Racing: Silver Archer fights to get back on track

By MIKE DILLON

Silver Archer has helped to eliminate Hawkes Bay Racing Incorporated's worst nightmare, now he has to overcome his own.

The appearance of the dashing grey steeplechaser has assured the running of tomorrow's $25,000 Ashwell Farm Hawkes Bay Steeplechase after the dramatic cancellation of the race last year because of a lack of entries.

Silver Archer now has to concentrate on getting his own career back on track after sensationally crashing at the first fence of the Waikato Steeplechase in mid-May, a fall which badly hampered his winter programme.

For the second year running it cost him a trip to Melbourne for the A$175,000 Grand National Steeplechase.

HBRI received only seven nominations for last year's running of the Hawkes Bay Steeples, New Zealand's second-oldest steeplechase behind the Wanganui Steeples.

That number would have guaranteed the running of the race had it not been for the fact most nominees were eligible for the novice 'chase at Trentham the following week, which was for the same $20,000 stake.

HBRI felt if the race was not canned at acceptance time, the club courted financial disaster if they were left with only two or three runners.

This year the club increased the stake to $25,000 as an incentive to attract greater numbers. They have seven acceptors.

"With the increased stake, we've tried to encourage more horses and while that hasn't worked numerically, it certainly has worked in terms of class with horses like Silver Archer, Currency and Mi Senor," said chief executive John McGifford.

Silver Archer did not work for two weeks after his Te Rapa debacle in which he appeared not to rise at all at the first big brush in the middle of the course.

"He was a very stiff and sore horse," said owner/trainer Craig Amrien.

"He badly bruised a stifle, almost certainly when he didn't rise at the fence he fell at, and had bruised ribs, which would have come from his falling on the concrete when he tried to get back to the stabling area."

Being away from racing for six weeks is not an ideal preparation for a 4800m race like the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase.

Amrein describes Silver Archer as a "good doer" who gets the best out of everything he eats.

Balancing that is the long, slow, tough hill work Amrein gives the horse.

Yesterday morning Silver Archer spent 50 minutes walking, trotting and cantering on the huge Kaimai hills property of Amrein's mate Don Roberts.

Safely through this race, Amrein has the tough decision of whether to take Silver Archer to Melbourne for the only major steeplechase left there, the Hiskens Steeples.

"We can't make the Grand National now because that's next week and he has to school before stewards a week before the race," he said.

"If I don't go to Australia we'll have a crack at the Wellington Steeples, come back up here for the Inter-Island then go to Riccarton for the Grand National."

Currency will provide Silver Archer and Mi Senor with tough opposition.

His dramatic exhaustion in the final 300m of the McGregor Grant Steeples at Ellerslie two weeks ago was one of the icon moments of the last 12 months of jumping.

The testing ground found him out after he looked certain to win over the last fence and it took a top 'chaser in Mercedes Great Northern winner Golden Flare to run him down late.

Currency will be fitter for that run and the prospect of better footing than at Ellerslie will suit him perfectly.

Silver Archer and Currency are both rising 11 years old, but that is no barrier to success in this race.

In 1974 grand old veteran Teak was a month off his 16th birthday when he took the race.

Not that it is relevant to today's greatly different racing scenario, but in 1911 Yashmak caused a sensation when, at age 14, she won the Hawkes Bay Steeples in her first race start for seven years - her previous race had been a four-furlong (800m) maiden race on the flat.

She had only two more race starts before permanent retirement and her rider, Charlie Cress, died about the same time, of tetanus, after he was bitten by a horse.

Mi Senor has won three of his six steeplechases since being put over the bigger fences by Mark Oulaghan.

He broke the Otaki steeplechase track record winning on a firm track over 4000m last start.

That was his first jumping start this winter, so he can be expected to be fitter for it.