Trosettee and apprentice jockey Sarah Macnab cross the finish line a length clear of Flying Habit (Rosie Myers)
Hastings couple John and Greta Flynn have raced a few successful racehorses in the past but they got a special thrill last week when some of their Hawke's Bay family members and close friends were also involved in one of their wins.
Trosettee's victory in a $10,000 maiden race at Otaki on Thursday last week will long remain in the memory of some of the first time racehorse owners the Flynn's have got involved.
Trosettee is prepared by Opaki trainer Grant Nicholson, a good friend of John Flynn who bought the horse for $5000 at the 2018 Karaka yearling sales.
"Grant has been a good mate and he wanted some others to come in on the horse so I said I'd find some," Flynn said this week.
He managed to get his daughter Samantha Flynn involved as well as his sister and brother-in-law Anne and Derek Mackenzie, another sister-in-law Fay Flynn and close friends John and Sharon McKay. All of them live in Hawke's Bay.
"Apart from Greta, Fay and I the others are all newbies into racing and so it is their first winner," John Flynn said.
Nicholson has also retained a racing share in the horse along with some of his close friends, with a total of 12 people involved.
Trosettee was having his fourth start when he lined up over 1600m at Otaki, his best previous placing being a fresh up second over 1200m at Awapuni in July.
Apprentice jockey Sarah Macnab settled the Jimmy Choux four-year-old in the rear group early and was trapped three-wide without cover. She then sent him on a forward move to be the widest runner turning into the home straight and he kept up a strong sustained run down the outside of the track to win by a length from Flying Habit, with 3-3/4 lengths back to third placed Eddie's Dream.
Trosettee is bred to win races. His dam is the Pentire mare Tin Goose, who was the winner of four races and placed third behind Zavite and Booming in the 2010 Group 1 Auckland Cup (3200m).
She has also produced Voler Por Moi (by Pour Moi) who has won six races, five of them at 2000m and further and also Beaufighter (by Mastercraftsman) who won two races in New Zealand, one at 2000m and one at 2400m.
"He (Trosettee) is bred to stay and Grant hopes to get him up to 2000m plus in the future," John Flynn said.
He and wife Greta have raced horses from the Awapuni stable of Jeff Lynds in the past, the best of them being Thien Ly who recorded four wins and eight minor placings.
Avantage favourite to take treble
Class mare Avantage is at a quote of $9 on the fixed odds market to emulate her stablemate Melody Belle and win all three legs of the Group 1 triple crown at this year's Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay spring carnival.
The TAB has opened a book on one horse to win the Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings during the next month and Avantage is an outright favourite, with Jennifer Eccles the only other horse rated a chance at $51.
Avantage is prepared by Matamata's Jamie Richards who produced Melody Belle to capture all three Group 1 features at last year's spring carnival, the only horse to have achieved the feat.
Avantage showed she is going to be the horse to beat in next Saturday's $200,000 Tarzino Trophy with a game win in last Saturday's Group 2 $100,000 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa and is now a raging hot favourite at $1.80 for the 1400m weight-for-age feature.
The Fastnet Rock five-year-old mare had to call on all her reserves in the final stages to head off a determined Tavi Mac and score by a length, with Richards saying the mare would improve a lot from the run.
"The plan is to go to Hastings in a fortnight for the Tarzino," he said.
"She should take goo benefit out of today's run and the two weeks between races will be ideal."
Avantage was recording her 11th win from only 18 starts and took her stake earnings to almost $1.5 million.
The mare was a $210,000 purchase by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis at the 2017 Karaka yearling sakes and is now raced by the Te Akau Avantage Syndicate, managed by Karen Fenton-Ellis. Waipukurau's Michael Ormsby has a five per cent share in the syndicate.
Ormsby also has a five per cent share in the Te Akau Never Say Die Syndicate that races Need I Say More, who maintained his unbeaten record with another dominant performance in last Saturday's Group 3 $70,000 Northland Breeders Stakes at Te Rapa.
Need I Say More led all the way in the 1200m event and comfortably beat a high class field of three-year-olds, scoring by 2-3/4 lengths.
It was the Australian-bred gelding's third win from as many starts, after posting victories over 1100m and 1200m on the Matamata track as a two-year-old last season.
Need I Say More is by the Coolmore Stud-based stallion No Nay Never out of the Fastnet Rock mare Bo Bardi and was a $130,000 purchase by David Ellis at last year's Karaka yearling sales.
The big chestnut is now expected to head to Hastings for the Group 2 $100,000 Dundeel at Arrowfield Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m) on October 3.
The fixed odds betting market for next Saturday's Tarzino Trophy is: Avantage $1.80; Jennifer Eccles $6.50; Tavi Mac $8.00; Prise De Fer $10.00; Kiwi Ida, Supera $14.00; Travelling Light $14.00; Germanicus $21.00; Bavella, Demonitization, Julius $26.00; The Mitigator, Two Illicit $31.00. The rest are at $40 or more.
Huge day of action next Saturday
Hastings racegoers will be treated to the excitement of Group 1 racing and the thrills of jumping events on the first day of the Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay spring carnival next Saturday.
The weight-for-age $200,000 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) is the first Group 1 race of the season in New Zealand and regularly draws the cream of the country's sprinters. But a number of the country's top jumpers will also be action, contesting the $50,000 AHD Hawke's Bay Steeplechase (4800m) and the $50,000 Te Whangai Hawke's Bay Hurdles (3100m).
There will also be two other black type flat races at the meeting, the Group 3 $50,000 Hawke's Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and the Listed $50,000 El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m). Both races are for three-year-olds with the Gold Trail Stakes being the first race in the New Zealand Three-year-old filly of the Year series.
That series has been increased from 10 to 11 races for this season with the $70,000 Soliloquy Stakes the new addition. The 1400m event, traditionally run at Ellerslie, will now take place at Te Rapa on October 24.
At this stage there 10 races scheduled for Hastings next Saturday but there is a strong possibility that will be increased to 11, given the huge number of nominations expected.
Hawke's Bay Racing is planning for the meeting to be run under Covid alert level 1 restrictions, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expected to make an announcement on Monday as to what level the Hawke's Bay region will be in by next weekend.
Under level 1 the Hastings racecourse will be able to be open to members and the public but, if it remains under level 2, it will be closed to members and the public with restrictions for ticketed persons only. Those working in the birdcage area at level 2 will be required to wear masks which can be provided, if necessary, along with sanitiser.
There is no official gate charge for next Saturday's Hastings race meeting but patrons will be asked to donate $5 to the Hawke's Bay Cancer Society.
HB/PB Awards night Friday
This year's annual Bramwell Bate/VetsOne Hawke's Bay & Poverty Bay Racing Awards function will now be held at the Cheval Room at the Hastings racecourse on Friday, October 2.
It was originally planned for next Friday but, due to the uncertainties surrounding Covid-19 restrictions, it has been decided to postpone it.
Hosted by the Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Breeders and Owners' Associations, in conjunction with Hawke's Bay Racing, the function recognises the achievements of the districts' breeders, owners, trainers and horses during the past racing season.
The function will begin at 6.30pm and tickets can be purchased from the Hawke's Bay Racing office.
The awards being presented are.-
Jimmy Choux Three-year-old of the Year for the highest earning three-year-old bred by a HB/PB breeder.
HB/PB Owner of the Year on a points basis.
HB/PB Trainer of the Year on wins.
HB/PB Trainer of the year on winning strike-rate.
HB/PB Breeder with the most wins by progeny bred.
HB/PB Breeder of the Year on points, based on the performances of progeny bred.
HB/PB Trained Horse of the Year for a horse trained in the district that won the most stake money.
HB/PB Owned Horse of the Year for a horse owned in the district based on their performances in black type races.
HB/PB Broodmare of the Year for the mare owned in the district whose progeny recorded the most success at black type level.
Group & Listed awards to the breeders of horses that won black type races.
Horlicks Salver award for significant contribution to racing and breeding in the district.
Crestfallen Hastings Boys' players were 'pretty emotional' about the incident, says coach.