Racing: Collett shows family ability with double

Photo / NZPA

Waikato jockey Samantha Collett rides so often against her mum, Trudy Thornton, these days, that weighing in together has become old hat.

But topping her in two feature races on the same card she admits is a feat to cherish heading into the new season.

On a red-letter day for the recent graduate to senior ranks at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Cambridge-based 20-year-old kicked Salvatore clear of Thornton's mount Just A Whisper to win the $35,000 Taumarunui Cosmopolitan Club 1400m.

Then four races later she showed coolness beyond her years to keep wayward Waverley stayer Herman Munster on line to again stave off Thornton, this time aboard Dubhdara, in the listed $80,000 Taumarunui Gold Cup.

"She's not going to let me live that one down for a while," said Collett yesterday.

"We go around that often I can't even recall if we'd quinellaed a race before, but certainly not two on the same day, and both in feature races."

With her dad Jim Collett - a former top jockey and now Matamata trainer - Collett certainly doesn't lack for mentors.

She also has three promising apprentice cousins Jason, Natasha and now Alysha Collett nipping at her heels to help stoke the family competition.

The rest is down to old-fashioned work ethic - she rides work on Tuesdays at Matamata and Thursdays for Graeme and Debbie Rogerson in Tuhikaramea, West Waikato - and making the most of the luck that's come her way.

Last year, she got the out-of-the-blue phone call that jump-started her riding career from Te Aroha trainer Graeme Nicholson to partner warhorse Sir Slick, an opportunity that yielded a Doncaster Handicap appearance and a career-high group two win in the Awapuni Gold Cup in April.

On Saturday, Collett pounced again; first when pinch-hitting for an ill Michael Coleman aboard Salvatore, and then when Lisa Allpress passed up the Herman Munster mount to partner Queen Of The Castle into eighth spot in the Ryder Stakes at Otaki.

Herman Munster's owner-trainer Sam Lennox, 39, was thrilled he listened to Allpress's recommendation that he book Collett for the Te Rapa mount. The lightly-tried Traditionally 5-year-old has only ever had Allpress, Opie Bosson or Hayden Tinsley on his back raceday, and is still learning the ropes.

"He ran a little greenly in the straight and came together with Dubhdara for a few strides, but she [Collett] got him balanced again and didn't panic," said Lennox, who cut his training teeth in the pony club ranks.

"It was a great ride; we could easily have been in a bit of trouble there for a while."

The Taumarunui Cup win also wasn't the biggest career win for the Waverley farmer in terms of prestige - he won the 2002 group three Challenge Stakes Cup at Riccarton with Seeking.

But it was more thrilling to venture north and top a seasoned field of proven winter stayers, including favourite Amirar, who battled bravely for third after receiving a dream trip by rider Andrew Calder.

Lennox, who struck gold with the first horse he trained, five-race winner Gundaguy in 1993, hand-picked the slow-maturer out a South Island sale for just $5000.

He was the sole bidder on breeder Peter McKenzie's Traditionally gelding, but was so taken with his pedigree he would have happily paid twice that at the time.

Lennox said the dam H'Ani has now had six foals to the races and all are winners. When Lennox and co-owners, brother and Wanganui rugby coach Guy and their mum, Joan, asked Herman Munster to run along, however, they thought they had bought a dud.

His saving grace came when tried over more ground; he won second-up over 2040m at Wanganui and just four starts later finished second to Strapped For Cash in last year's Parliamentary Handicap.

After the horse - much stronger for a five-month spell between campaigns - filled the same spot in the Trentham feature last month behind Strapped For Cash again, Lennox was confident he'd earned a shot at revenge at Te Rapa.

Lennox, who has only the one horse in full training, said he'll now keep Herman Munster ticking over until the New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton in November.

He proved on Saturday that he's not just a wet-tracker.

It's just a shame, said Lennox, that there are not more races beyond 2200m in the lead-up. "We might look at taking him over to Australia next winter when they run for A$70,000 over 2500m-2800m each week," he said.

"But we're not going to get too carried away at this stage."