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Ginger Man holds out Rare Touch to win the Derby

1994 JOHN BRANDON NZ DERBY

The $125,000 John Brandon New Zealand Derby fell to Ginger Man, but victory in the classic was a close shave for the favourite.

Spirited opposition was supplied by Rare Touch, who put the breeze up the Ginger Man supporters when he almost levelled with the leader about 80 metres out. If it was not quite head to head, there was still very little between them as Ginger Man grimly clung to the tiny margin he had. "I thought about 50 metres out that I'd get to him," said Anthony Butt, driver of Rare Touch. "I have no excuses I didn't," he said. Knowing the class of the horse, Butt was not surprised Ginger Man responded the way he did, and won the Group 1 feature by a head in 3:15.7 - not the fastest but certainly hard and quick.

The race was a good one, made to a major extent by the closeness of the finish and that it involved the two favourites. Ginger Man led after 2000m, while Butt tucked Rare Touch under cover, within striking distance of the leader. He made his move with sudden quickness near the 500m, which effectively blocked He's Gotta Go from attacking on the outer. A betting person wouldn't have wagered on the outcome halfway along the straight, but near the end Ginger Man was giving as much as he was getting and survived, shakily but sure, by a head. He's Gotta Go was a safe third, not far behind, but not quite in the same class as the first two. The others, headed by Hoppy's Jet, were well beaten.

Ginger Man is the third successive New Zealand Derby trained by Roy and Barry Purdon, preceeded by Kiwi Scooter who Barry drove, and Mark Roy, handled last year by Barry's brother, Mark. A son of the deceased Vance Hanover, Ginger Man is raced by Greg Brodie, who will see the horse in his home state during the winter. Ginger Man will soon be off to Australia, where he will be cared for by Andrew Peace. He will contest three Derbies, including one in Queensland, where Brodie lives. The Derby win, worth $78,125, has shot Ginger Man into second place in the list of leading stake-winners, behind Chokin ($394,790), and ahead of Motoring Magic ($167,875) and Il Vicolo ($130,755). Nine of the 22 horses who have won more than $50,000 so far this season are stablemates of Ginger Man.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRNZ Weekly

The Second Five Syndicate with the Derby trophy

1998 SMOKEFREE NZ DERBY

Before the Smokefree New Zealand Derby much of the talk was who would run second to Holmes D G. In reality, that is exactly what happened. Holmes D G took the lead off Motoring Anvil after 600 metres, proceeded to run it hard, and kept the squeeze on. Totally dominant from the time of Christian Cullen's exit, Holmes D G forged clear at the turn, leaving the others to scrap and scrape for the minor money. Annie's Boy was the only chaser to charge with any real dignity, finishing from the back and very late for second. From last, where he must have been eight lengths from Holmes D G at on stage the gap was less than three lengths.

Holmes D G ran the 2600m in 3:11.1, a New Zealand record which would have raised a sweat even on Christian Cullen. He gave trainer Barry Purdon his third Derby win, coming after Kiwi Scooter in 1992 and Ginger Man in 1994. As good as they were Purdon rates Holmes D G a bit above them. 'I think he's better...the perfect racehorse really. Kiwi Scooter was a great stayer. I mean he won the Derby sitting parked for the last mile. Ginger Man had the speed, but wasn't tough," he said.

A 3-year-old half-brother to Giovanetto, a Cup horse and now at stud in Southland, Holmes D G was bred and trained initially by Murray Gray. He was from Bella Ragazza, a mare Gray claims is the worst horse he has ever trained. "She didn't want to be a racehorse, and I probably would not have bred from her but my partners did," he said. Besides leaving two outstanding horses and a useful one in Economizza, Bella Ragazza is the dam of a yearling colt by Soky's Atom, and is not in foal this season. She has left eight foals, all colts.

Holmes D G raced once for Gray, running second in a race at Forbury Park to Enter Hurry Zone. One of those impressed with this performance was Invercargill trainer and former Purdon employee, Tony Barron. As it happened, prominent Australian owner Terry Henderson also heard about the horse and arrived on the scene much the same time as David Sixton, John Hart, John Ede and Katrina Purdon. Four became five, in fact the Second Five Syndicate, which is already well into the black after buying Holmes D G for a sum just over $100,000. His earnings, from ten which include the Great Northern and Victorian Derbys, have how topped $300,000. All three classics have been won in identical manner, in front, rolling along at a good clip, but always in control. "He felt strong all the way," reported Purdon. "He really felt as though he was enjoying it," he said. Purdon said Holmes D G would have one more race this season, the $A100,000 New South Wales Derby on May 8, and then be given a spell.

While the Second Five Syndicate is only just over a year old, the principals have been Purdon clients for 12 years. They started with Volarco, a son of Vance Hanover and Via Volare who won a couple before being sold and racing in Australia. Next came Kenwood Don, a useful winner and sold after winning five from eight. They stepped up a notch for their next purchase, spending big money at the time for Montana Vance. He didn't let them down, getting to Cup class. They purchased The Sweeper before the biggest score of them all, Holmes D G. As owners, and enthusiasts of harness racing, Purdon rates them A1. "The good thing about them is the support they give. There's always an entourage. They all went to Australia, to watch them in the Derby, and they are here with all their families tonight," he said.

The syndicate also has a Falcon Seelster yearling filly they bought at the sales, while Henderson expects a big run from his galloper Doreimus in Saturday's Sydney Cup.

Credit: HRNZ Weekly

Turkana winning the Nevele R Fillies Final from Imagine That

Trainers Bruce Negus and Craig Parsons had their thinking caps on after Turkana ran sixth under difficulties in the NZ Oaks 10 days ago. They had a week to chew the fat over her inability to relax in the running, and what their options were for the $100,000 Nevele R Fillies' Final. Between the pair, they agreed on changing her bit and arranging for Cavalier Products to make a removeable hood that blocked out not 80% of the noise, but 100%.

The result was a sweet-moving Turkana sitting behind the pacemaker Imagine That, and making use of the passing lane to win the Group 1 mobile by two lengths. Negus said Turkana was helped by the fact Imagine That had been 'roughed up' in front by Xmas Joy, Shamrock Girl and Pascale Bromac in the middle stages, that left the favourite vulnerable near the end.

Negus said he "made an error" when he chose to use a pulling bit on the filly the week before. "I panicked a bit when I saw the draw she had in the Oaks. After that, I went back to the snaffle bit she had been in beforehand. And it was Craig's idea to put this type of hood on her. He is a quiet achiever and his input into this filly has been terrific. They have also worked well together because she was a handful at the start," he said. Negus had a moment's worry during the week when he thought her work was sluggish. "I didn't know whether she was off colour or it was just the way she was working in the hood. She felt lethargic, so in some ways I was mildly surprised with what she has done."

Turkana was bred by Graeme Iggo, and was broken in by Maree Price who is in the process of breaking in and gaitingthe 40 yearlings on the Negus' books. At the time she was educating Turkana, she also had Imagine That on the go. "She said to us, these will both be Group 1 winning fillies. We dismissed that, but she put it in writing and stuck to her guns. That is when Greg Brodie bought her, and we gave her a couple of months out just to make sure she got rid of any aches and pains," he said. "At one stage she had three starts in eight days and won then all. I have never done that to a filly before, but I knew we had to win at least three to have a chance to start in these races," he said.

A filly of good size by Christian Cullen - who also sired third placegetter Christiansheritage - Turkana is from Kisumu, who held the NZ record for a 2-year-old over 2000m when she won the Sires' Stakes Championship for fillies in 1992.

Negus has had many great horses, notably Courage Under Fire, Ginger Man, Franco Hat Trick and One Way Traffic, but Turkana is already the best filly. "Caps Off won the Oaks and she was a tradesman, but this filly will make Cup class. "I can see she has got a fifty-five half in her," he said.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 19May04