RACING: HB owner's first purchase a good one

JOHN JENKINS
Hawke's Bay racehorse owner-breeder Judy Holland's first venture as a buyer at the national yearling sales has brought a quick return.
Holland purchased the Sandtrap two-year-old Sandecker for $47,500 at the Karaka sales in January of last year and the horse was an impressive winner at Hastings last Thursday, at only his third race start.
Sandecker led practically all the way in the Forbes & Co Juvenile (1200m) and never looked like being headed, cruising to the line 1 1/4 lengths clear of the opposition.
The colt's rivals were strung out behind him, with second placed Southern Belle being 1 3/4 lengths ahead of third placegetter Keep Alight, who was in turn a length in front of Rapid Return.
In the past Holland has usually bred most of the horses she has raced and has enjoyed plenty of success doing so. But she has now decided to wind down her thoroughbred breeding operation and buy ready-made horses instead.
She picked Sandecker out at the sales on type more than pedigree, although the colt does hail from a very successful Australian family.
His dam Laguna Beach was unraced and left just one winner from her first three foals to race.
But she is out of the Bletchingly mare Silver Stardom, who was a winner at two and also stakes placed.
It is also the family of John's Hope, whose five wins included the group one Golden Slipper and who went on to be a successful stallion.
Holland says Sandecker is still growing and should be even better as a three-year-old next season.
That is why she has been reluctant to sell the horse despite several lucrative offers.
"I could have sold him a few times but I don't think I will," she said.
Sandecker was one of four winners jockey David Walsh kicked home at Hastings last Thursday and he left a lasting impression on the experienced horseman.
"He's a nice little horse who can only get better," Walsh said.
"He hasn't got much of a wither yet so he needs to come up a bit there but he has a beautiful galloping action and is a really good mover."
Sandecker is trained at Riwa Park by Ann Herbert, who said the horse may have just one more race before going out for a spell.
"We are not looking at doing big things with him at two because we know he is definitely going to improve and I'd like to get him back for three-year-old races in the spring," Herbert said.
Stakes win in Aussie Hastings surgeon Noel Nicholson shared in the ownership of a group three winner in Australia on the weekend.
Nicholson has an eighth share in the three-year-old filly Purde, who took out the $A100,000 Auraria Stakes (1800m) at Cheltenham. in South Australia.
Trained and part owned by the very much in form David Hayes, Purde was bred in New Zealand by Nicholson in partnership with Russell Hyams and Ross McCarroll.
She was originally trained at Cambridge by McCarroll, winning two of her six starts and placing fourth in both the group three Desert Gold Stakes and the group two Sir Tristram Fillies Classic in New Zealand before being sold to Australia.
Nicholson and McCarroll have retained a quarter share in the horse between them.
At her first and only other start in Australia, on March 25, Purde ran second in the listed SAJC Centaurea Stakes (1800m) and she is now being aimed at the group one South Australian Oaks (2400m).
Now making waves Hawke's Bay-owned Ocean Storm scored his second win from 13 starts when he took out the $8000 Berkett Handicap (2050m) at last Saturday's Wairarapa meeting at Tauherenikau.
The four-year-old Istidaad gelding is owned by his Pourerere breeder Sue Harty and trained at Foxton by James Taylor.
He is out of the Justice Prevails mare Out On Bail, who won three races for Harty and is a half-sister to the Sydney Cup winner Honor Babe.
Ocean Storm is the first foal produced by Out On Bail and Harty sold a Towkay filly out of the mare at this year's Karaka yearling sales for $7000.
The mare now has another Towkay filly foal at foot and is back in foal to the same sire.
Win small compensation The win by Mary Lavelle in the listed $30,000 South Island Stakes at Saturday's Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting at Riccarton provided the filly's Dannevirke breeders Kevin and Julie Taylor with some small degree of compensation.
The Taylors also bred and own the highclass racemare Viennetta, who was first past the post in Saturday's group one $120,000 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha but later relegated in controversial circumstances.
The Taylors were bitterly disappointed at the judicial committee's decision to relegate Viennetta back to third after she was clearly superior to her rivals on the day. Viennetta finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Arlingtonboulevard, who was half a head in front of third placed Salsa.
The judicial committee found that Viennetta had taken Salsa's line over the final stages if the race and cost that horse finishing in a closer position.
Mary Lavelle made it two wins from two starts with an all the way win in the 1200-metre two-year-old event.
Trained by Neil Ridley of Burnham, Mary Lavelle also impressed at Ashburton on debut when winning the Gluyas Motor Group Two-year-old Classic (1200m) on the March 17. The filly is by O'Reilly out of the Sir Tristram mare Trisha's Belle and was sold by the Taylors at last year's Karaka yearling sales for $95,000. She is now raced by well known South Island racing identity Keith Neylon.
Trisha's Belle has now had six foals to race for four winners and is a full sister to the 1987 Two-year-old Filly of the Year, Tri Belle.
The Taylors sold a colt by O'Reilly out of Trisha's Belle for $30,000 at this year's Karaka yearling sales and the mare has since produced a colt by Pins.