Racing: It's Close Up and personal in Tarzino Trophy triumph

Jockey Grant Cooksley and Close Up enter the birdcage after winning the Tarzino Trophy on Daffodil Raceday in Hastings today. Photo/Warren Buckland

He was the last one to be confirmed for the race but Close Up was the first one across the line in Hastings today.

Veteran jockey Grant Cooksley rode the 8-year-old bay gelding to victory by half a neck to claim the Tarzino Trophy on Daffodil Raceday in the first leg of the Bostock New Zealand Spring Racing Carnival trilogy this afternoon.

A teary-eyed trainer and co-breeder, Shelley Hale, dedicated the $200,000 group one victory over 1400m to the late Noel Johnstone, a fellow co-breeder and owner.

The ownership now comprises Cambridge horsewoman Hale, the Noel and Alison Johnstone Family Trust and Robin Stent.

Close up came off the ballot to steal the thunder from hot favourites Volpe Veloce and Johnathan Parkes as well as the Allan Sharrock-trained Kawi (Jason Waddell) after a horse was scratched late this morning.

But the day also belonged to victorious jockey Cooksley and the word is his last group one victory was almost a decade ago here.

"I've had so many wins I can't tell yer," said the grinning 57-year-old Aucklander known in the racing circles as "Iceman" and notorious for flying under the radar.

Cooksley has an enviable career, having carved a niche for the best part in Australia for an overall 8335 starts and 937 victories.

He has had 99 starts at the Hastings course, 11 wins and 21 placings.

"No surprise, no pressure," Cookley said when asked if he had to work on a quick and smart strategy when told of Close Up's umpteenth-hour inclusion in the field of 16 that had four scratchings on a slow 9 track.

He labelled Close Up a "nice horse".

Cooksley has had 38 starts with Hale with 11 wins and eight placings but the for trainer it was her 24th start with four wins and five placings in Hastings.

No doubt it was her most memorable here as Close Up, coming here as runner-up from the group 2 $100,000 Lisa Chittock Foxbridge Plate in Te Rapa (Waikato) on August 19, clinched a maiden group-one career victory for her trainer.

However, Hale has savoured a purple patch with the progeny of the Exploding Prospect mare, Regelle, who has yielded seven winners from eight foals before her death three months ago.

Close Up's brother, Thumbs Up, excelled in Hong Kong, while fellow siblings Seventh Up prevailed in the group 2 Easter Stakes and Sum Up was also a Group winner. Shinko King sired the horses.

Close Up is nominated to return to Hastings for the second leg, the group one Windsor Park Plate over 1600m on Saturday, September 23.

For the gelding who has ended the fairy-tale run of Kawi, missing out on a third consecutive Daffodil Day victory, it'll be another challenge on most likely a firmer underfoot and Sharrock's "hombre" still in the mix.

Close Up has only had one go over a mile (1600m) and that was on a heavy New Plymouth track but Hale said her latest champion also was equally adept on firmer tracks.

Today's grassy track looked clumpy by the time the feature race seven of eight came around owing to some persistent rain overnight.

Mark du Plessis rode Aide Memoire into second place while Underthemoonlight, with Cameron Lammas in the saddle, made a late surge into third place a length behind the winners.

Volpe Veloce finished sixth behind Gingernuts (Opie Bosson).

Kawi had a sluggish start out of the gate to finish fourth, 1.5 lengths adrift of Close Up and will have Sharrock wondering whether the syndicate's decision to switch from Leith Innes to Waddell was the right gamble before the Windsor Park Plate.