Danny Champion remembered as one of Hawke’s Bay’s most talented horsemen: John Jenkins

Danny Champion leads Chester Boy away after the horse’s win at Tauherenikau in March.

John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay.

OPINION

The close-knit Hawke’s Bay racing fraternity has been in a state of shock this week after the sudden death of successful and well-liked thoroughbred trainer Danny Champion.

The 52-year-old partner of highly successful jockey Kate Hercock died unexpectedly last Monday evening at the Otane home the pair shared.

Champion was a former jumps jockey who turned his hand to training 20 years ago and produced 139 winners.

After stints at Woodville and New Plymouth when he was younger, Champion moved to the South Island where he was mainly based in the Canterbury area.

He was not only a successful horseman but also an accomplished farrier and gained notoriety as a rugby league player, representing Canterbury.

As a trainer he never went a season without producing at least one winner with one of his biggest successes being when Orovela took out the 2013 Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton.

He rated Tropical Punch as one of the best horses he trained, a Faltaat mare who only had 14 starts for a win, two seconds, three thirds and two fourths. She finished third in the Group 3 Easter Cup Stakes (1600m) and Listed Great Easter Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton.

Champion moved to join Hercock in Hawke’s Bay at the beginning of this year and took over the training of the small team they prepared.

He made an early impact from his new base when he saddled up two winners, Wish Me Well and Sid’s Mate, in the space of four days in March and also produced another four winners from a limited number of starters last season.

Champion pulled off a great training feat when he produced Makkaldee to win over 1300m at Tauherenikau two weeks ago in what was the horse’s first start for seven months.

Makkaldee is a horse better known for his deeds over longer distances and was having his first start since finishing second in a Rating 65 race over 2100m at Woodville on April 12.

But Champion had the seven-year-old ready to sprint well fresh up and the horse, ridden by Hercock, came from last on the home turn to win by a length.

That was to be his last starter in a race.

Waipukurau trial key to Exit Left’s win

Hastings trainer Mick Brown was singing the praises of Waipukurau Jockey Club president Kirsty Lawrene and her committee after the impressive win by Exit Left at Woodville last Sunday.

Brown, who trains Exit Left in partnership with his wife Sue Thompson, said the horse wouldn’t have been fit enough to win first up if it hadn’t been for a good hit out at the Waipukurau trials at the end of last month.

Lawrence and her committee staged a highly successful trial meeting on October 31 where 15 heats were run on a good racing surface.

Exit Left contested a 1200m trial that day and scored a half-length win.

“He had to have a trial before he went to the races and that trial really brought him on,” Brown said.

“It was great that we had trials back at Waipukurau and they should have more there in the future.”

Exit Left contested a 1200m maiden race last Sunday, at what was a Waipukurau Jockey Club’s meeting transferred to Woodville because the Hastings racetrack was out of commission.

Experienced jockey Jonathan Riddell was aboard the Turn Me Loose four-year-old last Sunday and made the most of the horse’s inside draw to drive him out from the barrier and take up a trailing position behind the leaders Parklight Prince and Can Johnny Be Good.

Riddell bided his time until the field approached the home turn where he angled his mount around the heels of the two horses in front to lodge a challenge out centre track.

Exit Left responded immediately to the urgings of Riddell, putting in four big bounds that took him to a clear lead inside the final 200m and he kept up a strong run to the line to win by 1-1/4 lengths from Keeping Time, with the race favourite Doctor Askar running on late to be 1-1/2 lengths back in third.

Exit Left is owned by Hastings woman Margaret Harkema, who paid only $1500 to buy the horse last year out of the Gavelhouse auction site.

He is out of Handsome Ransom mare Abeautifulred, who only won two races but finished second in the 2011 running of the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton and was also third in the Group 3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m) at Trentham.

Co-trainer Mick Brown said he was unsure where Exit Left will start next but suggested that a $65,000 Special Conditions race over 1400m at Trentham on December 7 could be a suitable target.

Family rejoice in Tukituki’s maiden win

Hobby trainer Carl Taylor was the toast of his family after he produced Tukituki to win a 2100m race at Woodville last Sunday.

Waipukurau-based Taylor races the four-year-old gelding in partnership with Leanne Dever, Renee Dever, Angela Paewai and Herbert Spencer, all members of his newly extended family and all are based in Hawke’s Bay.

“It was a real family win,” a happy Taylor said this week.

Tukituki was bred by Taylor and his late daughter and is by Complacent out of the Zed mare Zinika, who Taylor trained to win a 1600m maiden race at Otaki in 2013 at odds of 80 to one.

Tukituki was not so much of an outsider in last Sunday’s race but still returned a healthy dividend of $13.60 for a win and $3.60 for a place.

Madan Singh was aboard Tukituki and was in difficulties early in the race as Tukituki got fired up after being hampered soon after the start and wanting to over-race.

The horse ran very wide going out of the straight with a round to go and it wasn’t until the field entered the back straight that Singh was able to get him to settle second behind race favourite Elivaber.

Singh sent his mount forward coming to the home turn to challenge Elivaber for the lead and the two horses then set down for a head-to-head tussle up the Woodville straight, well clear of the other runners.

Elivaber looked to still have an advantage inside the last 200m but Tukituki gradually got on terms and stuck his neck out on the line to get a head decision, with third-placed Lady’s Secret being 4-1/2 lengths back.

Tukituki was recording his first win from seven starts, with his previous best placing being a third over 1600m at Woodville in September.

Taylor said it was his first win for a long time and gave him a great thrill, especially as Tukituki was born on his Waipukurau property and last Sunday’s race day was a Waipukurau meeting transferred to the Woodville track.

“Training horses is only a hobby for me,” Taylor said.

“I’m a builder by trade so I only have one or two horses and I can get them worked before I go off and build houses.”

Tukituki is the second foal produced by Zinika.

“Her first foal was a filly by The Bold One called Binika but she wasn’t much good,” Taylor recalled.

He said the mare then failed to get in-foal to the Mapperley Stud-based stallion Summer Passage, who was found to have fertility problems.

“She was up at Mapperley Stud and it was too late to move her to another property so we had to decide between their other two stallions, Contributer or Complacent.

“I couldn’t afford to go to Contributer and so it was Complacent.”

Taylor has now ceased breeding from Zinika but has an unraced two-year-old colt by Mongolian Falcon out of the mare coming on, which he has named Tukipo.

“Tukituki and Tukipo are named after rivers that run past the back of our Waipukurau property,” he added.

Sweet success for Captured By Love

High-priced three-year-old filly Captured By Love picked up an all-important Group 1 success for her connections when she powered away for a 1-1/4 length victory in last Saturday’s $550,000 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

The Australian-bred daughter of Written Tycoon was an A$525,000 buy by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale and is raced by the Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate, with Waipukurau’s Michael Ormsby being a small shareholder.

Captured By Love was recording her fifth win from 10 starts but trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson have had to settle for a frustrating run of minor placings with the filly since she won the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) in February.

After that win she then recorded Group 1 third placings in the Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie and Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham to complete her two-year-old season.

Beginning her three-year-old this season Captured By Love was again stakes placed, finishing second in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings before Group 2 third placings in both the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Matamata and Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Aroha.

So it was fitting that she should score in one of the most prestigious three-year-old races on the New Zealand racing calendar.

Ridden by visiting Australian jockey Josh Parr, Captured By Love settled midfield in the early running before moving closer approaching the home straight.

The field came out to the middle of the Riccarton track rounding the home turn, searching for the better footing on the Soft7 surface, but Parr opted to angle Captured By Love back closer the rail, quickly looming up on the inside of the favourite and pacemaker Alabama Lass inside the final 300m.

Alabama Lass lifted again, in a brave front-running performance, but Captured By Love surged past her in the last 100m and went clear to win by 1-1/4 lengths.