Hastings owned and trained Tavijazz and jockey Samantha Collett manage to stave off the challengers to score a half-head win in a 1200m maiden race at Woodville last week.
The win by Tavijazz at last week's Woodville meeting was likened to a triumph over adversity by the horse's Hastings co-owner Chris Russell.
The six-year-old mare was not only recording her first win when getting up to snatch a half-head victory in a maiden 1200m event but she also credited Hastings-based Corrina McDougal with her first training success for more than three years.
McDougal has, unfortunately, had to battle debilitating health issues in recent years. She has undergone one kidney transplant and is still undergoing regular dialysis treatment.
However it has not stopped her from fulfilling her life-long ambition to be involved with thoroughbreds, whether she be training them or just riding work.
"Corrina has been amazing with what she has been able to do considering her health issues," Russell said.
"My brother Ken and I bred and race Tavijazz and we are both over the moon that Corrina has been able to get a win with the horse.
"She has done all the work on this horse and to do what she has done, given her health problems, is a real inspiration to others."
McDougal's last winner was when Rule The Court took out a 1600m maiden race at Hastings in August 2014. She has not had many horses in work since then and Tavijazz is the only horse she has racing at the moment.
McDougal has trained 17 winners since taking out her licence 10 years ago and had her best season in 2010-11 when she picked up five wins from only 22 starters.
She broke new ground with the win by Tavijazz as it was her the first time she had trained a horse to win at a distance less than 1600m.
And she only made it on course 15 minutes before the horse was due to be saddle up after first riding work for Hastings trainer Paul Nelson at his Air Hill Stud property on State Highway 50 beforehand.
Tavijazz was having only her seventh race when successful at Woodville and it was her first start since she was unplaced over 1400m at Hastings more than six months ago.
The country's leading jockey Samantha Collett picked up the ride on the mare after original rider Chris Johnson had to fulfil engagements at the Otago meeting on the same day.
Tavijazz drew the extreme outside barrier but Collett managed to position her well, in fourth place, and bided her time until making a move just before the home turn.
They ranged up to vie for the lead at the top of the home straight and Tavijazz kicked on strongly in the run to the line to win by half a head from Sligo, with third placed Drum Rise only a long head back.
Tavijazz is by the highly successful sire Tavistock out of the Hey Baba Riba mare Whistling Jazz, who won one race from 14 starts, and is a half-sister to the three race winner Between The Beats.
Million dollar baby
Not many racehorse owners can say that they have won a $1million race but Waipukurau's Michael Ormsby did just that when Avantage took out the Karaka Million 2-year-old Classic at Ellerslie last Saturday.
Ormsby and his wife Helen have been involved in racehorse ownership for many years and have the distinction of sharing in the ownership of eight winners of either the Grand National Steeplechase or Grand National Hurdles.
Michael Ormsby brought up his fifth National success when Upper Cut recorded back-to-back wins in the Grand National Steeplechase at Riccarton in August last year.
He also shared in the ownership of Counter Punch, who also recorded back-to-back Grand National Steeplechase wins in 2010 and 2011 as well as a triumph in the 2007 Grand National Hurdles.
Helen Ormsby is a member of the I See Red Syndicate, which races a number of horses from the Hastings stable of Paul Nelson.
One of them was Just A Swagger, who won back-to-back Grand National Hurdles in 2004-2005 and the Grand National Steeples in 2008.
Avantage is owned by the Te Akau Avantage Syndicate, a large group of people that have been brought together by Te Akau principal David Ellis after he purchased the filly for $210,000 at last year's Karaka yearling sales.
Michael Ormsby says he has been involved with Te Akau syndicates for the past two years and has enjoyed six wins in the past few months.
Avantage is now unbeaten in four starts while Irish Cream is another promising filly who has had one start for a win while Gris Dame is also the winner of one race and finished third in the Group 2 $100,000 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
"I can't speak too highly of the Te Akau syndicates," Michael Ormsby said.
"It's a tremendous outfit to deal with. No one knows who all the members are in each syndicate but we get emails just about every day keeping you informed on where the horses are at and where they are racing.
"I love racing and this is a great way to keep involved."
Has the family ability
An impressive debut win by Valalie in the two-year-old race at Pukekohe last Friday was a timely result for her Hawke's Bay owners.
The Snitzel filly is owned by Kayano Limited, a company set up by Havelock North's Murray Andersen. He and his wife Jo are shareholders in the company along with their daughter Tracy and her husband Gavin Chaplow.
Valalie is out of the Volksraad mare Vaayala who was the winner of only one race, at Hastings back in January 2012, but is a half-sister to the champion galloper and now successful sire Dundeel.
Kayano Limited has a yearling full-brother to Valalie entered for the coming Sydney Easter sales and the mare now has a filly foal at foot by Redoute's Choice.
"We have a plan to keep the fillies and sell the colts so Valalie's win last week could not have come at a better time with her full-brother going to the Sydney sales," Murray Andersen said this week.
Valalie is prepared by the Cambridge partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.
She had only had one official barrier trial before making her race debut, that resulting in a fourth out of nine starters in an 800m heat at Cambridge on January 9.
But she turned in a very professional performance over 1200m at Pukekohe, trailing the leaders until the home turn before racing clear in the final stages to win by 1-1/2 lengths.
"Murray said she is a very good filly in the making and her next start will now be in the Group 3 Matamata Breeders Stakes on February 24."
Back in winning form
It has been a long time between celebration drinks for the connections of Perfect Shock but the Hastings-trained five-year-old showed his true ability with a strong win in a Rating 65 race over 1400m at Woodville last week.
It was the horse's second success and his first since he took out a 1300m maiden race at Tauherenikau in January last year but he had been three times placed in the interim.
Perfect Shock is prepared by Hastings trainer John Bary, who purchased him for $60,000 at the 2014 Read To Run Two-year-old sale at Karaka.
His dam is the Pompeii Court mare Etna Court, who won seven races including the Listed North Canterbury Stakes.
Perfect Shock is now raced by the Court Racing Syndicate, with the members being John O'Sullivan, Ian and Maggie McGarvie, Colleen and Helen Francis, Richard Koorey, Ivan Grieve, Paul and Marilyn Yortt, Andrew Bayly, Brett Wilkinson and Campbell Bary.
All but two of the members live in Hawke's Bay with Bary's father Campbell in Marton and Brett Wilkinson in Auckland.
Perfect Shock was ridden to victory last week by Dylan Turner, who bounced the horse out quickly to be a clear leader in the first 30 metres taking a hold to settle him just off the pace.
They were wide rounding the home turn but Perfect Shock quickly dashed to the front and held on to score by a long neck from Tipping Point.
Hunta Pence's dip proved costly
Fears that Hastings galloper Hunta Pence may have broken down in the final 100 metres of his race at Trentham last Saturday have been allayed with the horse having pulled up without any issues.
Hunta Pence was fighting out the finish of the $30,000 Rating 85 2400m race at the Wellington meeting when he suddenly dipped badly and lost all momentum, drifting back to fourth place at the finish.
Hastings trainer Patrick Campbell and jockey Mark Hills were both left mystified as to why the horse suddenly faltered but a relieved Campbell said this week the horse seems to be perfectly sound.
"I thought he'd broken down for sure the way he dipped right down but he seems to be normal," Campbell said.
Campbell is now contemplating aiming the horse at the $30,000 Wairoa Cup (2100m) on February 25.
'Hawke's Bay and Havelock North in particular is home for me.'