Zed Leppelin (wearing blue blinkers) gets up for a half-head win in the Rating 65 race.
Hastings-trained Zed Leppelin may be seven years of age but he is a horse who looks to only now be reaching his full potential.
The Zed gelding recorded his third and most impressive success when winning a Rating 65 race over 2000m on his home track on Thursday last week.
Carrying topweight of 59kg, Zed Leppelin looked to be under pressure when rider Johnathan Parkes was urging him along inside the last 600m and the horse was then momentarily blocked for a run on the point of the home turn. But once he got clear he showed good acceleration to drive between horses and score a half head win.
It was Zed Leppelin's second win on end, after a three-quarter length victory in another Rating 65 race over 2100m at Hastings on November 6. It was also his third success from 19 starts.
Johnathan Parkes has been aboard Zed Leppelin in his past two starts and agreed that the horse's form had previously been inconsistent but he now looks to be racing much better and could go on to bigger things.
Zed Leppelin is trained on the Hastings track by the husband-and-wife team of Mick Brown and Sue Thompson and they agree that Zed Leppelin has had his share of issues but could now be on the right track.
Brown said this week it has taken a long time to work the horse out and they also had problems with him hitting his legs and taking small nicks out of them when working on the plough training track at the Hastings course.
"We now turn him out for a 10=day break after each race just to keep him fresh and seems to suit him. And I always keep a hold of him when galloping on the plough so that he doesn't hit himself," Brown said.
"I think when he was hitting himself it was causing him to lose confidence."
Brown and Thompson are now looking at starting Zed Leppelin in a Rating 75 race over a middle distance but there is a shortage of those races in the Central Districts in the coming weeks.
"There is a Rating 75 race over 2300m at Awapuni on January 7 but that is about all there is for him coming up," Brown said.
Zed Leppelin was bred by Hawke's Bay couple Peter and Sharon Robertson and is raced by them in partnership with Hong Kong-based Marcus Glucina.
Verna Audrey adds another
Hastings-owned Verna Audrey notched her third win in the South Island when successful in a Rating 75 race at Wingatui on Wednesday of last week.
The Shocking 4-year-old mare, aided by a great ride from Gosen Jogoo, scored a length win over 1600m in a performance that suggested she could go on to better things in the future.
Jogoo settled Verna Audrey midfield against the inside rail in the early stages and was able to improve her position to be just behind the leaders approaching the home turn. Staying to the inside he was able to secure a rails run inside the leaders and the mare dashed clear over the final stages for a decisive win.
Verna Audrey was bred by Hastings man Ian Holloway, who races her in partnership with his Rotorua-based brother Graeme along with Chris Cowan (Hastings) and Rowland Bartlett (Paraparaumu).
The horse started out in the Hastings stable of John Bary but is now prepared at Washdyke by Michael Daly, who has prepared her for all three of her wins. The first was in a 1200m maiden at Timaru in March and the second was in a Rating 65 race over 1400m at Motukarara in October.
Holloway has three other horses in work with Michael Daly, including a 3-year-old half-sister to Verna Audrey by Any Suggestions. She is called Rosie Jane, who has been unplaced from one start.
He also has an unraced Nadeem 2-year-old colt, who is a half-brother to Verna Audrey.
Waddell back in action
Jason Waddell was back in action after a lengthy suspension when he rode at the Te Aroha trials on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old jockey is coming off a 12-month ban handed down a year ago after he was found guilty of acting detrimentally to the interests of racing and of improper riding.
That arose from an incident at an Avondale trial meeting in September, 2015, when Waddell's actions originally brought a charge of foul riding after his mount severely interfered with a horse ridden by Samantha Collett.
"Jason had a meeting recently with chief stipe John Oatham and the Racing Integrity Unit's Andy Cruickshank to prove he's fit to ride and they have granted him a licence to ride trackwork and at trials," Waddell's agent Darryl Anderson said.
"His hope is to be back race riding on December 28 or thereabouts. It won't be before then.
"Jason is coming back with a very positive attitude. Over the last 12 months I have seen a definite change in him and it's all for the better."
Marsh has Sydney plans
Promising stayer Chocante will try to add to his impressive record in tomorrow's Group 3 $100,000 Manawatu Cup at Awapuni and trainer Stephen Marsh has a long-term Australian plan for his rising staying star.
Marsh has been far from surprised by the rapid progress of the 4-year-old, who won't be over-taxed through the summer.
"He's always looked like a top cups' horse in the making, he's very progressive with a very bright future," Marsh said.
"We'll look after him and he'll probably only have a couple more runs before we give him a break and we could well be looking at Sydney in the autumn."
A son of Shocking, Chocante, broke his maiden as a 3-year-old in April and following further successes in the spring at Matamata and Te Rapa he was an impressive last-start winner of the Group 3 Counties Cup.
He sat three wide without cover and was still able to round his effort off strongly in the run home for a clear-cut victory.
"He's done well and I wanted to give him a bit of time between runs," Marsh said.
"The Manawatu Cup will be his next start and I'm pretty relaxed about things after that. I'll wait and see how he comes through Awapuni and maybe look at the City of Auckland Cup."
Chocante will have a change of rider this weekend with Danielle Johnson replacing Craig Grylls, who pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding at Ellerslie last Sunday and was suspended for three days.
Meanwhile, stablemate No More Tears has been set for a New Year's Day Group 1 feature.
"She's back in the stable and she'll run in the Railway at Ellerslie in a fresh state," Marsh said.
No More Tears, who has two first-up victories to her credit, hasn't raced since she finished a close eighth in the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe on November 19.
Xtravagant wins trial
Dual Group 1 winner Xtravagant gave his trainers a pleasant surprise at the Te Aroha trials on Tuesday.
The Pentire 4-year-old, who is being set for a first-up tilt at the Group 1 J. R. & N. Berkett Telegraph at Trentham on January 21, won his 1000m heat in the hands of Matthew Cameron.
"We didn't think he'd be winning it because we haven't done a lot with him," said Stephen Autridge, who prepares Xtravagant with Jamie Richards.
"We're really happy. He's only half-fit and it was a right-handed trial. He'll have another trial left-handed and then go to Wellington.
"He was here for education. We've just got to put Australia behind us and forget about it because he's shown us he's coming along as well as ever now."
Premature end to career
The promising career of Emily Monk has been cut short.
"She's been retired. She's always had a few issues and it's a shame because she had tremendous potential," said Paul Richards, who trained the O'Reilly mare with Peter and Dawn Williams.
Raced by her co-breeder Richard Rutherford of Beltana Stud, Emily Monk won seven of her 14 starts and she ran fourth in the Group 1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes at Te Aroha.
Derby-winning jockey dies
Former champion English jockey Walter Swinburn has died at the age of 55.
He was most famous for winning the Group 1 English Derby aboard the brilliant Shergar and he also won the classic with Shahrastani and Lammtarra.
Swinburn, who rode his first winner in 1978, retired at the age of 38 in 2000 and he subsequently took up training in 2004.
He prepared the winners of more than 250 races, including four Group Three events before handing in his licence in 2011.
First for Frankel
Frankel won 10 Group 1 events during his sensational racing career and last Sunday he produced his first Group 1 winner.
Japanese filly Soul Striking remained undefeated in her third start to claim the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (1600m).
Soul Striking is the first foal out of the six-time Group One winning Monsun mare Stacelita.
Curraghmore Stud will offer a grey colt bred on this same cross at the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale in January.
Bred by Raffles Dancers, Lot 181 is out of the multiple Group winning Monsun mare Give Me Five.