Hastings stables bag five winners in two days

YES! Thumbs-up from Xpression's part-owners Paul Bayes (left) and Iain Renton after a decisive victory in Saturday's Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes, with co-trainer Guy Lowry at right.

Hastings stables enjoyed outstanding success last weekend with five winners coming out of the area in two days of racing.

Xpression, prepared by the partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, capped the tremendous run when she took out the Group 2 $100,000 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham on Saturday, while John Bary also produced a winning double at that meeting with High Spirits and Smokin' Oak.

Waipukurau the following day saw Bary bring up his third win for the weekend with Swiss Precision while Paul Nelson took out the feature race with Keilib.

Xpression lowered the colours of some highly rated 2-year-olds in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes and looks headed for even bigger things in the future.

She was a shade slow to begin in the 1200m event but jockey Samantha Collett didn't panic, letting the filly find her feet in the early stages and keeping her balanced coming across the junction, at the top of the straight, before asking her to extend.

Race favourite Espumoso looked the likely winner when he mastered the other well supported runner, King Louis, inside the final 300m but then Xpression came off the back of both of them and put in some big bounds late to get up and win by half a length.

Espumoso finished second and was three lengths clear of the rest, headed by Bit Lippy. The John Bary-trained King Louis weakened to finish fifth.

Xpression was having her second start and was backing up just eight days after finishing third over 1000m at Otaki eight days before.

Guy Lowry describes the filly as a natural galloper who is very intelligent and has been a very quick learner.

"She has always shown us plenty right from when she first came into the stable," Lowry said.

"She improved a lot from her first start at Otaki and I thought she would go well last Saturday."

Xpression will now be turned out for a brief spell and the come back to racing again in the New Year. There is a strong chance she may line up in the $20,000 2-year-old race over 1200m at Wairoa on February 25 as a lead up to the Group 1 $225,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni on March 31.

"The Wairoa race works in perfectly as she can run there and then at Trentham a fortnight later before the Sires' Produce Stakes," Lowry added.

Xpression is by Showcasing out of the Don Eduardo mare Xpress and was bred by Haunui Farm studmaster Mark Chitty in partnership with his childhood friend Iain Renton of Hawke's Bay.

The pair now race the filly with some other close Hawke's Bay friends in Paul Bayes, Mark Apatu and Fred Coates.

Xpression is the first winner produced by Xpress, who has since left another yearling filly by Showcasing and is due to foal to Sweetness.

Karaka Million plans
Trainer John Bary has a million dollar New Year target for the promising Smokin' Oak, who brought up his second win from only five starts when taking out the $30,000 3-year-old race at Trentham last Saturday.

Bary purchased the Burgundy gelding for $45,000 at the select session of the 2016 Karaka yearling sales and that qualifies the horse for the listed $1million Karaka Million Three-year-old Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 27.

Bary said he originally bought the horse for a prospective owner but when that deal fell through he was left with the horse. He then offered him for sale at last year's Two-year-old Ready to run sale but he was passed in, with a reserve of $50,000.

Bary and his racing manager Mike Sanders then set about organising a group to race the horse and he is now owned by the Burger Boys Syndicate, which is managed by Sanders.

Several members of the syndicate are based in Hawke's Bay including John and Ross Stace, Doug and Jill Callaghan, Michael and Pam Thomson, Johnny and Pauline Campbell, Mike White and Ian McLean.

The other members are Peter, Gerard and Paul Gillespie and their Australian-based sister Anne, Auckland-based Narendra Balia and Mike and Christine Phillips.

Smokin' Oak cleared maiden ranks with a dominant three-length win over 1200m on a heavy track at Waipukurau in September and was just as comfortable on a dead track at Trentham last Saturday.

He began quickly from the 1400m barrier and wanted to go keenly in the early stages. But rider Samantha Collett managed to restrain him nicely in the lead and he showed a good turn of foot when asked to quicken at the top of the home straight.

Race favourite Savvy Coup start to come after Smokin' Oak in the final stages but the latter had enough in reserve to win by half a length.

Bary said he will now plot a path for Smokin' Oak that will hopefully have the horse peaking for the Karaka Million.

Wellington Cup hope
High Spirits took a step towards a possible start in next month's Group 3 $250,000 Wellington Cup when successful in a Rating 85 race over 3200m at Trentham last Saturday.

The Wellington Cup has been reinstated to 3200m and Hastings trainer John Bary is keen to give the mare her chance in the race, especially as she has now shown she can run out the distance.

High Spirits brought up her third win from 20 starts when she outstayed six rivals last Saturday. Rider Samantha Collett settled the horse in the trail in the early stages of the race before letting her roll to the front approaching the home turn.

She kicked the mare clear early in the home straight and they were always in control, crossing the line three-and-a-quarter lengths clear of second placed Soleseifei.

High Spirits is a 4-year-old mare by Darci Brahma out of the Montjeu mare Spiriting and was purchased by Bary for $80,000 at the premier session of the 2014 Karaka yearling sales.

Havelock North couple Hylton and Colleen Gudsell now own a 40 per cent share in the horse with Bary being one of 12 shareholders who own the other 60 per cent between them.

Other Hawke's Bay people involved are Napier couple Bruce and Annette Keighley, Richard Koorey and Mark Donnelly. Gisborne-based John McLaughlin also has a share while the other owners live in Auckland, Wellington and Ashburton.

Keilib clings on to win
Trainer Paul Nelson pulled the right rein when he decided to bypass last Saturday's Wellington meeting with Keilib and take the horse to Waipukurau the following day instead.

Nelson had the Librettist 6-year-old entered for the Rating 85 race over 3200m at Trentham but was able to take on slightly easier class in the Rating 75 $16,000 Aon Insurance/Leopard Hotel Xmas Cup over 2200m at Waipukurau.

Keilib only had four rivals in the main race at the Waipukurau meeting and rider Leah Hemi positioned him in the trail behind leader Hunta Pence in the early stages. She took him to the front early in the home straight and, despite being under siege in the final stages, they were able to hold on for a long neck win.

It was Keilib's fourth win but his first since joining the Nelson stable at the beginning of this year.

He was formerly prepared by Sylvia Kay at Levin and raced by her and husband Paddy.

The horse is now raced by the I See Red Syndicate, a large group of mainly Hawke's Bay people that have had a number of successful horses in the Nelson stable in recent years.

Most of the horses the syndicate has raced have been jumpers, with the most successful being Just A Swagger, whose eight wins included the Grand National Hurdles (twice), the Hawke's Bay Steeples and the Grand National Steeples.

Promising filly dominates
Swiss Precision finally lived up to the early promise she showed when she bolted in by four lengths in a 1200m maiden at Waipukurau last Sunday.

The Swiss Ace filly was having only her third start and trainer John Bary thanked the syndicate that races her for their patience, after the horse had caused him some trying times in the past 12 months.

After winning a 650m Foxton trial in August 2016 Swiss Precision finished third on debut over 800m at Wanganui the following month but was sidelined and operated on to have bone chips removed from her legs.

She was brought back into work at the beginning of this year but then struck an unsuitable heavy track and when finishing last of 10 runners over 800m at Hastings in July and was also very slow away that day.

The filly then developed a resentment to the starting stalls and Bary and his staff have worked hard to get her confidence back.

She jumped away quickly from the barrier at Waipukurau last Sunday and jockey Samantha Collett had her sitting outside the leader until the home turn.

Once she asked the filly to extend she careered away from her rivals for a smart win.

The filly is raced by the Challenge No.7 Syndicate, a large group of owners from all parts of the country. The syndicate is managed by bloodstock consultant Adrian Clark.

Wait A Sec back soon
Group 1 winner Wait A Sec will be back in action early next month to continue his build-up toward the Group 1 $500,000 Auckland Cup (3200m) in March.

The Barfoot and Thompson-sponsored staying feature is the 7-year-old's autumn goal and, to that end, he will head to Trentham off a break to resume in the Group 3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) on January 13.

"We're looking to kick him off in the Anniversary at set weights and penalties," said Grant Cullen, who trains the gelding with Guy Lowry.

"We'll take it from there and see how the tracks are. He can handle one or two on the firmer ground but not too many."