Hastings-trained The Shackler and jockey Aaron Kuru have a 1-1/4 length advantage over It's A Wonder.
Hastings trainer Paul Nelson experienced both the highs and lows of jumps racing at last Saturday's Waikato meeting at Te Rapa.
Nelson picked up a rather fortuitous win with The Shackler in the $50,000 Porritt Sand Waikato Hurdles, when race leader It's A Wonder bungled the second-to-last fence and gifted his horse the win.
Then, two races later, the Nelson-trained Perry Mason fell at the last fence in the maiden steeplechase when he was leading and looked set for victory.
Nelson, one of the best conditioners of jumpers in the country, took three horses to the Waikato meeting and his other charge, The Arabian Duke, finished second in the maiden hurdle.
He had his doubts about whether he had The Shackler fit enough to run out a testing 3200m over hurdles last Saturday, given that the horse had had only one start on the flat since September last year for an 11th of 14 over 2100m at Te Rapa three weeks ago.
But a clever ride by jockey Aaron Kuru saw the horse take the lead for the final round of the prestige jumping event and he dictated the pace from then on.
It's A Wonder and jockey Will Gordon closed quickly to join The Shackler turning into the home straight and actually went ahead coming to the second-to-last fence. However It's A Wonder made a botch of that jump, throwing Gordon up around the horse's neck before he made a miraculous recovery to get back in the saddle.
It enabled The Shackler to wrest back the lead and, although It's A Wonder closed again late, he was able to hold on to win by 1-1/4 lengths.
"We got a bit lucky," commented Nelson after the race. "It was looking pretty interesting, but I suppose the fences are there to be jumped.
"I went into the race thinking he wasn't quite there but it's worked out well in the end."
Kuru, who has built a tremendous partnership with the Nelson stable, paid a compliment to the Hawke's Bay horseman's conditioning skills.
"He was fit enough all right," said Kuru as he unsaddled the big gelding. "He's a horse that gives you everything.
"Would he have won if the other horse hadn't made a mistake? I can't answer that but I know he wouldn't have given in easily."
Nelson prepares the 11-year-old Istidaad gelding for Shaun Dromgool, whose brother Michael trained him to win eight flat races before he bowed a tendon. The horse has now won four of his eight starts over hurdles, including last year's Wellington Hurdles.
Nelson was unable to say whether he would return to Te Rapa on Queen's Birthday weekend for the K S Browne Hurdle, but did state that winter plans will hinge on finding races when tracks are not too heavy for The Shackler.
The Nelson-trained Perry Mason was coming off a maiden hurdle win at Te Rapa a fortnight before when he lined up in a 3900m steeplechase at Te Rapa last Saturday.
And the Zed 8-year-old looked to be travelling like a winner when in front coming to the last fence. However he put in an extra stride approaching the last jump and crashed through it, with both horse and rider Aaron Kuru ending up sprawled on the ground.
This left Venerate and Adequacy to fight out the finish and the former had enough in reserve to take out the race by 2-3/4 lengths.
Ironically Venerate is owned and trained by Waverley's Harvey Wilson and he is also the owner-trainer of It's A Wonder.
Derek Alderman dies
Derek Alderman, a well liked and respected Hastings thoroughbred owner-trainer during the 1970s, died last week. He was 88.
Alderman only ever had one or two horses in work at any one time but he was very passionate about the racing industry and was a regular at central districts race meetings over many years.
The best horse he produced was Accurate, who recorded four wins and several minor placings and was a proficient jumper over hurdles and steeples. He also won a race with Don't Fret and picked up minor placings with Bulletin and Crown D'Or.
He was also the father of successful jockey Phillip Alderman, who rode Chimbu to take out the ARC Queen Elizabeth Handicap-Auckland Cup double in the 1981-82 racing season and also piloted Avago to victory in the Waikato Cup that same year.
Upon retiring from training Derek Alderman maintained an active role in the Hastings racing scene and was still doing riding work for Hastings trainer Marlene Todd when well into his sixties.
The Cossack reigns again
It has been a long time between celebration drinks for the connections of Hastings-trained The Cossack but the 4-year-old suggested he could now go on to better things with a gallant win over 1600m at Tauherenikau on Thursday of last week.
It was the horse's second success, with the first coming in a 1600m maiden race at Woodville in January last year.
At that stage his Hastings trainer John Bary had high hopes that The Cossack would develop into a top stayer. Two starts after that win the horse finished a creditable fourth in the Group 3 Manawatu Classic (2000m) at Awapuni but he then only managed to beat two home when 11th in the Group 2 Valachi Downs Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie at his next start and was turned out for a spell.
He looks to have come back a stronger horse in a new campaign and his win last week followed two minor placings earlier this season, over 1550m at Awapuni and 1400m at Wairoa.
Apprentice jockey Timothy Johnson bounced The Cossack out quickly from the barrier to have him in a trailing position on the inside in the early stages. The 4-year-old looked under pressure when he drifted back to about sixth coming to the home turn but he rallied again in the home straight and kept up a strong run to the line to win by a length.
The Cossack is bred to excel over longer distances as he is by Mastercraftsman out of a Galileo mare. He was bred by Hawke's Bay's Ivan Grieve who races the horse in partnership with John Bary.
Promising jumper emerges
Napoleon, part-owned by Hawke's Bay's Don Poulgrain, kicked off what could be an exciting career over jumps with a runaway seven-length win in the maiden hurdle race at Te Rapa last Saturday.
The 5-year-old Shinko King gelding was having only his second start over hurdles, the first resulting in a close second at Whanganui on May 6.
Aided by a masterful ride by English-born jockey Will Gordon, Napoleon settled midfield in the early stages and hardly went around a horse in the 2800m event.
Gordon stuck to the inside rail coming to the home turn and got a charmed run through to quickly challenge for the lead with three fences to clear. They jumped clear of their rivals at the second-to-last fence and put the race beyond doubt with another good leap at the last to race away for a dominant win.
Napoleon is trained at Whanganui by Kevin Myers and races in the colours of top jumper Sea King as one of the owners, Auckland's Chris O'Reilly, has a major shareholding in both horses.
Poulgrain has had shares in several horses over the years but Napoleon looks like being the best. The horse scored a winning double on the flat at the Wairoa meeting in February last year, when trained by Otaki-based Rachael Frost, before he was transferred to the Myers stable to be prepared for a jumping career.
Pacorus back on track
A visit from a renowned Australian chiropractor has the well-performed stayer Pacorus back in business.
The talented 6-year-old, part-owned by Havelock North couple Dave and Jenny Morison, gave a bold account of himself when resuming on Saturday over 1400m at Te Rapa where he finished third behind Southern Icon and Mighty Solomon.
"His run was great, he didn't really come up last time around and I got Michael Bryant over to have a look at him," trainer Chris Wood said.
Bryant has been the chiropractor to several equine stars, including the unbeaten multiple Group One winner Black Caviar.
Pacorus is now on target to defend his title in next month's Kiwifruit Cup at Tauranga, a race the son of Tavistock won last year.
Stars set to return
Reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval's return to her Cambridge base is imminent.
The multiple Group One winner and the country's top-rated performer was sidelined earlier this year with a suspensory ligament issue.
The winner of the Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield in the spring off the back of a first-up success in the Group Two Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley, Bonneval subsequently spelled and was being prepared for the Group One Haunui Farm WFA Classic (1600m) before she was injured.
"She's looking good and she'll be back in the stable next week, along with Jon Snow and we are hopefully looking toward the Melbourne spring with them again," said Murray Baker, who trains in partnership with Andrew Forsman.
Jon Snow won the Group Three JRA Cup (2040m) and ran third in the Group One Caulfield Stakes (2000m) before he finished less than five lengths off the winner Boom Time in the Group One Caulfield Cup (2400m) at his last appearance.
Meet the younger member of a special Chatham Cup family dynasty.