Beast Of Burden, with apprentice jockey Tayla Mitchell aboard, powers to the finish line to take out a Rating 65 race over 1200m at Matamata last Saturday.
John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay
Beast Of Burden, a horse co-bred and part-owned by a Hawke’s Bay family, is starting to live up to the deeds of his illustrious dam Lady Kipling following an impressive win at Matamata last Saturday.
The 4-year-old Turn Me Loose gelding scored a three-quarter length victory in a $40,000 Rating 65 race over 1200m and is certainly building a consistent race-record, with two wins and six minor placings from only 14 starts.
His dam Lady Kipling was also a model of consistency and was rated by former top New Zealand trainer Murray Baker as one of the nicest horses he trained.
Baker prepared Lady Kipling in partnership with Andrew Forsman and the Savabeel mare ended her racing career with a record of 11 wins, four seconds and three thirds from 36 starts, which equated to her returning a dividend in 50% of her starts.
“She’s so honest and a dream to train,” Baker was quoted as saying after Lady Kipling recorded her 11th and last victory in the Group 3 $70,000 Eagle Technology Stakes at Ellerslie in November 2013.
“She’s got a terrific turn of foot and she’s easy to ride. You can put her anywhere in the field and if they were all like her it would be easy,” Baker added.
Baker selected Lady Kipling out of the 2009 select session of the Karaka yearling sales, paying $62,500 for her. He then on sold the horse to Hawke’s Bay’s Laurence Redshaw and Gisborne’s Geoff Candy and she went on to win more than $442,000 for them in stakemoney.
Although Lady Kipling never got to win a Group 1 race, she had seven starts at the elite level for two seconds, a third, two fourths and a sixth. She dead-heated for second behind Final Touch in the Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham and only went down by a short head when second to Historian in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile at Trentham.
When Redshaw died, his estate and Candy decided to breed from the mare.
Three of her progeny were sold to Australia and were successful there, with Gunga Din recording six wins and Fascino and Favreau two each.
Rudyard, a 5-year-old by Charm Spirit, has so far been the best of Lady Kipling’s New Zealand progeny, with six wins, but Beast Of Burden gives every impression he will go on to much better things.
The big strong gelding is trained at Cambridge by Chad Ormsby and is raced by his Riverrock Farm Limited company in partnership with Redshaw Bloodstock Limited.
Stars step out at Ellerslie today
Many of New Zealand’s brightest 3-year-olds and toughest stayers will be in action at Ellerslie this Saturday, with the Avondale Cup and Guineas races proving to be a big form-setter for the upcoming Barfoot & Thompson Champions Day next month.
The Avondale meeting has historically hosted the final prelude to the $1.25 million Group 1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) and $600,000 Group 2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) and this year will be no different, with key runners in both races contesting the Group 2 Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Group 3 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m).
In the Guineas, boom 3-year-old Willydoit will chase a fourth win on the bounce, after a maiden win at 1400m and two at 1600m.
Jockey Masa Hashizume returns to race-riding, after being injured in a serious fall last month, to take up the reins on Willydoit again after being sidelined for the horse’s last start win.
The Auckland-based hoop is having the best season of his career to date, currently well on track to surpass his previous season-best tally of 57 wins. In the first half of this term, Hashizume had steered home 52 winners.
He had been battling out the lead in the National Jockey’s Premiership with Craig Grylls before an unfortunate incident in the final race on Thorndon Mile day at Trentham resulted in a broken collarbone.
Just over a month later, Hashizume was back at trackwork, with his sights set on returning for the Avondale Cup meeting.
“I hadn’t done much for about four weeks, then I started riding trackwork on the 11th (of February),” he said. “I’m feeling good, I’ve been going to the gym to help my shoulder and everything’s going well.
“I was always planning to come back on the 22nd, so it’s good to be able to do that.”
Willydoit has been one of the finds of the 3-year-old crop this season and Hashizume has been right by his side throughout, riding him in every trial and raceday appearance up to February 1, where Kevin Stott took the reins in his absence.
The son of Tarzino has won three of his four starts and is currently rated a $2 favourite for the $1.25m Group 1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) on Champions Day next month, his next target after Saturday’s assignment.
Willydoit will match up with a number of fellow Derby contenders in this Saturday’s Avondale Guineas including Hinekaha, Bourbon Proof and Oceana Dream.
For the older horses, the cup has attracted some international flavour with Ciaron Maher’s Interpretation the topweight.
Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley hold a strong hand in the race with Trust In You and Son Of Sun, while talented local mare About Time is a big hope for Cambridge Stud.
While those races headline the card, a new addition of the $500,000 Group 1 Sport Nation Ōtaki-Māori WFA Classic (1600m) brings elite-level action to Ellerslie, with a field that matches that status and headed by glamour mare Orchestral.
Orchestral was the star of the show at this meeting 12 months ago, winning the Avondale Guineas before victories in the Derby and Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) in Australia. She was back in the winner’s circle last month on TAB Karaka Millions Night, powering away with the $1m Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m).
She will be the likely favourite in the weight-for-age classic, but not to be underestimated is El Vencedor, the flying gelding who won the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) in devastating style last-start. Among the dangers to the top pair will be gun mares Konasana and Belclare.
The Trevor and Coralie Eagle Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) may only hold Listed status, but it has attracted a top-class field with a number of the slot horses for the $3.5m NZB Kiwi (1500m) making their final preparations for the big dance on Saturday.
Wexford stablemates Checkmate and Sethito, alongside Dealt With and Penman have all been nominated, while the likes of Hankee Alpha, Move To Strike, Vegas Queen and Tristar could put their hand up for one of the remaining positions in the inaugural Kiwi with a standout performance.
After the first race, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing will reveal their runner for The NZB Kiwi to Club Members in the Takanini Room, with one lucky member drawn to win a slot holder experience on Champions Day.
Marsh now has two in NZB Kiwi
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh will now saddle up two runners in next month’s $3.5m NZB Kiwi following the Barnswood Brady Nakhle group’s selection of Penman for their slot in the 1500m race.
The partnership is comprised of a group of close racing friends, and with their representative locked in, they can’t wait to watch the action unfold in the southern hemisphere’s richest 3-year-old race at Ellerslie on Barfoot & Thompson Champions Day, March 8.
Daniel Nakhle, a spokesman for the partnership, is excited about the prospects of Penman in the NZB Kiwi, and said his impressive last start victory at Tauranga sealed their decision.
“He is a horse that is on the up,” Nakhle said.
“He really impressed us in the last 100m of his races, the way he stretches out. I had a talk with Stephen Marsh at the races at Te Aroha last Wednesday and he is a guy whose judgment I really rate, and he certainly rates the horse very highly.”
Nakhle is looking forward to partnering with both Marsh and Go Racing, who races the son of Contributer in partnership with Toro Bloodstock.
“One of the great things about Penman is the ownership and training team. They are a great bunch of people to be racing one with,” Nakhle said.
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh has now doubled down on his assault on the NZB Kiwi, with stablemate Ardalio having already been secured by The King’s Men Slot Holder syndicate.
“It is very exciting to have our second runner for the slot race,” Marsh said. “We think he [Penman] is very talented. He is one of those horses on the rise.
“It is a very exciting race, it has got everyone talking and pumped up about it. The whole day is starting to build excitement.”
Marsh is particularly pleased for New Zealand syndicator Go Racing, who have been great supporters of his stable, and missed out on securing a slot at the auction last year.
“I think they may have had a couple of cracks at a slot but didn’t manage to get one, so this is good now that we have got a horse in it,” Marsh said.
Penman will get his first look at Ellerslie when he lines up at the track this weekend, his last engagement prior to next month’s NZB Kiwi.
“He will run on Saturday at Ellerslie and then into the slot,” Marsh said. “He is a very progressive horse and is one of those horses that keeps on improving.”
The Magpies have been given a significant boost for their upcoming 2025 NPC campaign.