Charlie Zulu, under a vigorous ride from jockey Johnathan Parkes, staved off the challengers to win a maiden 1200m race at Waipukurau last week.
A large group of Hawke's Bay people were rejoicing after Charlie Zulu's win in a $10,000 Maiden 1200m race at Waipukurau on Thursday of last week.
The 4-year-old Zed gelding hails from the Hastings stables of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen but, more importantly, he is raced by a syndicate of 18 people with the majority of them Hawke's Bay-based and at least two-thirds first time racehorse owners.
Charlie Zulu was having his sixth start when he lined up at Waipukurau, but his first from the Lowry/Cullen stable.
He was formerly prepared by the Cambridge partnership of Roger James and Robert Wellwood and finished a good third on debut over 1300m at Tauranga in January last year.
His form then dropped away and it was decided the horse needed a change of environment to hopefully rejuvenate his form.
He was transferred to the Lowry/Cullen stable just before Christmas and they immediately sent him out to Mary Darby's property at Porangahau, where she has built the horse up with plenty of hill work and the occasional trip to the beach.
He showed a glimpse of his ability when finishing a close second in a 750m jumpout at Hastings on March 28.
Jockey Johnathan Parkes was seen at his vigorous best when getting Charlie Zulu home for a neck win at Waipukurau.
The horse was in front but looked to be in danger of defeat when under siege from several challengers inside the last 200m.
The jockey never missed a beat over the final stages and the horse responded, sticking his neck out on the line.
"There is no doubt that Johnathan Parkes won the race for us," co-trainer Guy Lowry said.
"It was the horse's first start for a long time and he was gone at the 200 but Parksy managed to get him to find a bit more.
"The horse was blowing a fair bit after the race and will take a while to get over it but he won for his connections and that's what you want."
Waipukurau's Chris Walker manages the Charlie Zulu Syndicate that races the horse, with the other members being his wife Rae, Alison Baldwin, Paul Beachen, Emmett Hills, Brian Doyle, Colin and Jenny Shaw, Craig Preston, Roger Chrystall, Phil King, John Corbett, Angus Walker, Hadleigh Walker, Marcus Peacock, Pieter Zwart and Keith and Aine Rice.
Apart from the Rices, who live in Brisbane, the other syndicate members either live in Hawke's Bay or were originally from here.
Charlie Zulu was bred by the Walkers, the Rices, Alison Baldwin and Paul Beachen under their banner of Boomchuckalucka Syndicate.
He is out of the Catbird mare Boomchuckalucka, who recorded a win and three minor placings from only eight starts when trained by Roger James. She is now deceased and Charlie Zulu was her first foal.
Her second foal is the 3-year-old filly Thunder Bay, who was runner-up behind the star filly Avantage twice as a 2-year-old last season and bolted by 3 lengths in a 1400m maiden race at Ashburton on March 14.
The Boomchuckalucka Syndicate has retained a 10 per cent racing share in that filly and she is now entered for tomorrow's Listed $50,000 NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton.
The third foal out of the mare, a full-brother to Thunder Bay, was sold as a young horse to Riccarton trainer Michael Pitman. He has now been named Chuck A Luck and is in work with Michael and Matthew Pitman at Riccarton.
The last foal produced by Boomchuckalucka is a yearling filly by Contributor, who is likely to be retained by her owner-breeders.
Hastings-trained The Bandito has gone out for a spell on the back of a stakes race win after his all the way victory in last Saturday's Listed $50,000 Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Awapuni.
The 7-year-old Pins gelding, prepared by John Bary, went into the race as a three race winner on a rating of only 76 points and dented the reputations of some well performed open sprinters.
Jockey Samantha Collett bounced the horse out brilliantly from the outside barrier and quickly crossed the field to take a clear lead at the end of the first 200m.
The other jockeys allowed her to dictate terms in front and, after skipping clear rounding the home bend, The Bandito had enough in reserve to cling on for a short head win over Beefeater, with Magnum half a head back in third.
"He was defiant wasn't he," John Bary said.
"He gets in that mood and you have to ride him that way.
"It was a 12 out of 10 ride by Sam Collett as she didn't hustle him, just let him slide to the front and dictate terms with the light weight."
Bary said the horse has had a busy season, with seven starts since December 1 reaping two wins, a second and a third, and he will now be turned out for a winter spell.
The Bandito is out of the Quest For Fame mare Reputedly and was bought by Bary for $50,000 from the premier session of the 2013 Karaka yearling sales.
The plan was to re-sell the horse at the 2-year-old Ready-To-Run sale 10 months later but when that didn't eventuate Bary was able to sell him to Australian Heath Newton, who lives in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
Newton also shares in the ownership of the Bary-trained Hugo The Boss, another last start sprint winner and a likely starter in the Listed $50,000 NZB Finance Sprint (1200m) at Hastings tomorrow week.
Last Saturday's victory by The Bandito continued the fantastic run of former Waikato Stud sire Pins, who passed away last year. He became the sire's ninth individual stakes winner this season.
Gold Mag, part-owned by Hawke's Bay's Peter Grieve, showed he is in for another good campaign with an impressive win over 1600m on a heavy track at Warwick Farm in Sydney on Wednesday of last week.
The Savabeel 4-year-old, ridden by Hugh Bowman, settled back seventh in the 10 horse field early before improving his position coming to the home turn.
Once in the straight Gold Mag showed great acceleration in the conditions to race away and score by 1-1/2 lengths.
It was the horse's third dominant win from only seven starts.
He scored by 4-3/4 lengths on debut over 1100m on a heavy track at Bendigo in June of last year and followed that up a month later with a 5 length winning margin over 1200m on a soft track at Sandown.
He then finished second at his third start, over 1200m at Flemington, before being put aside for a spell.
Gold Mag is trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig and is owned by Grieve in partnership with his close friend Barry Thomas, who lives in Christchurch.
The pair raced the horse's dam Chapinta, who was the winner of six races including an open class event over 2200m at Ellerslie.
Talented Hastings-trained sprinter Scandalo is likely to be out of action for at least three weeks after he was injured in a freak accident at last Saturday's Manawatu meeting at Awapuni.
The 6-year-old Shocking gelding, winner of seven races from 29 starts, suffered a severe gash to his nearside foreleg when he crashed into the side of the birdcage gate as he was going out on to the course proper to do his preliminary for the Listed Flying Handicap.
Trainer Patrick Campbell, who also owns the horse, said he bounded forward as he was released off the lead and caught the top of his leg on a bolt that was sticking out of the gate post.
Scandalo continued to the start of the 1400m event but was bleeding profusely when he got there and, after a veterinary inspection, he was declared a late scratching.
Campbell said the injury didn't require stitches but Scandalo was treated with antibiotics and he still had a gaping wound and a swollen leg four days after the incident.
Scandalo's injury was the second devastating blow for Campbell last Saturday as a promising Reliable Man youngster he had in his stable broke its shoulder when working on the Hastings track that morning and had to be euthanised.
Campbell also lost the services of the well performed mare Lady Guinness a couple of months ago with the horse being retired after suffering what is thought to be a spider bite.
The mare's leg became badly infected and Campbell said it has still not completely healed.
Lady Guinness, a 5-year-old by Falkirk, was raced on lease from Windsor Park Stud and was the winner of five races from 23 starts.
This year's Listed $75,000 Royston Hospital Hawke's Bay Cup, which will be run at Hastings on April 13, looks likely to attract one of the best fields seen in many years.
Last Saturday's Awapuni Gold Cup winner Jacksstar and last Thursday's Waipukurau Cup winner Toms are the latest two horses to be confirmed for the prestigious 2200m event and are likely to be joined by the likes of Igraine, Felaar, Mental Telepathy, Saint Emilion, Hunta Pence and Real Beach.