Pedigree buffs probably look at hurdles winner Ooee from Te Rapa on Saturday and say 'What?'.
The breeding of Ruff Nipper from Astro Girl doesn't solicit too many 'Wows'.
Let's start from the beginning. Ruff Nipper was no Phar Lap on the track, but he won races at Wairoa andQueensland's Gold Coast track.
He was by Pentire from the Sound Reason mare Rudd, who won two races as a 2-year-old and four later from the Oncidium mare Lyn's Orchid.
Astro Girl is by Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal's sire Rhythm from Privilege, by Sir Tristram from Just Purple, an In The Purple mare Fairy Walk by Le Filou.
If you're looking for a stamina-packed pedigree that might make a jumper you'd leap in. Hastings horseman Paul Nelson did for "a couple of grand" at a South Island yearling sale. As a yearling Nelson says Ooee was a lovely type.
"But he had a habit of liking to get rid of his riders." That had shown its head on a few racedays, but Nelson has managed to settle the gelding down and in just his second hurdling start ran away to win by six lengths on Saturday.
Stablemate San Pedro subsequently pushed Waikato Hurdles winner Ready Eddie to a reasonably close decision after running in badly towards the running rail after jumping the second last hurdle.
"I don't know what made him do that, but it could have been when Aaron (rider Aaron Kuru) switched his whip hand." It was a well received win by Ready Eddie, who has come back from a tendon injury for Laura Knight, daughter of former All Black prop Gary Knight.
Knight took over the training from Mark Oulaghan after the injury and has had to be patient. That should pay dividends through the winter.
