Promising hurdler Vamoose dies

TALENTED Hastings hurdler Vamoose has died suddenly on the Hawke's Bay farm of his part-owner Hilton Meech.

The seven-year-old His Royal Highness gelding was the winner of four races from 23 starts and also recorded four seconds and three fourths and amassed stake earnings of $34,350.

Vamoose only won one race on the flat, a maiden highweight over 1950 metres at Rotorua, but it was as a jumper that he showed tremendous potential. He won three hurdle races in a row during the winter of this year, starting with a 2800-metre maiden at Rotorua before progressing to victories in a restricted open over 2900 metres at Awapuni and a 3000-metre restricted open at Wanganui.

The Paul Nelson-trained gelding then finished second in the $30,000 Sydenham Hurdles (3200m) at Riccarton and his last start resulted in another second, behind Harvest The Gold, in the $20,000 Stella Artois Hurdles (3350m) at Ellerslie on October 16.

He was raced by Meech in partnership with his Gisborne-based daughter Anna Follett as well as the South Island-born brother and sister, Brock and Catherine Peddie. Brock Peddie lives in Ashburton while his sister is now residing in Ireland.

Vamoose was one of four horses running in a paddock on Meech's property and all four would regularly be waiting at the gate in the morning for their breakfast. But when Meech went out to feed them last Sunday week one was missing.

"I straight away expected the worst and when I went for a walk I found him dead. He'd slipped down a slight hill but he hadn't dug up the dirt or anything so it must have just been a heart attack."

Meech said Vamoose had been a slow maturing type and was just starting to come to it as a racehorse.

"He'd been like a bit of a kid but I was told it takes three years to make a jumper and we were hoping that next year he would improve further. But unfortunately it wasn't to be," a disappointed Meech said.

Pellegrini has family rejoicing Patience was rewarded when the Hawke's Bay-owned Pellegrini broke through for a deserved maiden win at Sunday's Cambridge meeting at Te Rapa.

The three-year-old Mr Nancho gelding, trained at Cambridge by Murray Baker, capped off three seconds and a fifth from four previous starts with an emphatic 2-length victory over 1400 metres.

Pellegrini is owned by Taradale's Alan Jackson and raced by him in partnership with his father Vic, son David and brother Terry.

"It's a real family job. I bought the horse as a weanling and my Dad does my gardens so I gave him a 10 per cent share.

"Then my son wanted a share so he has taken up 7.5 per cent and my brother Terry, who lives in Wellington, also has a 5 per cent share," Jackson said.

Alan Jackson bought the horse's dam, Cashcade, two years ago, with Pellegrini as a weanling at foot. The mare has now had four horses to the races and all four have won.

Ekstreme was the first foal out of the mare and included the 2009 Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham among her seven wins.

The second foal, De'Colletage, won a maiden race at Rotorua in May, while the third foal, Maradona, has only won one race but was placed third in the Group 2 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m) as a three-year-old.

Cashcade has since produced a yearling Pentire filly which Jackson has entered for the premier session at next January's Karaka yearling sales.

She recently foaled a colt by successful Australian sire Doomsday.

"I've got the mare based in Melbourne and she's just produced a good looking colt by Doomsday and is going back to that stallion again," Jackson added.

Pellegrini tried to lead all the way in his first three starts but has learnt to settle a lot better in his last two runs.

On Sunday he took a while to get clear running in the home straight but, once he did, he powered home for a convincing win.

"It's been a long time coming but I think the penny has just dropped with this horse and he should go on with it," Jackson said.

"Murray said he has come through the race well and he will now nominate him for a $20,000 three-year-old race over 1400 metres at Trentham on December 3."

Lady Kipling may

tackle Group 1 The Group 1 $200,000 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on December 3 could be on the agenda for Hawke's Bay-owned Lady Kipling following her easy win in a $40,000 open 1600-metre race at Saturday's Counties meeting.

The Savabeel mare chalked up her fifth win and her third from five starts this season when she raced away to a 4-length victory in the Pukekohe event.

Trained at Cambridge by Murray Baker, Lady Kipling is owned by Havelock North's Laurence Redshaw in partnership with Gisborne farmer Geoff Candy.

She was a $62,500 purchase as a yearling, from the Karaka sales, and has now won just over $100,000 in stakemoney.

Lady Kipling showed her potential as a three-year-old this time last year when finishing third behind We Can Say It Now and Blinding in the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) at Otaki and scored a winning double over 1400 metres at this year's Hawke's Bay spring carnival.

Starpin sharp

again in Te Aroha Hawke's Bay-owned mare Starpin made a return to the winner's circle with a decisive 2-length victory in a $7000 Rating 75 1200-metre race at last Thursday's Te Aroha meeting.

It was her third win from 11 starts and her first since taking out another 1200-metre event on the same track back in April of this year.

Starpin is trained at Cambridge by Paul Duncan and owned by her Hawke's Bay breeders, John Best and Bruce Lumsden.

All three of Starpin's wins have been over 1200 metres, the first of them on the Hastings track in May of last year.