Hastings-trained Worldclass (number 7) stretches her neck out to get the decision over Keep Up and Asama Blue at Taupo last Friday. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Top Hawke's Bay jumper Kipkeino is likely to have another crack at next month's Great Northern Hurdles following his dominant win in the $20,000 Restricted Open hurdle race at last Sunday's Wanganui meeting.
The Sunray gelding contested last year's 4190m Ellerslie feature but was pulled up with 600 metres to run, when well beaten. His Waipukurau trainer and part-owner Lucy de Lautour said this week the horse was probably not 100 per cent last year and it was also a big ask to line up in such a gruelling race after winning a maiden hurdle the start before.
Kipkeino is now a bit stronger and a more accomplished jumper, as he showed when scoring a seven-length win over 3000 metres at Wanganui. Rider Shaun Phelan settled the 10-year-old at the back of the field in the early stages and conserved plenty of energy before making a sweeping run to challenge the leaders on the point of the home turn.
Relishing the heavy-10 track conditions, Kipkeino took over as he liked and cleared the two home straight fences in efficient fashion before dashing away to record a big victory over Thatz David and Hastings-trained Ooee.
It was Kipkeino's third hurdle win from nine starts over fences and a followed similar dominant performance in the Hawke's Bay Hurdles (3100m) at Hastings on July 1.
De Lautour said the wet and loose track conditions suited Kipkeino at Wanganui and she is hoping for similar footing at Ellerslie on September 9.
She said the horse had come through the win in good order and wouldn't race again before the Great Northern.
Hastings next for Worldclass
Worldclass is now likely to contest the $25,000 Rating 75 1300m race on the first day of the Hawke's Bay spring carnival, after she stunned punters with an impressive return to racing at last Friday's Taupo meeting.
The Iffraaj mare, trained by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, was having her first start since winning over 1400m at Hastings in May and took out a Rating 65 race over 1300m at odds of 22 to one. She was ridden by Sam Spratt and, after jumping from an outside barrier, was never closer than three-wide for the entire race yet still finished off strongly to get up and score by a long neck.
"I'd given up on her on the home turn," co-trainer Grant Cullen said this week.
"After all the work she had to do in the race I thought she would weaken out but she kept going."
"She was three-wide going down the back and four-wide at the 600 and even flushed wider on the home turn so it was a big effort to keep going like she did."
That was win number three for Worldclass from only 11 starts and she has also recorded two minor placings.
The six-year-old is owned by her is owned by her Feilding-based breeder Mary Wilson and has her training alternated between working on the Hastings track and beach work at the Porangahau property of Mary Darby.
She indicated she was ready for a bold fresh up run when winning finishing third behind Miss Wilson and My Tommy in a 1000-metre jumpout at Hastings on August 4.
Two vie for broodmare award
It will be a close two-horse race for the title of Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay broodmare of the year for the last racing season.
The award will be one of several presented at the annual Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay racing and breeding awards function held at the Hastings racecourse next Friday, September 1.
The broodmare award is a much sought after trophy and this year the finalists are Baltika, who is owned by Graham de Gruchy, and Dancing Daze, who was owned by Don Gordon.
Baltika is the dam of Sacred Elixir, a three-year-old trained by Tony Pike who won the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude and Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase in Melbourne last spring and then finished second in the Group 1 VRC Derby.
Dancing Daze is the dam of All Roads, who recorded three wins from the Ruakaka stable of Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs including the Group 2 Japan/New Zealand Trophy Race. He was also second in the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile.
There are six finalists for the title of Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Owned Horse of the Year. They are All Roads, Authentic Paddy, Honey Rider, Jon Snow, Miss Wilson and Pacorus.
Authentic Paddy didn't win a race during the 2016-17 racing season but was consistently stakes placed including seconds in both the Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes and Group 3 Trentham Stakes and a third in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic, Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes and the Group 2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Stakes.
Honey Rider was the winner of three races including the Group 3 Hawke's Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes and was second in the Group 3 Cambridge Breeders Stakes.
Jon Snow won the Group 1 ATC Derby and Group 2 Tulloch Stakes in Sydney and was also runner up in the Group 2 Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas and third in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby, Group 1 Levin Classic and the Karaka Three-year-old Mile.
Miss Wilson was the winner of four races in a row including the Group 3 Cuddle Stakes at Trentham while Pacorus was the winner of five races during the season including the Group 3 Rotorua Cup.
Other awards to be presented at next week's function include the leading Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay trainer on wins, the leading trainer on strike-rate, the top Hawke's Bay -trained horse and Group and Listed race winners during the season.
Tickets to the awards function are now on sale at $85/head and can be purchased from the office at Hawke's Bay Racing or by contacting Gayle Richardson on 873-4545.
Daffodil Raceday at Hastings
After raising more than $70,000 in the last three years, Hawke's Bay Racing will again be teaming up with the Cancer Society with "Daffodil Raceday" being the first day of the Bostock Hawke's Bay spring carnival, tomorrow week.
General admission to that day's race meeting will be by donation, with all proceeds going to the Hawke's Bay Cancer Society.
The day's feature race will be the $200,000 Tarzino Trophy, New Zealand's first Group 1 event of the new season, which will see the cream of the country's gallopers do battle over 1400m at weight-for-age.
Each individual runner in the Tarzino Trophy will wear a different coloured saddlecloth bearing the horse's name.
These saddlecloths will be signed by both the horse's trainer and jockey and will then be auctioned on Gavelhouse, with all proceeds also going to support a great charity that has touched the lives of so many Hawke's Bay families.
The September 2 race day will also feature the running of the Listed $50,000 El Roca Trophy, a 1200m event for three-year-olds which will serve as a lead up to the Group 2 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m) on October 7. There will also be a $40,000 open class race over 1600m and a $30,000 1200m race for Rating 85 horses.
It promises to be a family race day with children's entertainment, live music and food stalls offering Hawke's Bay's finest outdoor catering.
Pike targeting HB Guineas
Cambridge trainer Tony Pike could have as many as four contenders for the Group 2 $100,000 Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas on October 7, headed by last Saturday's impressive Te Rapa winner Felton Road.
The lightly-tried Pins colt resumed in Saturday's Three-year-old 1100m race at Te Rapa where he overcame a testing track and traffic problems in the home straight to post his third win from five starts.
Felton Road sat at the back of the small field and was momentarily hemmed up down against the inside rail as the field swung into the home straight. But once a gap presented itself in the closing 100 metres he was through in a flash and went on to beat Ohceedee by a long neck.
"I thought it was going to get a bit ugly, there wasn't much room there for a while," Pike said.
"It was good to see him come back so well. He relaxed nicely and it was good to see him sprint so well on such a wet track."
Felton Road, whose major spring target is the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November, will make his next appearance in the Listed Tavistock Northland Breeders' Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka on September 16 and then take in the Hawke's Bay Guineas.
Pike could also line up Sacred Rebel, Bostonian and Aim Smart in the Hawke's Bay three-year-old feature on October 7.
Sacred Rebel, a gelding by Sepoy, has had one start for a win while Bostonian is a gelding by Jimmy Choux and is unbeaten in two starts, one of those wins being on the Hastings track in April.
Both of these horses are likely to contest the Listed $50,000 El Roca Trophy (1200m) at Hastings tomorrow week. Aim Smart, a gelding by the Australian sire Smart Missile, has had two starts for a win and a sixth and is also a likely starter in the Northland Breeders' Stakes on September 16.
Hastings return
Progressive mare Jessiegee will be back in action on the first day of the Hawke's Bay spring carnival, tomorrow week.
The unbeaten daughter of Alamosa and the Group-winning mare St Jessie furthered her preparation when she galloped between races with stablemate Ringo at Tauherenikau last Saturday.
''I'm happy with both horses and they will line up on the first day at Hastings," trainer Mike Breslin said.
Jessiegee was a debut winner at Tauherenikau and was again successful at Trentham in April before a break.
Sea King unharmed
Top New Zealand jumper Sea King, bred and part-owned by Hawke's Bay woman Sue Harty, escaped unscathed after a tumble at Ballarat on Sunday.
The son of Shinko King came to grief when looking likely in the Grand National Steeplechase and was subsequently vetted and cleared of any injuries after his fall.
The race was won for a third time by Wells at the expense of the Mark Brooks and Missy Browne-trained Over the Yardarm.