| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
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
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
 |
There was a bonus of dramatic proportions for those lucky enough to be at Addington on the loveliest of Autumn days last Saturday.
They saw the wickedly talented Carabella wave goodbye to 12 others in the Nevele R Fillies Final, they again watched Flying Isa dominate the trotting 2-year-olds and record his fourth successive win, but none came with the back-of-the-bunch brilliance that catapulted Western Cullen to a dashing win in the PGG Wrightson Sales Series Open Division Final. But in reality that was no more than a stunning sideshow.
The main act came from two 3-year-olds in the Group 2 Vero Flying Stakes, usually the warm-up to the New Zealand Derby. It was a surprise to get a finish this good, but Gold Ace and Terror To Love made the race an unforgettable exhibition of spirited comptition.
They started the home run with Gold Ace moving powerfully past the others, the hunting Terror To Love clearing his back to challenge on the right. They ran past the empty public grandstand where 20 years ago young and old would have paid for the privilege of seeing a fascinating tussle between the pair. The bay horse, closer to black than brown, soon narrowed the gap and levelled.
Gold Ace was ready for him, rallied, and fought him long and hard. That was just when it seemed Terror To Love had managed to get the better of him. By now the heat of the battle had less than a second to run. Gold Ace had it...then he might've. And soon doubt. Terror To Love had pushed right on the line. Close? This was a measure in millimetres.
No-one knew it moreso than Mark McNamara, who in the commentary box gamely went for a dead-heat. These are cheeky calls, but heroic when they come off. This one did. Unseperable. Two truly great horses sharing the triumph. Peter Ferguson, the driver of Gold Ace, used a comfortable cliché when he said it was "great for racing". And that was the truth of it.
Jim Curtin eased Terror To Love in the early rush to find the back of Gold Ace. Ferguson was out well and tracked along with the trail on the outer. Curtin was poised to pounce. Gold Ace had the advantage of being in front, Terror To Love the challenge of getting past. "The race was always set up by what they did in the Derby," said Ferguson. He agreed that Terror To Love headed Gold Ace. "I always knew he was there, right behind us. And when he went past, I thought we would run a nice second. Then, inside the last fifty metres, I felt him lift. It was going to be close. And even when it's very close you usually have half an idea who has won, but this time I had none, and neither did Jimmy." Curtin thought the same. "I hope I'd got past him, and I thought I was going to beat him, but horses like that are just so hard to get past."
The pair will meet again in the Harness Jewels at Ashburton where both want front line draws and will run smart time if they do.
Gold Ace, another siring triumph for Bettor's Delight, had missed at least five days work with a leg injury after his NZ Derby win. Trainer Steven Reid was concerned that any longer would have made him worried, but the recovery happened in good time.
The result was one of those occasions that made an Autumn day at Addington one to treasure. Thanks to Terror To Love and Gold Ace, there's no doubt about that.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 18 May 2011