the open class pacer Five Star Anvil was next.
With no strong choice of a stallion for Alta Vista three years ago, they went along to an open day to see what Alabar had. "We liked Real Desire as soon as we saw him in the flesh; big jowls - an old fashioned head. And because we train as well as sell, sometimes we can take a little more risk with our breeding.
Like the others from the mare, Lets Elope was heading for the Sales and was in the catalogue. "But then Frank started grizzling that he didn't have a good one to train, so we pulled him out well in advance," said Anne.
What they liked about him was his strong temperament. "He gave the mare a hard time. He was stroppy, but had attitude."
And soon they could see he had the natural speed to be a chance as a 2YO. Trying them at that stage and racing them at two and three was nothing new for Frank. "Kurahaupo Eden was very smart, so was Areeba and Aqua Blast won a heat of the Sires' Stakes. But we don't race them unless they're natural."
This year the Cooneys sold a sister to Five Star Anvil to Gareth Dixon, which came after "a rough week". "The mare left a lovely colt foal by Mach Three who had a wrye mouth. That was tragic and a big loss. Within a day or two of that we also put down our old labrador Grace and Tammy, the old cat."
Alta Vista is the dam of a yearling filly by McArdle, and this year the Cooneys are hoping for a filly by Bettor's Delight.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 25May2011