Horse racing: Heart takes West Coast to the top

Jockey Shaun Fannin. Photo / Photosport

There was a moment during the winning presentation for New Zealand’s greatest jumping race yesterday when something caught the eye of champion jumper West Coast.

As those on the Te Rapa stage shared thanks and congratulations, the giant steeplechaser suddenly stood bolt upright, his ears pointing skyward and he looked statuesque, rarely a word used to describe jumpers, often seen as the poor relations of the thoroughbred family.

As striking as he looked, over 500kg of pure equine strength, bone and muscle with no excess baggage, what makes West Coast now officially our best jumper couldn’t be seen.

“It is his heart,” says regular rider Shaun Fannin. “That is what makes him a great horse. He comes off the bit in every race and then he just finds more.

“He did it today about the 1000 metres [mark] and The Cossack got away on us a bit but when I asked, he found more.

“And then when they came together at the top of the straight, I thought The Cossack might have too much speed for him but my big horse just keeps going. He doesn’t know how to give up.”

West Coast’s giant heart eventually wore down the resistance of a wonderful opponent in The Cossack before allowing him to stave off the late challenge of Captains Run, to whom he gave a 7kg weight advantage.

It was one of the great steeplechases in recent times and the heartening news is West Coast should be back to thrill us all next season.

He has legs like tree trunks so it is doubtful soundness will be an issue and with our elite jumping races having a maximum topweight of 73kg, he can’t be asked to carry more than he did yesterday. So trainer Mark Oulaghan can set him to win his third straight Grand National and then maybe his second Great Northern.

“Three Grand Nationals would be something and now we know he can win on good ground and he can’t be any worse off at the weights, he has a lot of options,” says Oulaghan.

West Coast won the Jumper of the Year for last season just last Sunday and considering he has won the Grand National and Great Northern in the space of five weeks, it is going to take something remarkable to deny him that title again in 12 months’ time.

He wasn’t the only brave jumper putting an exclamation mark on his season at Te Rapa yesterday as Nedwin confirmed himself as our best smaller fencer, carrying 71.5kg to victory in the Great Northern Hurdle.

Ironically he was the beneficiary of his own stablemate Taika tossing jockey Jack Power at the 1300m mark, when he was right in Nedwin’s tale and going at least as well.

“I was trying to watch them both and then Nedwin surged clear and it wasn’t until I heard George [Simon, commentator] say it that I realised the other horse had come down. But both he [Taika] and Jack are okay,” said Nedwin’s co-trainer Paul Nelson.

Nedwin may ultimately take the step up to the bigger fences next season and would come in beautifully placed in the handicaps to try and end West Coast’s reign.

But as gallant as Nedwin was winning, there is no doubt who is now the king of New Zealand jumps racing.

The one who stood regally in the Te Rapa sun yesterday, surveying his kingdom.