Racing: Paul Nelson nails Ellerslie first with Amanood Lad

Amanood Lad and jockey Aaron Kuru fly the water jump on their way to winning last Saturday's $50,000 Pakuranga Hunt Cup Steeplechase at Ellerslie.

Hastings trainer Paul Nelson has won most of New Zealand's major jumping races but achieved something new when he produced Amanood Lad to win last Saturday's $50,000 The Tractor Centre Pakuranga Hunt Cup at Ellerslie.

Nelson's list of feature hurdle wins on the Ellerslie track include three Great Northerns, once with Chibuli and twice with Just Not Cricket, but it was the first time he had taken out a prestige steeplechase over the famous Ellerslie hill.

"We've never been successful in a big steeplechase there before but we haven't had a lot of runners in the big ones either," Nelson said this week.

"I don't think we had a runner in the Great Northern Steeplechase when it used to be run back in June."

The closest a Paul Nelson-trained runner had come to winning a major steeplechase at Ellerslie in recent years was when Ho Down finished second in the 2012 McGregor Grant Steeples while The Swagger finished fourth in the same race in 2008.

Amanood Lad was the fifth horse Nelson has lined up in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup in the last 10 years.

No Yarn finished eighth in 2006, Solid Steal was also eighth in 2012, while No Quota (fifth) and Bally Heights (10th) were his two representatives in 2014.

Amanood Lad might be in the twilight of his racing career but the sprightly 13-year-old showed he was still more than a match for the country's best jumpers by lumping topweight of 71kg to a strong win last Saturday.

"He's done it in style and with a lot of weight," trainer Paul Nelson said.

"He loves Ellerslie and he loves jumping, he's a pleasure to have."

A fourth start in the Great Northern Steeplechase tomorrow week now beckons for Amanood Lad, who reserves his best for the Auckland course.

He won the Great Northern Steeplechase in 2014 and has twice been placed in the gruelling 6400m event.

He has also twice won the McGregor Grant Steeplechase at Ellerslie and recorded two minor placings in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup prior to last Saturday, when trained by Ben Foote.

"I thought he may have been a bit underdone with five weeks between races and he still looked a bit fresh, I wondered if we had done enough work with him," Nelson said.

However, last month's Wellington Steeplechase winner revelled in his work and was in or near the lead throughout the 4900m.

Rider Aaron Kuru saved every inch of ground by hugging the inside line and they took control coming down the hill for the last time.

Amanood Lad was clear in front jumping the last fence and stayed on strongly to score by one-and-a-half lengths from the favourite Wise Men Say, with Tizza Secret a further one-and-three-quarter lengths back in third.

"He was probably a bit keener than in his previous races and I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing," Kuru said.

"He probably got to the front a bit early really but he's got a big heart and he tries his hardest every time, that's all you can ask for."

The Germano gelding is owned by Te Awamutu couple John and Shirley Blair and won five races for Cambridge trainer Ben Foote before being transferred to Nelson's stable in April this year.

Wearing Cancer Society silks
One jockey will be wearing Cancer Society silks in each of the nine races at tomorrow's "Daffodil Raceday" at Hastings and if that horse wins the TAB will donate $1000 to the Cancer Society.

Kawi is famous for winning the big race on Daffodil Raceday in Hawke's Bay for the past two years and his trainer, Allan Sharrock, considers the Cancer Society colours a good-luck charm.

"After Kawi's back-to-back wins, we think these silks are bringing us some decent luck. It's always a thrill to see him pass the winning post first, but it's even more rewarding to see him do it carrying the Cancer Society colours," Sharrock said.

Blinkers on Perfect Fit
The connections of Perfect Fit are hoping a gear addition will bring out the best in the mare when she contests tomorrow's Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings.

Trainers Ken and Bev Kelso have decided to put the blinkers on the mare in the wake of her unplaced run in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) a fortnight ago.

"It was Bev's suggestion, the same as it was when Xanadu beat Mufhasa in the Windsor Park Plate, so I'm happy to run with it," Ken Kelso said.

"We've been happy with her all the way through, but we feel that by adding blinkers it will just sharpen her."

Veteran HB owner-breeder dies
Ted Laxon, a successful owner, breeder and trainer of thoroughbreds in Hawke's Bay for close on 50 years, died last week aged 86.

Laxon established a successful breed in the late 1960s, with most of his horses at that time carrying the suffix Spy in their name.

In more recent years he bred and trained a small team on his own, with Wellshar (four wins) and Classic Court (two wins) being two good performers he had in the early 1980s.

Laxon briefly trained in partnership with former Feilding-based Wayne Davies and the pair were the leading Hawke's Bay trainers for the 2001-2002 racing season.

Horses they prepared that season won 10 races with Justice Court (three), Porter Myth (two), Virtell (two), Starmix (two) and Jetander (one).

They took out the winning strike-rate award for Hawke's Bay for that season, while Laxon and his wife Shirley were also the top Hawke's Bay owners that year.

Justice Court was one of the best horses Laxon owned, with a record of five wins, five seconds and four thirds from 65 starts.

The grey took 25 starts to win his first race but recorded a slick 2:01.20 when leading all the way in his last success, over 2000m on his home track in May 2002.

Justice Court credited the then Hastings apprentice Kursty Moore with her first three wins and Laxon prided himself in giving young apprentices a start, just as he had done with Trevor Whittington more than 30 years before.

"Trevor was doing a fair bit of trackwork riding for me at that time, just like Kursty is now," Laxon said at the time.

Laxon's horses were often overlooked in the betting and he rocked the punters when he produced Tridane to win at odds of 164 to one in a $25,000 Rating 80 race at Hastings in October, 2010.

He also won three races with Tradtri before selling that horse to Australia, where he still races.

Dream farewell thwarted
Champion trainer Laurie Laxon didn't enjoy a fairytale ending to his Singapore career last Sunday, but he went down fighting.

His final runner Lim's Shot was beaten into second by another New Zealand-bred son of Showcasing, the Shane Baertschiger-trained Caorunn, who was ridden by John Powell.

"He's only a small horse, but he's coming together now. I think he can take the next step-up," Baertschiger said.

"It's just a pity we beat Laurie, but that's the way it is."

Laxon has trained 1263 winners during 17 stellar years in Singapore and is now returning to New Zealand to continue his career.

Kiwi hope in Baster's hands
Jon Snow, a finalist for the Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Owned Horse of the Year for the last racing season, will be ridden by Stephen Baster when he kicks off a fresh campaign in tomorrow's A$1 million ($1.1m) Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Last season's Group 1 Australian Derby winner will be the first of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman's quartet of Melbourne spring carnival contenders to step out.

"Over 1400m in that class of field might be a bit sharp for him, but he travelled over well and galloped strongly under Baster this morning," Forsman said.

Jon Snow was accompanied to Australia by fellow Group 1 winners Bonneval and Lizzie L'Amour, who will resume in the Group 1 Dato Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday week.

The 3-year-old Weather With You is likely to run at Sandown next week to open his Australian campaign aimed at the Group 1 VRC Derby.

"At this stage he'll run in a 3-year-old 1400m maiden," Forsman said.

Industry mourns talent
The thoroughbred industry is mourning the loss of Grand National Steeplechase-winning jockey Cody Singer, who died on Tuesday.

The talented horseman successfully turned to jumps racing after weight issues and partnered Graeme Rogerson's Cape Kinaveral to claim top honours in the 2012 Riccarton feature.

Singer rode 36 winners during his career that started with Pukekohe trainer Richard Collett.

Other prestige victories included the 2010 Wellington Steeplechase aboard Brushman for Mark Oulaghan, the 2012 Waikato Hurdles on Borrack for Adrian Bull and on the Rudy Liefting-trained Just Got Home in the 2014 Wellington Hurdles.

First Aussie winner for sire
Westbury Stud resident Reliable Man, a Group 1 winner in both hemispheres, has opened his stallion account in Australia.

Expat New Zealand trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young produced his promising son Sully to win over 1400m at Wangaratta last Monday.

Nominated for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, Sully had placed at his previous two starts including a third behind boom colt Royal Symphony at Flemington in June.