Songspur tastes first triumph

A large crowd turned out at the Whangarei Racing Clubs ITM/GIB sponsored raceday.

A strong contingent of local horses was entered in Wednesday's meeting, and several were well placed, but only two recorded wins and both came from the training stables of Donna and Dean Logan.

Their first win on the day came in Race 3, the Fell Engineering 1400m, with bay mare Songspur, bred and owned by David and Kim Cairns.

Cairns, the official veterinarian for Whangarei Racing Club, moved to the milder Northland climate from Duntroon in North Otago more than 20 years ago.

After having worked in the game parks of South Africa and in the United Kingdom, he returned to New Zealand, and settling at Whangarei allowed him to be involved with the New Zealand racing industry again.

Breaking in, educating and training horses has been a huge part of Cairns' life and that has included shoeing, hunting and eventing and at one time he broke in, educated and trained his mount to Intermediate level in the eventing world.

He entered into his first horse breeding venture with Desert Sun daughter Vixsun, being trained at that time by the Logans. However, due to injury Vixsun was forced to retire from racing.

Vixsun has produced four live foals for the Cairns, two yet to be raced. Another, Sunspur, was sold to Hong Kong and is racing successfully there.

Songspur won her first race at Wednesday's meeting.

Both Sunspur and Songspur are by the Totara Park Stud sire Rusty Spur.

At home another mare is in foal to Buffalo Man, also from Totara Park, whose connections to racing at Ruakaka include club patron Les Donaldson, a partner in Totara Park, and who also raced Vixsun until he gifted her to the Cairns.

From there the partnership of men and horses commenced.

Songspur has taken a little time to get her first taste of success, having raced a little erratically first up and she is taking her time to settle and learn what is required.

Cairns said it would be great to go straight to Group 1, and having her first win under her belt was great too.

"At this stage its more about racing her to have some fun," he said.

In breeding there was always something to look forward to, he said.

In the end, Cairns expressed appreciation and gratitude "to Donna and Totara Park, the stud and the trainer - all credit to them".