Centurion provided the Faheys with another feature win at Addington on Thursday night. Photo / Dave Robbie
The all-conquering Dave and Jean Fahey training partnership savoured yet another pair of Group 1 training successes when they mentored both Group 1 winners, plus also picking up the staying feature event on a card that featured New Zealand bred greyhounds during Thursday’s Addington premier meeting.
Sheer early pace was the successful ingredient that saw the Faheys annexing both Group 1 titles.
The $30,000 2023 Active Electrical Christchurch New Zealand St Leger was billed as a potential match-race between a pair of exceptionally talented young greyhounds, and the 520m race fully delivered on that expectation.
Opawa Hugo won the break, and by doing so, he secured his first Group 1 title. It was race on when the Tony Hart-prepared warm race favourite Postman Pat pushed up to join Opawa Hugo on his outer when racing into the first turn.
They reached the back mark still locked together in 17.70 and it was at that point when Opawa Hugo made a tactical move by pushing out a tad wider, slightly disrupting Postman Pat’s stride.
Opawa Hugo sneaked a small margin on his opponent and then he brought it home strongly with his 12.09 run home sectional, meaning he completed his 520m assignment in a very respectable 29.79.
Postman Pat (Hooked On Scotch – Birdie Tee) gamely stuck to his task, ultimately finishing 1.5 lengths astern, while the Riley Evans-trained Goldstar Toby (My Bro Fabio – Frosty Action) finished resolutely to secure third a further 3.25 lengths behind.
“I went into the St Leger thinking Hugo could run second – in fact I didn’t think we would win a race on Thursday,” commented a typically modest Dave Fahey.
“I was waiting for Postman Pat to go past Hugo and it wasn’t until just before the line when I realised he was going to win it. He’s a young dog who has come a long way quickly. He can go out for a spell now and we will freshen him up for the NZ Derby,” explained Fahey about the sixth NZ St Leger the couple has mentored to victory.
Opawa Hugo is a son of Fernando Bale and Opawa Hop and he was purchased by the Young Guns Syndicate as a pup from his breeder Opawa Racing Limited.
The owning syndicate comprises Dave Fahey, Mark Lin and Roimata (Niecy) Warren, along with the partners Lavinia Herbert and Dion Walker, with the latter pair being the organisers of the Swift Fantasy fan club.
And there is Herbert family history surrounding St Legers , with Lavinia being a daughter and Niecy a granddaughter of Kay and the late Fred Herbert, who travelled to Sydney to represent New Zealand in the NSW St Leger at Wentworth Park with Willy Won’t He during the 1980s.
“That was bloody good – the best night ever. He is my first Group 1 winner. We are very grateful to Robin (Wales) for selling us Hugo. He has a lot of potential and he has done a massive job in his first preparation.
“The two best dogs in the race duelled throughout – it was very exciting with the time being huge. He rose to the occasion. The Faheys do a marvelous job – Dave is a machine and Hugo was prepared to perfection and we really appreciate that,” expressed Mark Lin, who has been sighted handling numerous greyhounds, mainly for the Faheys, for a number of years.
Lin also advised that the syndicate has turned down serious money offers for Opawa Hugo from Australian interests.
“This is a family-based syndicate and all we want to do is race him. The NZ Derby is now his target – who knows, maybe we might race him over there later on.”
“It’s unbelievable – so amazing. He’s such a good boy. His time was huge. Oh my gosh, I was coming over here for a catch-up – the race timing was absolutely perfect. I ran to Robin crying, saying thank you, thank you,” said an excited Niecy Warren, who lives and works in Brisbane.
“Yo bro – that was wicked. I never thought that would happen so quickly. He finished so strongly. Dave is the master – we are so grateful to the Faheys,” said Dion Walker.
And Lavinia Herbert added, “He’s the boy – he’s the A-student. He has got intelligence and brilliance – he is the complete package. We are so humble to have a greyhound with the Faheys. The connection to them came via Steve Clark.”
And yes, Herbert says an Opawa Hugo fan club is likely to make an appearance in the very near future!
Opawa Hugo will go out for his thoroughly deserved spell as the winner of nine of his 13 races and after adding in three minor placings, he has now amassed $36,113 in stake earnings.
$30,000 2023 Suck It Up Ltd New Zealand Breeders’ Stakes (Group 1) 520m
Using blinding early pace provided the perfect set-up for Mrs Chinn to dazzle her opposition when she freewheeled her way to her 30.11 victory, recording another Group 1 victory for her owners and trainers Dave and Jean Fahey, who bred the daughter of Spring Gun and Sheza Rippa.
Kennelmate Opawa Dragon (Barcia Bale – Dream Kay) pressed on stoutly to claim her second placing, three-quarters of a length behind. The Lisa Cole contender Carey Street (SH Avatar – All About Space) was sighted doing her best work at the business end, finishing just a half-length further behind in third.
“Yes, that was a big thrill especially as we bred and race her. I thought she was coming right two races ago. I was hoping she would hang on when they were racing down the back straight. Opawa Dragon also ran a bold race. It is satisfying for us to train the quinella,” said Dave Fahey about their seventh New Zealand Breeders Stakes training win.
Mrs Chinn has now raced on 37 occasions, notching up seven wins and 18 minor placings, with her stake earnings now sitting at $45,089.
The Faheys are now 20 years on from when Egyptian Gold won their first Group race title when taking out the South Island Champs in 2003. They have since gone on to apply the finishing touches to 119 Group race winners – 58 of them at the elite Group 1 level!
$15,000 2023 The Homekill Guys Sockburn Cup 732m
Centurion has been a consistent stayer for his trainers Dave and Jean Fahey for a long time. On Thursday evening, he was duly rewarded for his consistency with victory in the time-honoured 732m Sockburn Cup.
There was an early sensation when the hot $1.10 race favourite Know Keeper stumbled when leaving the one-trap, which saw him settling back in the field.
Centurion wasn’t quickly away either off Box 8, however he quickly pushed forward to chase the early pace-making Goldstar Walker into the first turn. With a lap of the track to run, this pair controlled the pace, while Know Keeper had recovered to be third, albeit a margin back.
Centurion railed underneath Goldstar Walker when approaching the final turn, from where the son of Dyna Double One and Andrea kicked clear to greet the judge in 42.94, holding a comfortable three-length margin.
The Garry Cleeve-trained Know Keeper (Know Class – Know Jinx) extended nicely over the later stages to press on for second, with a game Goldstar Walker (My Boy Fabio – Goldstar Marvely) arriving home a further seven lengths behind for his third placing for his trainer Riley Evans.
“Going down the back straight the second time, I was looking back to see where Know Keeper was and thought that Centurion had a good enough break on him as Centurion is strong.
“He deserved to win a feature staying race,” stated Dave Fahey, who isn’t sure at this stage if Centurion, who is now the winner of 11 of his 41 races (17 minors) and $59,561 in stakes for his owing The 19th Hole Syndicate, will travel north to Manukau for the 779m Cup Day Distance feature.
And while speaking about the stayers, earlier in the evening saw the in-form Craig Roberts-prepared Rohan Bale shattering the Addington 645m track record ,when he speared to his effortless victory. His 37.31 gallop saw him removing the names of the previous 37.57 joint 645m record holders, Uthor Bale and Know Keeper, from the Christchurch GRC record book.
$15,000 2023 Springston Hotel Harding Cup 295m
Opawa Barns has been an ultra-consistent sprinter for a long time, and on Thursday evening, the son of Spring Gun and Opawa Born finally secured an overdue and deserved feature sprint victory for his conditioner Lisa Waretini.
The noted railer held his place on the outside of the pace-setting Ray Casey trained Tairei Missile and this pair duelled for the race lead, until Opawa Barns drew clear when delivering his 11.43 run home to claim the $7,566 winning stake after 17.24 seconds of hard-out sprinting.
Another consistent sprinter Big Time Prada (Fernando Bale – Kissing Gwyneth), who stumbled when leaving trap-three, finished strongly a length behind, to claim the runner’s-up prize for Lisa Cole. In doing so, she relegated a gallant Tairei Missile (Finn McMissile – Peps Terra) back to third by a head margin.
“I’m very proud of Barns – he grew up on Thursday, as he didn’t charge down onto the rail, which he adores, like he normally does. He really deserved to win a decent race, so good on him.
“He is a very hard dog to deal with, being very determined in everything he does,” explained Waretini, who added how she received the opportunity to train Opawa Barns, who had endured a completely luckless race in last November’s Galaxy Sprint final.
“I like Robin’s [Robin Wales, Opawa Racing Ltd] dogs and he approached me about Barns, saying that he had a dog who would suit my training, as I don’t use a walking machine. I thought he would turn out to be handy and he showed that in his 17.18s 295m qualifying trial.”
Waretini has now lined up Opawa Barns in 43 races, all over the Addington 295m dash, preparing him to win 19 of those. He has placed in another 11 sprints, returning his owing Opawa Racing team $47,950 in stake earnings.
Fannin plans to target the $200,000 Grand National Steeplechase in August.