A stint of farm work and some intensive equine physiotherapy seems to have rejuvenated the Hastings-trained 7-year-old Powerade, who scored an upset win at last week's Wanganui meeting.
The Electronic Zone gelding was having his second start back after a lengthy spell when he lined up in a Rating 65 race over 1600m and produced a powerful finishing burst to score by half a length, returning a dividend of $18.20 for a win and $4.20 for a place.
It was Powerade's third career win but his first since he took out a 2100m race at Woodville in April 2015.
The horse was bred by Waipukurau couple Dick and Tess Millar who originally raced the horse from the Awapuni stable of Mark Oulaghan before transferring him to the Hastings training partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen.
Following that Woodville win Powerade then recorded a third over 1600m at Otaki in November 2015 and a second over 1600m at Teuherenikau in February last year before his form tapered off.
The horse was constantly troubled with injuries, mainly in his back and hind-quarters.
The Millars decided to finish with the horse earlier this year and gifted him to Grant Cullen and his partner Nikki Lourie, who is an equine physiotherapist based in Dannevirke.
Lourie spent several months hacking Powerade around her farm property and many hours working on his muscles and joints before he was ready to return to full work.
The horse showed the benefits of all that treatment when he finished second behind Miss Wilson in a 1000m jumpout at Hastings on December 9 and has continued to impress in training since, recording a sharp 600m sprint in 35.8s in his final trackwork before last week's win.
Hayden Tinsley was aboard the horse at Wanganui and settled him perfectly in a trailing position until the home turn before lodging his claim halfway down the home straight. The horse kept up a strong gallop to the line to beat the fast-finishing pair of Woodbine Ladd and Fastnet Fire.
"He's always been a horse that has had ability but he is still very much a day by day proposition," Grant Cullen said this week.
"Nikki and I are grateful to Dick and Tess Millar for giving us the horse to try again and Nikki has spent hours getting him right."
Powerade is likely to have his next start in a $20,000 Rating 75 race over 1600m at Trentham tomorrow week.
Polo career on hold
Hawke's Bay-owned Shrimp Cocktail was destined for a future career as a polo pony if she didn't start performing better on the racetrack but the Tiger Prawn mare earned a reprieve when successful at last week's Wanganui meeting.
The 5-year-old stunned punters and surprised even her connections when she took out a 1340m maiden race at odds of 30 to one.
Shrimp Cocktail is owned by her Central Hawke's Bay breeder Sue Harty and was having her eighth start, her best previous placings being two thirds over 1400m at Woodville in October last year.
Harty told Shrimp Cocktail's Awapuni-based trainer David Goldsbury that if she didn't start to show something on the track she would sell her as a polo pony.
"She's always been a bit weak and she was always getting bad draws which wasn't helping her chances," Harty said this week.
"She does look to have strengthened up a bit now and that win has given her a reprieve.
"She will probably now go to Woodville next week providing the track is not too firm."
Shrimp Cocktail was ridden to victory by Goldsbury's daughter Rebecca and scored by a nose over the Hastings-trained Savuno, with race favourite Rip Into Ghia close up in third place.
Shrimp Cocktail is out of the Kingfisher Mill mare Pacific Heights and a half-sister to Tidal Wave, a horse that won five races in New Zealand before being sold to Australia where he was successful in a hurdle race.
Pacific Heights has since ceased breeding but Harty has a yearling filly by Towkay out of the mare presently on her Pourerere Beach property.
"She is a nice-looking filly and is on the market," Harty said.
"I've also got a very nice yearling gelding by Per Incanto out of Out On Bail and a filly by Niagara filly out of Sea Shells here on the property too," she added.
HB winner at Scone
Forreel, a half-sister to the outstanding performer Dundeel, broke through for a maiden win at her first Australian start at last Sunday's Scone meeting in New South Wales.
The Nom du Jeu mare, owned by Havelock North's Murray Andersen and prepared by former New Zealand-based trainer Bjorn Baker, scored a head victory in a $A21,500 ($22,500) Maiden race over 1300m.
Jockey Chad Lever travelled to the Hunter Valley track specially to ride the mare in what was her sixth race start.
"There's not much to her," Lever said. "She is small and lean and still pretty green, but she did the job."
Forreel was initially trained in New Zealand by Baker's father Murray and his partner Andrew Forsman and had five starts from that stable last year for a second and two thirds. She was owned then by Kayano Thoroughbreds but has now been bought outright by Murray Andersen.
Baker senior prepared Dundeel throughout his illustrious career, which reaped 10 wins from 1200m to 2400m. He was successful six times at Group 1 level, including in the Australian Derby and ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Murray Baker was also the trainer of Forreel's sire Nom du Jeu, who was also successful in the Australian Derby.
There are 10 Dundeel yearlings catalogued for the forthcoming yearling sales at Karaka, nine of them in the Premier session.
Telegraph hopes dashed
Thien Ly, a horse part-owned by Hastings man John Flynn, was withdrawn from tomorrow's Group 1 $250,000 Telegraph Sprint at Trentham after it was found that the horse would have fared badly under the set weights and penalties conditions of the race.
The Stravinsky 6-year-old put himself into the reckoning for the 1200m feature with a strong win over 1200m at Trentham a fortnight ago, prompting trainer Jeff Lynds to say he would like to get the horse into the Telegraph on a light weight.
However, the race is not now an open handicap and Thien Ly, despite being only a Rating 77 horse, would have had to carry 55kg against some of the best sprinters in the country.
The horse's connections were mindful that the horse would be crucified in future handicap races had he started and finished in a top six position.
Hawke's Bay will still have two representatives in tomorrow's Telegraph Sprint in Adventador and Lady Zafira.
Adventador will be attempting to record back-to-back victories in the race after he scored last year at odds of 80 to one. The big Fast 'N' Famous gelding is trained on the Hastings track by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen and owned by his Cambridge breeder Tony Rider.
Lady Zafira is prepared by Hastings trainer John Bary and is the winner of five races, including the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton two starts back.
Allpress aims for Te Rapa comeback
Champion jockey Lisa Allpress is counting down to her return to serious business.
The Wanganui rider has made a quicker than anticipated recovery from a serious leg injury that in October cut short her riding stint in Japan.
"I'm hoping to be back on the first weekend of February at Te Rapa," Allpress said.
The Waikato meeting on February 4 will feature the Group 2 Darci Brahma Waikato Guineas with the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes to follow a week later.
The 41-year-old has yet to secure a clearance to resume her career and she isn't anticipating any problem.
"I have to see the doctor on the second of February, but I'm feeling pretty good," she said.
Allpress was in her second riding spell in Japan when she suffered a broken tibia after parting company with a 2-year-old on their way to the barrier.
"Initially, they said I would be out for four to six months and it's been three months this week," she said.
"I've done a couple of days of trackwork at Wanganui and one at Waverley and I rode some work for John Bary at Hastings when we were over there.
Allpress is the reigning champion jockey after an outstanding 2015-16 season that was rewarded with 171 winners.
Broken arm
Awapuni apprentice Tim Johnson will spend a lengthy period sidelined with injury after an incident last Saturday evening which resulted in a broken arm.
Johnson's employer Mark Oulaghan said the injury was not "horse related."
Johnson is sitting on 21 wins for the season and is lying in second place behind Sam Weatherley on the apprentices' championship.
McEvoy booked
Kerrin McEvoy will be reunited with the champion New Zealand sprinter-miler Turn Me Loose in the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley next Friday.
"He won the Emirates on him last year so he knows him well," said Murray Baker, who prepares the Iffraaj 5-year-old with Andrew Forsman.
"It's only 1200m and it will be too short for him, he always needs a race to get him going. The main aims are the Orr Stakes and the Futurity Stakes, which he won last year.
"I've got to say that we are thrilled with the way the horse is going."
Meet the younger member of a special Chatham Cup family dynasty.