Hastings-born jockey Shaun Fannin brings Sea King back to the winner's stall following the horse's last New Zealand victory, in the Awapuni Hurdles at Trentham in July last year.
Sea King, part-owned by his Central Hawke's Bay breeder Sue Harty, ended his racing career in a blaze of glory when taking out last Sunday's $A350,000 Australian Grand National Steeplechase.
The 12-year-old gelding brought down the curtain on one of the most outstanding careers by a jumper New Zealand and Australia has seen. He had 77 starts for 20 wins, 12 seconds and 12 thirds and accumulated stake earnings of just over $1million. Eleven of his victories were over hurdles and six in steeplechases.
The Shinko King gelding lumped 70.5kg in Sunday's 4500m feature and only got home by a head, getting up in the last stride to deny New Zealand jockey Aaron Kuru victory aboard Spying On You. New Zealand-trained Monarch Chimes, ridden by fellow Kiwi jockey Shaun Phelan, was 3-1/2 lengths back in third.
Enthusiastic Australian commentator Ric McIntosh described Sea King's victory as "the best Grand National you'd ever see".
Harty, who raced Sea King in partnership with former New Zealand trainer Rachael Frost (now based in Australia) and Auckland's Chris O'Reilly, said this week that will be the horse's last race.
"He's had a few back problems and had to be patched up a bit to get him to Australia this year," Harty said. "We would hate to see him break down in a race so we have decided that will be his last."
"It was just great that he went out on a winning note, especially winning the Australian Grand National."
Sea King started out in the stable of Rachael Frost, when she was based in Otaki, but proved more than a handful for the then young trainer and was sent to Whanganui's Kevin Myers for a possible jumping career.
Myers, a magician at educating horses to jump, trained Sea King for all of his New Zealand jumping starts and sent the horse across to Australia several times to be prepared by close friend and former top jockey Patrick Payne.
Payne, who was born in Hawera but moved to Australia when he was 5, paid a special tribute to Myers following last Sunday's heart-stopping win.
"Much as I'd like to stick my chest out, all the credit goes to Kevin Myers and his team back in New Zealand. The horse came over here really fit and well and all I had to do was keep him breathing," Payne said.
Sea King was ridden to his latest victory by top Australian jumps jockey Steven Pateman, who described the gelding as an "amazingly special horse". He said he was always travelling like a winner, even though the winning margin was small.
Sea King's other major wins have been an Australian Grand National Hurdles and two Moss Trooper Steeplechases across the Tasman with the Waikato Steeplechase (twice), K S Browne Hurdle, Hawke's Bay Hurdles, Waikato Hurdles, Awapuni Hurdles and Sydenham Hurdles in Christchurch being his best New Zealand victories.
Harty said Sea King will return to the Kevin Myers stable at Wanganui before coming back to her property, where she has a good paddock waiting for him to be spelled on.
"After that we will try and find someone to ride him as a hack but it will have to be a strong rider as he's never been an easy horse to do anything with," she added.
Last weekend was a big one for Harty. She not only bred Sea King but is also the breeder of Hartley, who scored an impressive fresh up win in a Rating 65 race over 1200m at Saturday's Waverley meeting.
The big Azamour four-year-old was sold by Harty for $23,000 as a weanling, at a 2015 mixed bloodstock sale. He is now trained at Woodville by Neil Connors and followed up a trial win over 1000m at Foxton on August 1 with a dominant four-length victory at Waverley.
Hartley is out of the Towkay mare Madam Butterfly, who won five races for Harty but unfortunately died earlier this year after producing a foal by Sweynesse.
HB owner back among the winners
Colours carried to victory in past years by such outstanding gallopers as Shamrock, Festal, Kailey and Shannon were back in the winner's stall after a long break when Mr Axle took out a 1200m maiden race at last Sunday's Wanganui meeting.
The four-year-old Zed gelding is owned by Hawke's Bay's Rob Mulcaster, who was a prominent thoroughbred owner-breeder during the 1980s and is now back racing horses on both sides of the Tasman.
Shamrock rates as probably the best horse Mulcaster has raced. The War Hawk II gelding was trained by then Woodville-based Bruce Marsh and won nine races including the 1980 Group 1 Avondale Cup, the 1982 Group 2 Hawke's Bay Cup and both the Prime Ministers Cup and P.J. O'Shea Stakes in Brisbane.
Festal was an outstanding sprinter also trained by Marsh and went on to be a successful sire. His nine wins included a dead-heat with Mr Tiz in the 1989 Group 1 Telegraph Handicap at Trentham.
Shannon, a half-brother to Shamrock by Three Legs, was one of the top two-year-olds of his year when his victories included the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham and Group 2 QTC Sires' Produce Stakes in Queensland. He also went on to be a successful sire.
Mulcaster raced Kailey, a daughter of Festal, in partnership with fellow Hawke's Bay owner-breeder Gerard Moughan and she won them six races from the Matamata stable of Graham Richardson including the 1997 Group 1 Railway Handicap.
Mulcaster races Mr Axle on his own and bred him from Scilla, a daughter of Kailey by Daggers Drawn. The Daggers Drawn mare only produced two live foals and died soon after Mr Axle was born.
"The horse was an orphan and I have to thank Tania Koens, who owns a flower shop in Hastings, for keeping the horse alive," Mulcaster said.
"She reared him on her property and did a great job."
Mr Axle is trained on the Wanganui track by Wayne Marshment and was having his third start when he lined up last Sunday. His win followed two thirds, at Hawera and Hastings, with Mulcaster saying the horse spoilt his chances by doing things wrong in those races.
"He's not a bad little horse," Mulcaster said. "He's not very big but he's tough."
Lamar, a mare by Shinko King, was the only other foal produced by Scilla but she slipped over injured a hock as a young horse and never raced. Mulcaster is now breeding from her and has a yearling filly by The Bold One coming on and she is now in foal to Zed.
Mulcaster also has shares in four horses trained in Australia by Chris Waller, including Shadal who won over 1890m at Newcastle on July 7.
Great Northern Hurdles next
Waipukurau-trained Kipkeino made an auspicious steeplechasing debut at Wanganui last Saturday but is likely to be seen back in a hurdling role in his next jumping assignment.
Trainer Lucy de Lautour, who owns the 11-year-old with her husband Will, said in an interview this week that she is keen to give the horse another crack at next month's $125,000 Great Northern Hurdles, a race he finished third in last year when it was run at Ellerslie.
With the Ellerslie track currently out of action this year's Great Northern meeting will be run at Te Rapa on September 9, with the distance of the hurdles reduced slightly from 4190m to 4150m.
Kipkeino is now the winner of four races over fences, including last year's Hawke's Bay Hurdles. He could not have been more impressive when winning a maiden steeplechase over 4100m at Wanganui, aided by a near perfect ride from jockey Emily Farr.
She settled the horse in fourth in the early stages and bided her time until the last quarter of the race before making a move. They quickly up to challenge the leader Mesmerize coming to the home turn and went to the front after jumping the second to last fence.
Kipkeino measured the last fence well and raced away to win by 6-1/4 lengths, easing down.
Nelson takes his tally to four
The outstanding run of form being enjoyed by Hastings trainer Paul Nelson continued at Wanganui last Sunday when he produced Resolution to score an all the way win at odds of 31 to one.
It was Nelson's fourth win in the first three weeks of the new racing season, following Amanood Lad and Peso's wins on two days of the Grand National meeting at Riccarton and No Tip's success at Woodville on August 9.
Resolution was having his fourth start back from a spell when he lined up in a Rating 65 race over 2060m and, although his form was far from inspiring, he had won a 2000m jumpout by three lengths at Hastings on July 20.
Jockey Danielle Hirini took the grey eight-year-old straight to the front and dictated the pace from there. They were headed briefly early in the home straight but Revolution kicked again and surged clear to win by three lengths.
It was Resolution's second win from 17 starts. The Guillotine gelding is owned by Paul Nelson and his wife Carol and was bred by them out of the Gold Brose mare Kettle Hill.
HB spring carnival kicks off
The first day of the Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay spring carnival will be staged at the Hastings track tomorrow week, with the feature race being the $200,000 Tarzino Trophy, the first Group 1 event of the new season.
The 1400m weight-for-age sprint always attracts an outstanding field and this year will be no exception, with a starting limit of 16 runners.
Nine races are carded for the meeting with the first at 12.20pm and the last timed for 5pm. Admission to the course will be a $5 donation, with all proceeds going to the Hawke's Bay Cancer Society. Passes to the Members Stand can also be purchased at $30 each.
There will also be plenty of other action on course with children's entertainment at The Hits free family zone, live music, and a food precinct offering Hawke's Bay's finest outdoor catering.
HB racing awards function
This year's annual Bramwell Bate/VetsOne Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Racing & Breeding Awards will be staged at the Hastings racecourse on Friday, August 31.
The function will be on the eve of the first day of the Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay spring carnival and will commence at 6.30pm. Tickets are again $85/head, which includes a three course meal and refreshments on arrival. They can be purchased from the HB Racing office, or by contacting Gayle Richardson at gayle@hawkesbayracing.co.nz or on 873 4545.
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