| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 2010
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The winner of last Saturday's Sires' Stakes 2yo Trotters Championship could have been anybodys for a mere $800. And her six-win mother was even thrown in on the deal. That is how much Kylie Ree cost he original owner - and even though the Monarchy filly has changed hands a couple of times since for bigger amounts, she is still looking a pretty astute purchase now that her stakes tally has just shot past the $35,000 mark.
Kylie Ree (in utero) and her dam Nerokilo were snapped up at the PGG Wrightson Autumn Broodmare & All Age Sale this time three years ago by my father, retired West Melton plumber, Peter Robinson. Dad and my late grandfather Joe had had a long association with other members of Nerokilo's family during their many years of dabbling as breeders and owners, enjoying success with the likes of Ann Lord (1 win) and her daughter Ann Locarno (3 wins), so when Nerokilo went through the ring and had the added bonus of being in foal to a stallion he quite liked, Dad didn't need much convincing to put his finger up and take her home.
Nerokilo soon gave birth to a beautiful filly, but at that stage Dad had another horse in work so he decided to cut down on numbers; in walked nearby neighbour Maree Price and her son Shane, who took the mare and foal package off his hands when the latter was just three months old. "I really liked the look of her," Price said of the Monarchy filly, which she started weaning straight away. "She had a really nice head, and a great way of walking."
Price took such a shine to her new acquisition that she actually named the filly after another of her children, Kylie Maree - Kylie Ree being the slightly shortened version that she used to call her now 32-year-old daughter when she was a toddler. It wasn't long before the well-respected horsewoman had good news to pass on to her kids.
"I started breaking her in at eight months, and from 'Day One' I gave her ten out of ten with three plusses," Price said. "She was a lot like Pocaro, but even more fluent in her gait. I spent an awful lot of time with her, and some days we'd get lost for ages just walking around the roads. Sometimes you just get a 'feel' for horses, and really connect with them; that's what happened with her and I."
Like most baby trotters when they first start out, Kylie Ree took a couple of appearances to transform the promise she was showing at home into something on the racetrack. The filly's first decent cheque was a third at outing number five, and then a reluctant but realistic Price sold her on soon afterwards. "Shane was getting out of the game, because he was about to marry his fiancé Justine and move to Australia," she said. "It had cost us a bit of money to get to that stage, and you can't exactly train them for free either."
Kylie Ree's new owner is Brian McCully, who Price had first gotten to know when he purchased Eric's Legend out of her stable. Eric's Legend was initially transferred to Robert Dunn's barn before ending up with Mark Purdon and Grant Payne, and Kylie Ree went straight in the latter duo's direction. "You couldn't wish for her to go to a better stable," she said. "Mark's a super trainer, and he is so dedicated - he eats, sleeps and breathes horses."
First-up from her new base, Kylie Ree ran very cheeky second when she dived late along the marker line to push Springbank Sam close, then she made up a heap of lost early ground when finishing just under five lengths from Paramount Geegee next time out. Drawn the inside of the second line on Saturday for the Seelite Windows & Doors-sponsored Group 2 event, Purdon didn't think he could beat the favourite before the race and his mind didn't change during it - despite an economical one-one possie. "I thought second was going to be our lot," he said. "But then Paramount Geegee started to struggle over the last bit, and we got past him. Maree had done a great job with this horse, and since she joined our stable it's just been a case of putting on the finishing touches really. She's a very solid trotter, and is well-mannered."
Although unable to be on-course to witness Kylie Ree's first victory, which was sweetened even more by the fact that she established a new NZ Record in the process, few would've been yelling louder than Price. "Yeah, I was cheering her on big-time," she said. "I've always believed she'd be one of the best 2-year-olds in the country, and she'll only get better with age too because she's a Monarchy. I have to admit there were a few tears in the eyes on Saturday; not only because I know how good she is, but she is also a horse that Dad (Eric Ryan) took an interest in and watched all along. He'd have been looking down on us, I reckon."
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Unbeaten Paramount Geegee was going for her seventh consecutive win on Saturday at Addington, however trainers Mark Purdon and Grant Payne upset the party with their maiden runner, Kylie Ree. The $55,000 Seelite Windows & Doors Sires’ Stakes Trot Championship was the eighth start for the Monarchy filly and with Purdon at the reins, she finally gained her first win, and a Group 2 one at that.
Paramount Gee Gee was the best to begin and was the leader from the beginning through to the home straight. With a lap to run, Kylie Ree had followed Springbank Sam up on the three-wide train to sit in the one-one. As they turned for home she was still in the one-one and ready to pounce.
Heading for home it became a three-horse race with Paramount Gee Gee, Kylie Ree down the outside and Latheronwheel on the passing lane. Purdon was determined to make it two Group wins in a row on Premier Day at Addington and had soon put Kylie Ree in top gear. She trotted on ahead of the competition to claim her first win, one-and-three-quarters-of-a-length in front of the race favourite. Only a neck separated Paramount Gee Gee and Latheronwheel in third, with over four lengths back to the next runner in, Springbank Sam. Kylie Ree's winning time of 2.27.5 has beaten Jo Anne's 2001 2YO filiies NZ Record by 0.1 of a second.
Kylie Ree is owned by Brian McCully and was trained by Maree Price until March. The $32,292 winning stake has placed Kylie Ree just $1,155 shy of leader Paramount Gee Gee on the 2YO Ruby Harness Jewel.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 19May2010
YEAR: 2010
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| Paramount Geegee on outer |
It was well inside the final 100 metres before Paramount Geegee stamped his authority on the finish of the Group 3 GlenferrieStud NZ Trotting Stakes last week. Until a fair way up the straight, Dolly Would and Latheronwheel were game and tireless, with the favourite busy getting level before finally edging past.
Driver Peter Davis, standing in for Robbie Holmes who was in Blenheim and on the sideline for another month following concussion, confirmed the view that there was never a danger of defeat. "There was more there," he said. "He did it very well."
It was the sixth unbeaten start for the big bay son of Pegasus Spur, who is trained at Cambridge by John Dickie but has been based at Leithfield, where Holmes trains. He was bought as a yearling for $26,000 by Dickie, who trained his dam Paramount Star to win seven in a short career. "He was a natural right from the start, and for a big horse was very light on his feet. He qualified on his own at Cambridge, but when I saw that all the money and most of the racing was down here, I sent him to Robbie," said Dickie.
Paramount Geegee had not raced for six weeks, but Dickie had no fear that he wasn't ready for the task at Addington. "He'd had a week off, but I did not think he was short, but you often wonder whether you've been a bit easy. He'll still benefit from it," he said.
Dickie said he was looking "for an edge" when he removed the nearside pole and overcheck from his gear. "His mother never wore an overcheck." Paramount Geegee has the Sires' Stakes Final on Saturday week, the Harness Jewels back on his home track after that, and there is the opportunity to race in the Breeders' Crown later on.
Dickie, who works a team of 11, returned to the yearling sales this year to invest in another son of Pegasus Spur, but the outlay was significantly more - $61,000. "He's exactly the same - a big bay with the same attitude. We fell in love with him as soon as he came out of the box, we honestly did. He's the same horse all over again."
The opposition to Paramount Geegee is not far behind. The young trotters by Artsplace, Sundon, Monarchy, Dream Vacation and Continentalman were all in the hunt and made a fine finish to it.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 5May10
YEAR: 2011
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Woodlands Stud had another huge night to remember at Addington last week. Stud stars Bettor's Delight claims New Zealand Oaks winner Carabella and Pegasus Spur is the sire of Seelite Windows & Doors New Zealand Trotting Derby winner, Paramount Geegee.
Paramount Geegee dominated in the same manner as Carabella did. He will be a hot favourite to win the 3YO Ruby at Ashburton on Saturday week, seeking redemption after running fifth in the Cambridge 2YO edition a year ago.
Trainer John Dickie said he probably paid too much for him as a yearling, although it's never been an issue. He had seen the horse in a Studholme Park brochure, and asked Robbie Holmes to look at the horse and bid on him. His dam Paramount Star won seven and Dickie trained her, and he always maintained she could have won more.
"When I first saw him, he was as good as the picture - a big horse. I had no owners at the time, and the bidding seemed to hang between fouteen and fifteen thousand, then Rogie (Graeme Rogerson) threw in a bid for $25,000. And away it went, and I'm paying $61,000."
From 17 starts, Paramount Geegee has won 13 races and has raced his earnings past $400,000, with grand prospects of taking it well over $500,000 before the seasons over. He has suffered from sore feet, but the addition of pads has fixed that. "It's been a blessing in disguise having him down here, working on the beach," said Dickie.
Paramount Star has fillies to come by Love You and Majestic Son.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 25May2011
YEAR: 2011
2011 SEELITE WINDOWS & DOORS SIRES' STAKES 2YO TROTTER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
The Group 2 Seelite Windows & Doors Sires' Stakes 2YO Trotter's Championship was won in a cavalier manner by Flying Isa.
Remarkably, after starting from the second line, Robbie Holmes found himself in front with the favourite after less than 100 metres, and he had little more to do than steer him round the oval. All Shook Up stayed on his back to run a firm but fading second, and Duke Of The Moment was a close third.
Flying Isa is raced by an enthusiastic group from Hamilton and Cambridge arranged by his trainer John Dickie. One of them is Jonathon Hope, who operates a major veterinary clinic in the Waikato, mainly for a galloping clientele that includes Sir Patrick Hogan. "I've done John's work for thirty years, and he's always held Pegusus Spur in the highest regard. His thinking was that over Sundon mares he would have a great influence," said Hope.
Flying Isa is bred that way, as is Paramount Geegee.
Hope has also joined a syndicate in the lease of a Pegusus Spur yearling owned by Woodlands Stud from a grand-daughter of Sundon. "Jack and Jo Davies, who are also in Flying Isa with us, bought his sister for $27,000 at this year's Sales," he said.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 18 May 2011
YEAR: 2011
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"Dad, do you really want a trotter?"
"Yes, Michelle," he said to his daughter. "I want to buy a trotter before I give up."
Jim McDonald was 80 then, and along with his grand-daughter Olivia, did a search of the PGG Wrightson catalogue a year ago to find one he liked. He settled on a filly by CR Commando from In De Fence, a mare by Sundon and paid Invercargill's Don McRae $15,500 for her.
"I didn't see her before she came into the ring, and then got Matt Bowden to break her in before I gave her to Mark Jones. It wasn't long before Mark got back to me and said we had something worthwhile."
The filly had won two of her five starts and with experience, speed and manners, she easily found the front in the Group 3 Dream With Me Stables NZ Trotter's Trust NZ Trotting Oaks at Addington last Saturday. It was a lead that Brookside Filly couldn't put a dent in, with Brawlinwiththe boyz showing her old spark but beaten into third by more than four lengths.
While Commander Jewel is the first trotter McDonald has raced, its not the first he's owned; that was the smart mare Racey Tracey. "But I put her in foal to Sundon and lost her and the foal," he recalled.
Commander Jewel has won just short of $25,000 and has joined the chasing bunch behind Paramount Geegee in the 3-year-old Ruby of the Harness Jewels.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 18 May 2011