Horse racing: Star hurdler taking quantum leap

After the greatest day of his training career, Paul Nelson could be about to steer
his champion hurdler, The Cossack, down a different path.

And it will be one that will terrify the connections of New Zealand's best steeplechasers.
Nelson and training partner Corrina McDougal had their most successful day ever at Hastings yesterday, training five winners from the six races they had runners in on their home track.

No Tip justified hot favouritism in the $60,000 feature steeplechase, while talented flat galloper Motivation looked a jumper with a future, winning his hurdle debut two months since having last raced in the Hawke's Bay Cup.

As impressive as they both were, the equine star of the day was The Cossack, stunning winner of the $60,000 KS Browne Hurdle by 11 lengths, even though he carried at least 5kg more than any other starter.

He could have won by far more had rider Shaun Phelan, who also had a day out with three jumps winners and a major flat handicap with Big Mike, not eased up on The Cossack to enjoy the moment and give the freak a pre-post pat.

The Cossack adds yesterday's elite-level hurdle to other huge victories in two Great Northern Hurdles, the Grand National and a Waikato Hurdles and is already one of our modern-day jumping greats, his career overlapping but rarely intersecting with the other recent jumping hero in Tallyho Twinkletoe.

The pair met in last year's Wellington Hurdle at Hastings and The Cossack won by one-and-a-half lengths but he was getting 5kg in the weights from Tallyho Twinkletoe.

With Tallyho Twinkletoe now retired, The Cossack is our undisputed champion jumper and automatic topweight for every hurdle race.

"The only good thing about that is they can't give him more than 73kg, as that is the maximum topweight," says Nelson.

"So if he keeps going around in these races, he will stay on that weight, and the others will almost all be pushed down to the minimum."

Nelson says The Cossack is a star on good tracks but a freak when the going gets heavy.

That will be another weapon in his armoury when Nelson decides to step him up to steeplechasing, which could be a lot sooner than his rivals expect.

"He could even start over the big fences at Te Rapa next week [June 18]," says Nelson.
"He has two options there, the Waikato Steeples or the maiden steeplechase, in which he would be back on level weights with the other maidens.

"I am not saying we will go down that path for sure and I still have to discuss all the possibilities with the other owners but I'd say he will doing some steeplechasing this season."

So how does The Cossack handle the larger fences?

"We have a decent-sized live fence we use here and he is fine with it, just the same," says Nelson.

Which suggests if The Cossack goes to the maiden steeplechase at Te Rapa on Saturday week, he could start as one of the shortest-priced favourites for a New Zealand steeplechase race in years.

He wasn't the only weight-carrying hero on show at Hastings yesterday as Big Mike carried 59.5kg, down from a carded 63.5kg, in the $35,000 open staying test, his 4kg relief coming from apprentice jockey Kelsey Hannan.

Big Mike has been racing since long before Hannan ever rode a racehorse but the young jockey rated the big pacemaker to perfection to win by over five lengths, capping a stellar day for co-trainer Phelan.

While the jumping action was superb and reminded punters of the important role it plays in our winter season, the meeting was clouded by the death on Sunday of popular trainer Toby Autridge.

While there was to be no fairytale win for the three starters still racing in Autridge's name, Miss Twinkletoes and Tommyra did the stable proud with brave placings, while Toby's brother Stephen co-trained Silverdale Chief to run a close second on the flat.