| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 2008
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Clive and Rona McKay are enjoying an unprecedented run of success at the moment. Since early last month, the horses they either co-own or race outright have won no less than 13 times, and this was capped when the only two that they had at Addington last Thursday night - Absolute Magic and De Gaulle - both saluted the judge again. Absolute Magic has now won his last four straight, De Gaulle his last two; added to Fiery Falcon's four-race winning streak, Sir Clive who is unbeaten in two starts and Rona Lorraine, we're talking about one hell of a purple patch.
And they're not just any old race wins either...a Group 1, two Group 3s, a fillies Graduette and most recently the (Listed) PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales Series Trotters Final. These winning cheques alone add up to just under $242,000 - not bad coin over six weeks of racing! No-one could justifably begrudge the McKays their success though, because they spend a fortune supporting the industry that the love. For instance, just last month they outlaid a mammoth $220,000 for one of the yearlings they bought at the Sales.
Like most of their horses, this is where they sourced De Gaulle from too, and trainer Michael House says he can't take any credit for it himself. "Clive picked him out, it was all his doing," House said. "And I said 'but he's by Continentalman...', and Clive said 'no, I'm buying it!'. He was taken by his bloodlines - being by a son of Malabar Maple and Continentalvictory, from a mare by Sundon out of Tussle. He said you'll never see that many great horses so close up in a pedigree."
De Gaulle's opening campaign as a 2-year-old was nothing startling, with one runner-up prize being nestled amongst two 'pulled-up' performances, but this season the colt has gone from strength to strength. He was left in front on the first day at Nelson in January and bowled along to score well, and this month we've seen him produce huge finishing bursts to win at Forbury and now Addington.
"That's been the plan with him," House said. "We took him to Nelson for a trip away, and put him in standing start races to get him mannered up. And he hadn't lost a pound since coming home from Forbury. Mr Reliable I call him. Although in saying that, he trained terrible during the week and even made a break when I was working him. You couldn't have had him tonight on that, but it just goes to show how much of a professional he is. He's not a very sound horse, and has lots of little problems all the time, but he'll come right I think."
On De Gaulle's plate for the remainder of the season is the NZ Trotting Derby, the Sires' Stakes and the Harness Jewels, after which he will stay in Auckland and possibly even cross the Tasman. "Clive and Rona are wanting to spread their horses far and wide," House said. "Plus they like taking trips away to go and watch them race as well. So we might lose De Gaulle to the Langs at some stage."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 19Mar08