Hastings-trained Nedwin puts in a magnificent leap on his way to winning the $40,000 Restricted Open steeplechase at Te Rapa last Saturday.
John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay.
Hawke’s Bay-owned horses dominated the three jumping races at last Saturday’s Te Rapa meeting.
The powerful Hastings jumping stable of Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal took out the two $40,000 features on the card, with Taika in the Jones Trucking Hurdle (2800m) and Nedwin in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Steeplechase (3900m), while Whanganui trainer Kevin Myers produced Catch And Release to win the $20,000 maiden hurdle event over 2800m.
Taika is part-owned by Paul Nelson and his brother Mark in partnership with Waikato-based Ken Garnett.
Nedwin was bred by the late Tom Lowry and is owned by Paul Nelson and his wife Carol in partnership with Gisborne couple Mick and Suz Gardner.
Catch And Release is owned by his Hawke’s Bay breeder Ivan Grieve along with Hastings trainer John Bary.
Nedwin, a star over hurdles in the past two winters, was making his steeplechase debut and could not have been more impressive, winning by 3-1/2 lengths.
The Niagara 10-year-old jumped his way to the front with a magnificent leap at the first fence and disputed the pace from then on, gaining an advantage at just about every jump.
He was taken on in front for the last lap and looked flat when jockey Matthew Gillies drew the whip rounding the home turn. But he jumped back in front with another marvellous leap at the last fence and worked clear in the run to the line to win by a length.
“That was very good,” a pleased Paul Nelson said after the race.
“He’s a classy jumper and he showed that. He obviously loved those steeplechase fences.”
Nelson said he had considered trying Nedwin over steeples last year, when the horse was getting up in the weights in hurdle races, and was confident he would measure up over the bigger fences.
“He has schooled well over the steeplechase fences at home.
Nedwin has now won 14 races from 42 starts and took his stake earnings to more than $400,000. Seven of his wins have been in hurdle races including the Great Northern Hurdle (4200m), Waikato Hurdle (3200m), Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle (3200m) and two editions of the Wellington Hurdle (3400m).
Nelson did not discount the chances of the horse reverting back to hurdling this winter.
Nedwin was ridden by comeback jockey Matthew Gillies, who recently resumed race-riding after spending several years on the sidelines. His last win came aboard Guy Fox in a hurdle race at Riccarton in August of 2019.
Taika, who was placed in three premier hurdle races last year, looks to have come back this year better than ever, judging by last Saturday’s success.
The 8-year-old Mettre En Jeu gelding was given the perfect run by jockey Dean Parker, stalking the leading duo of English Gambler and Dictation for the majority of the race before joining them rounding the home turn.
The trio then went stride for stride in the straight and, although Taika didn’t master the last fence all that well, he still proved too strong in the run to the line to win by two lengths from English Gambler, with Dictation a neck back in third.
“That was a good run and a very good ride by Dean Parker,” Nelson said. “This horse ran a nice race on the flat the other day [fourth at Rotorua on May 10], which he hadn’t done for a while. He loves the jumping, so hopefully it’s onwards and upwards from here.”
It was Taika’s sixth win from 28 starts and his fourth over hurdles. He has now won more than $164,000 in stakes and his jumping exploits last winter included a second in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m), third in the Wellington Hurdle (3200m) and third in the Great Northern Hurdle (4200m).
Catch And Release has a long way to go to live up to the outstanding record of his half-brother The Cossack but his game victory in the maiden hurdle last Saturday suggests there could be more jumping wins in store for the 6-year-old.
The Turn Me Loose gelding was notching his second win, the first coming in a maiden highweight over 2100m at Woodville 12 months ago. He has now had nine hurdle starts for a win, three thirds and two fourths.
Catch And Release is out of the Galileo mare Stellardelmar, who was purchased by Ivan Grieve as a young horse from Australia. She failed to fill a place in five race starts but produced four winners as a broodmare, including the champion jumper The Cossack, before she died in 2023.
Apprentice jockey Corey Wiles took Catch And Release straight to the front in last Saturday’s race and the horse set a good pace. He was headed by Sir Maverick coming to the home turn, but rallied again in the final stages and got the decision by a head on the line.
Uderzo leads from start to finish
A change of tactics brought about a change in fortune for Hawke’s Bay-owned Uderzo in the $40,000 open class 1600m race at Te Rapa last Saturday.
The 6-year-old gelding, part-owned by Havelock North couples Sam and Birdie Kelt and Andrew and Lauren Scott, is best known as a “get back and charge home” type. So many were surprised when apprentice jockey Rihaan Goyaram bounced him straight to the front and set up a leisurely tempo from race favourite Witz End.
It was evident from 800m out that the son of Vadamos was going to be hard to peg back as he controlled affairs in front and turned for home with a handy two-length lead.
Witz End chased hard, as did his late closing stablemate Roederer, but it was all in vain as Uderzo kept up a powerful gallop to hit the line four lengths clear in a moderate 1:37.46 for the 1600m journey.
O’Sullivan and Scott felt it was time to change tactics with Uderzo, who had not had much luck of late in some handy fields.
“We thought with the apprentice claim [3kgs] he could go forward and make it hard for the rest of them,” O’Sullivan said.
Purchased by Wexford Stables for $125,000 out of the 2020 National Yearling Sale, Uderzo has now won five of his 30 starts and over $235,000 in prize money.
Form reversal by Party Rocking
Hastings-trained Party Rocking turned his form around with a narrow win in a Rating 72 race over 1000m on the Awapuni synthetic track last Sunday.
The 4-year-old Belardo gelding, prepared by John Bary, was coming off a last of 10 runners in an 1100m race at Ellerslie on May 7, and that followed another last placing over 1200m at Trentham in March.
Party Rocking had recorded a third and a fifth from two previous starts on the Awapuni synthetic circuit and obviously appreciated getting back on the surface.
He began quickly from the barrier, and apprentice rider Jim Chung managed to secure a perfect trail behind the pacemaker, Showbastian Coe.
The latter turned into the home straight with a handy advantage, but Party Rocking kept coming and got up to snatch a nose decision on the line.
Party Lights was a $42,000 purchase by Bary from the 2022 Karaka yearling sales, and he has retained a racing share in the horse, along with former Hawke’s Bay Racing Board member Tim Gillespie.
The gelding has now had 19 starts for four wins, two seconds and a third and has amassed just over $90,000 in stake money.
Dennis Choux wins again in Perth
Hawke’s Bay-bred Dennis Choux added to his good record in West Australia when taking out a A$60,000 ($65,219) Graduation Handicap over 1600m at Belmont last Saturday.
The 7-year-old gelding was bred by Richard and Liz Wood, who owned and raced his sire, the outstanding galloper and five-time Group 1 winner Jimmy Choux.
He is out of the Flying Spur mare Nimbletoes and a half-brother to King Louis, who won two races in the Wood colours.
The Woods sold Dennis Choux, who has built a record of five wins, four seconds and four thirds and is trained by David Harrison.
Atishu sold at Aussie auction
Outstanding racemare Atishu, part-owned by Dannevirke’s Dean Shuker, was sold for A$2.7 million at this week’s Magic Millions broodmare sale on the Gold Coast of Australia.
The Savabeel mare was purchased as a yearling for $260,000 by Go Racing principal Albert Bosma, who then syndicated her ownership, with Shuker taking up a 5% share.
Atishu began her racing career from the Cambridge stable of Stephen Marsh and won four races in a row, two of them at Listed level, before being transferred to the Sydney stable of Chris Waller.
She went on to win three Group 1 races in Australia and raced a total of 51 times from a 3-year-old until she was 7 for a record of 11 wins, eight seconds and nine thirds. Her stake earnings totalled more than A$5.9m.
Atishu was sold to giant Australian racing and breeding operation Yulong, which has confirmed she will be retired from racing and mated with Alabama Express in the spring.
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