Horse Racing: Heroic effort for Breeders' Plate

Heroic Valour takes line honours at Ruakaka Raceway. Photo/Trish Dunell

Heroic Valour denies leading local stable of their first victory in the Tavistock Northland Breeders Stakes on Saturday at Ruakaka racecourse.

The leading Northland training partnership of Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs continued to dominate the local race meeting with three impressive winners but the feature race alluded them, once again. The stable runners of Soultaker and Wyndspelle flooded home for very a close second and third.

The winner was the unbeaten Heroic Valour.

Heroic Valour is the nemesis for Wyndspelle as the Iffraaj colt finished second, by a neck in the Group 1 Sisteema Diamond Stakes and on Saturday the margin was a head by a head back to third placing.

Whangarei Racing Club General Manager Bill Colgan the race has a lot of potential going forward.

"The high quality of the runners in the race this year has the Club excited about the potential for the race to be upgraded to a Group 3 race when reviewed by the Pattern Committee next year," he said.

"The real test about the quality of the race will be the performances of the first three or four runners over the coming spring classic races."

"The Club will have a vested interest in the place-getters going on and winning more feature events over the spring."

The two Ruakaka winter stars from the Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs team, Rocknrolla and All Roads, were both impressive winners again. The decision to keep Rocknrolla racing until she has conceived has proven a profitable decision for the stable.

The thinking caps must be on for the owners of All Roads as he proved himself over the 2100 metres on Saturday at his first try at the staying distance. The transfer to the stables of the Logan/Gibbs team has proven very successful but they will need to work out their next step as there are no more suitable races for him at Ruakaka until June next year.

Saturday was the last Saturday race meeting north of Auckland until mid-June next year.

The final Ruakaka meeting of the year attracts a lot of interest because it is the Club's punter challenge and the current holders of the Lion Red trophy is the Northland Club in Whangarei.

With Dargaville only approved a single racing licence for 2016/17 the Club will be all out to make sure they have a very successful day on the Friday of the Canterbury Cup and Show week carnival.