Hastings-trained Lohnagan with Jonathan Riddell on board cross the line well clear of their rivals in a Rating 60 race over 1300m race at Ōtaki last week.
John Jenkins is a long-time racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay.
Hastings-trained Lohnagan turned around some ordinary form in no uncertain terms with a dominant all-the-way win at Ōtaki on Thursday last week.
The Lonhro 4-year-old, prepared by John Bary, was a maiden winner over 1300m on his home track in December last year, but had been unplaced in four subsequent starts before lining up at Ōtaki last week.
Although his form was hardly inspiring, he was dropping down to Rating 60 grade in the 1300m Ōtaki event, after contesting Rating 65 races when finishing fifth and 10th in his last two starts, and also had blinkers added to his gear for the first time.
He came in for some inspired support on the tote, returning a win dividend of $6.70.
Experienced jockey Jonathan Riddell bounced Lohnagan away smartly from an inside barrier draw and quickly had the horse in front.
He rated the gelding nicely in front until the home turn where he kicked his mount clear and they never looked like being caught, crossing the line 2½ lengths ahead of second-placed Get Funky.
Trainer John Bary produced two of the first three placegetters in the race, with Say I Do being 1¼ lengths further back in third.
Bary bought Lohnagan for $65,000 from the 2022 Two-year-old Ready To Run sale and he is raced by the Silver Lining Syndicate, a large group organised by Bary’s former racing manager Mike Sanders. Several Hawke’s Bay people are involved in the syndicate.
Lohnagan is out of the Darci Brahma mare Silver Eclipse who was the winner of five races, including the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton, and also finished second in two other Listed races, the Levin Stakes (120m) at Ōtaki and Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham.
Silver Eclipse is out of the Success Express mare Zino Belle, whose wins included the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.
McDonald Sportsman of the Year finalist
Champion New Zealand-born jockey James McDonald created history again by being the first person of his profession to be named a finalist for the Halberg Sportsman of the Year award.
McDonald, who was recently crowned World’s Best Jockey for a second time, has had another amazing year of big race wins including posting his 100th Group 1 victory and notching up a record-breaking third successive Hong Kong Cup win aboard Romantic Warrior.
He is one of five finalists for the New Zealand Sportsman of the Year award, the others being Olympic high jump gold medallist Hamish Kerr, Olympic kayaking cross gold medallist Finn Butcher, triathlete Hayden Wilde and footballer Chris Wood.
The winner will be announced during a prestigious black-tie event evening at Spark Arena, Auckland, on Tuesday, February 18.
McDonald closed a highly successful short-term stint in Hong Kong with a quartet of wins at Sha Tin last Sunday, crowning his stay with two Group 1 victories while amassing more than HK$72 million ($16.4m) for connections during the 11-meeting cameo.
McDonald recorded four winners, a second and a third from nine rides at Sha Tin to finish his visit with 19 wins and 21 minor placings from 89 rides for overall prizemoney earnings of HK$72,033,605m – a figure bettered this season only by Zac Purton (HK$81.9m).
McDonald, who dominated at the HK$126m Longines Hong Kong International Races with victories on Romantic Warrior in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) and Voyage Bubble in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m), scored on Super Legends, Lady’s Choice, Divano and Johannes Brahms last Sunday.
The New Zealander is scheduled to return to Hong Kong to partner Voyage Bubble in the HK$13m Group 1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on January 19 after serving a seven-meeting suspension for careless riding following an incident at Sha Tin on December 15.
“I’ve absolutely loved every minute of it except for last Sunday [December 15], it threw a bit of a downer on the whole trip, but we loved it – it’s been brilliant,” said McDonald, who sits in fourth place in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship behind Purton (51 wins), Hugh Bowman (26) and Vincent Ho (21).
“Those horses [Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble] have been the highlights, but I really enjoyed every meeting – most meetings, I got winners so it was good.”
McDonald opened his account last Sunday aboard Danny Shum’s Super Legends in the first section of the Class 4 Hibiscus Handicap (1200m) before adding the Class 3 Pok Oi Cup Handicap (1200m) on Lady’s Choice for Michael Chang, the first section of the Class 3 Tulip Handicap (1200m) on Francis Lui’s Divano and Johannes Brahms for Pierre Ng in the Class 3 Spruce Handicap (1400m).
Verry Elleegant’s breeder dies
Don Goodwin, the breeder of 11-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant, has died aged 86.
Goodwin was a proud student of thoroughbred pedigrees and it was this passion that led him to acquiring Verry Elleegant’s dam, Opulence, to send to Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed, for whom he was a shareholder.
It was purchasing Opulence from trainer Nicholas Bishara that set the wheels in motion for the formation of a lucrative partnership and friendship between the pair, that took them on the ride of a lifetime.
“I had the mare Opulence, we won a couple of races and she ended up flipping over in a freak accident in the paddock and hurt her spine, so she couldn’t race on,” Bishara said.
“We put her in foal to Towkay and we didn’t have land at that stage, so we decided to sell her. We put her in the sale and Don, who was into his pedigrees, bought her (for $14,000) specifically to go to Zed.
“He put the weanling filly foal in the sales, so we snaffled that up (for $2000) and she turned out to be [three-time winner] Black Lace.”
Opulence went on to have a further six live foals, five of those by Zed, including Group 3 performer Verry Flash, Grand National Hurdle (4200m) winner Affluential, and most notably Verry Elleegant.
Verry Elleegant showed immense talent from day one and won two of her three starts for Bishara before she was partly sold, with the ownership group expanding to include John, Mark and Rachael Carter and a group of their Auckland friends, along with several Australians, including Aziz “Ozzie” Kheir and Brae Sokolski.
She was subsequently transferred to leading Victorian trainer Darren Weir, for who she had four starts, including victory in the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m), and placed in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) before she joined leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller’s barn following Weir’s disqualification.
Verry Elleegant was a raw individual with her eccentric and ungainly galloping style but, under Waller, she matured into a world-class racehorse and won a further 13 races, 11 of those at elite level, highlighted by her popular victory in the 2021 edition of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Conquering Europe was on the minds of a few of her owners and the decision was made to head to France with the mare, who had an unsuccessful four-start campaign for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard before she was retired from racing and was subsequently served by Sea The Stars.
Her performances on the track earned her a string of accolades, including Australian Horse of the Year (2020-21), Champion Australian Stayer (2020-21 and 2021-22), Champion Australian Middle-Distance Horse (2020-21), and Joint Head of 2021 WBR Rankings.
Due to the success of his breeding endeavours through his broodmare gem Opulence, Goodwin was named the inaugural winner of the New Zealand Small Breeder of the Year Award for 2020-21.
While racing was Goodwin’s passion later in life, rugby was his first love and he spent years dedicated to the sport.
“He played and coached a lot of rugby, he was very passionate about the sport,” Bishara said.
“He was into Suburbs Rugby and he coached the Carter boys [John and Mark of Jomara Bloodstock], and that’s how they got them into the [Verry Elleegant] syndicate.”
Though Goodwin lost Opulence in 2022 and Zed died this year, he was excited about the prospects of their last daughter, Verry Stella, who is in training with Chris Waller, and who also has her full brother, So Suave, in work.
“Waller has got the cracking full to Verry Elleegant and they tell me that she is a gorgeous filly,” Bishara said. “It’s a shame he [Goodwin] wasn’t around a little bit longer.”
Bishara said Goodwin would be greatly missed and he would forever remember the great times they shared.
“He was a generous man who was into his horses and pedigrees,” Bishara said. “We had a great time racing Verry Elleegant, she was an absolute freak.”
The winning tickets were sold in Auckland and on MyLotto to a Waikato player.