Hawke’s Bay owned and trained Kalledu Thunder is at full stretch as he crosses the finish line for an impressive 1-3/4 length debut win at Otaki last Saturday.
OPINION
Hastings-trained Kalledu Thunder pulled off a betting plunge when he powered to an impressive debut win in a maiden 1200m race at Ōtaki last Saturday.
The big Vadamos 3-year-old, prepared by Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos, opened at a quote of $6 for a win and was backed in to start a $2.50 favourite.
The Lowry/Zydenbos stable was confident about the horse’s chances after he won a 1000m Foxton trial on October 1 and that followed a fourth in another Foxton 1000m trial and a win in a 1000m jumpout at Hastings on September 9.
“We thought he would be hard to beat on what he’s done,” Lowry said this week.
“He’s a nice horse who should go on with it.”
Jonathan Riddell was aboard Kalledu Thunder and he got him into a good position fifth on the inner. They were in tight quarters entering the last 600m but Riddell managed to angle the gelding away from the inside rounding the home bend and he produced some big strides in the final 200m to race away for a 1-3/4 length win.
Napier businessman Simon Tremain bred Kalledu Thunder and races him in partnership with Ōtāne-based Margaret Larsen.
He is the second foal to race out of the Mastercraftsman mare Stratosphere and both have been successful, the other being the two-race winner Cornelia.
Stratosphere unfortunately had to be euthanised last year after suffering from laminitis.
Lowry said Kalledu Thunder is likely to have his next start in a $40,000 3-year-old set weights and penalties race over 1400m at Trentham on November 15.
“It should be a nice race for him and gives him a bit of time to get over this run,” he said.
CHB owner has another hot prospect
Dannevirke racehorse owner Steve Prenter has enjoyed tremendous success in Australia with Smokin’ Romans and he now has that horse’s full-brother, Flamin’ Romans, also creating a big impression.
Prenter owns a 15% share in Smokin’ Romans, who is the winner of nine races and more than A$1.7million. His victories have included the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington and Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) Caulfield and he finished seventh in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in 2022.
The 8-year-old hasn’t graced the winner’s stall since his Turnbull Stakes triumph in October 2022 but will have his second start back in a new campaign when he lines up in today’s A$200,000 JRC Cup (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
While Smokin’ Romans has given Prenter a “dream ride” as a racehorse owner over the past couple of years he also has a 20% share Flamin’ Romans, who also looks star galloper in the making.
The five-year-old Ghibellines gelding brought up his fourth win from only 10 starts with an impressive performance in a Rating 78 race over 2000m at Caulfield on Wednesday of last week.
He was recording his third success from his last five starts and finished strongly from fourth on the home turn to win by three-quarters of a length.
The promising stayer has also chalked up two seconds, two thirds and a fourth and is now expected to race during the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival, where he could be stepped up in distance to 2400m.
Both Smokin’ Romans and Flamin’ Romans are out of the Yamanin Vital mare Inferno and were bred at South Island’s White Robe Lodge Stud.
Sefton kicks off trainer’s solo career
After more than a decade living in his adopted country, Vicky Rahmit fulfilled his dream of producing a winner as a solo trainer when the former Hastings-trained Sefton scored at Ashburton last Sunday.
A 6-year-old by Iffraaj, Sefton was Rahmit’s first runner in his own right at the local Timaru meeting earlier this month, where the gelding finished a strong third fresh-up.
Sefton started an $8.30 fourth favourite in the Agraforum Comcat (1600m) at Ashburton and was patiently ridden at the tail of the field by jockey Brandon May.
Still at the rear turning for home, Sefton began to descend down the outside of the track and powered over the top of Reverberations to score by a neck.
Bred by Hawke’s Bay’s Chris Russell, Sefton originally raced in his colours from the Hastings stable of John Bary and won two races from 16 starts.
Russell decided to put the horse on the market and Rahmit bought him, taking in his brother Vickash and jockey Rahul Beeharry as partners.
“A Mauritian guy worked up there (Hastings) and he rang me one day, saying that John Bary was cutting down his team. He mentioned that Sefton was a good horse, so I worked out a deal with John and bought him,” Rahmit said.
“He’s a very nice horse and there is a race in cup week at Riccarton that I would like to go towards.”
Originally hailing from Mauritius, Rahmit has been involved in the South Island racing industry for a long period of time, working for John and Karen Parsons before stepping into partnership with South Canterbury trainer Bruce Tapper in the 2021/22 season. Sefton is the only horse he has in work at present.
The gelding is a half-brother to Makbeel, who has been a three-time winner in Australia, and they are both out of the now deceased Zabeel mare Donna Beel.
Insect bite interrupts Cup preparation
An insect bite prevented New Zealand Melbourne Cup hope Mahrajaan from contesting last night’s Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) but his Cambridge co-trainer Shaun Ritchie says the horse is still on target for the Melbourne Cup. (3200m) at Flemington on November 5.
Ritchie had hoped to use the A$750,000 feature as New Zealand and Auckland Cups winner Mahrajaan’s final lead-up to the Group 1 A$8.56 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 5.
But the insect bite, which Ritchie believed was probably a spider bite, has meant a change of plans for Mahrajaan with the horse likely to now tackle next Wednesday’s Group 3 Group 3 Bendigo Cup (2400m).
“He got an insect bite of some sort and a leg that’s blown up. We’ve scanned it and it’s not a ligament issue but with all insect bites, they take a little bit of time to get the swelling out,” Ritchie said.
Ritchie, who trains in partnership with Colm Murray, noted that the Ciaron Maher-trained Interpretation won last year’s Bendigo Cup before finishing sixth in the Melbourne Cup six days later.
“He (Mahrajaan) did back up from a Metropolitan to win a New Zealand Cup last year and while I know that’s a different class, it does show he’s capable of running one week and backing up the following week,” Ritchie said of Kitten’s Joy 7-year-old.
“He’s in great order. The question is whether he has the turn of foot to win a Melbourne Cup, but we do know he runs the two miles out. But I’ll be reluctant to take a spot up if he can’t perform in the Bendigo Cup because we need to see more than what we saw at Caulfield last time.”
Mahrajaan, assured of a start in the Melbourne Cup if connections opt to run, finished 13th in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield, although Ritchie was forgiving of his charge in his first run for five weeks.
“He had to go back on a track which had a fierce leaders’ bias and they ran that race slower than any other on the day and the leader was off and gone,” Ritchie said.
“We need an improved performance though to justify running in the Melbourne Cup.”
I Wish I Win now having summer spell
Waikato Stud’s star sprinter I Wish I Win has headed to the spelling paddock following his uncustomary subpar performance when finishing at the tail end of the field in last Saturday’s A$20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick.
The son of Savabeel was among the favoured runners in Saturday’s rich feature, where he filled the slot of Trackside Media, but he failed to fire and weakened to finish last of the 11 runners.
While disappointed with his gelding’s effort, part-owner and co-trainer Peter Moody said he has returned to his Pakenham barn in good order and will head for a spell in preparation for an autumn preparation.
“He was very disappointing in The Everest on Saturday, but he has pulled up well,” said Moody, who trains in partnership with Katherine Coleman.
“We X-rayed both knees, fetlocks and feet and I am pleased to say there were no changes of any note.”
“If he tells us he still wants to be there, we will push on and give him an autumn-winter preparation next year. If he suggests to us at any stage along the way that he has come to the end of his racing career, we wouldn’t hesitate to retire him because he has done such a wonderful job for us.”
Bred by Waikato Stud, I Wish I Win has won seven of his 24 starts, including victories in the Group1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m), Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) and Listed Testa Rossa Stakes (1300m).
Pre-NPC movements have started in the Magpies' arrivals and departures lounges.