Horse racing: Wairere Falls Classic completes coming-of-age treble for Herbert

Herbert winning the Comag Wairere Falls Classic (1500m) at Matamata on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright

Herbert’s bank balance has swelled from $130,000 to almost $400,000 within the space of his last three starts, culminating in the Comag Wairere Falls Classic (1500m) at Matamata on Saturday.

The Taranaki four-year-old began the season with only one win to his name from a 12-race career. His turnaround began with a pair of spring victories in a Rating 65 at Wanganui and a Rating 75 at Te Rapa, but that was just the beginning of Herbert’s breakthrough season.

The son of Sweet Orange has scaled new heights since the beginning of 2025, starting with another Rating 75 success at Wanganui on January 20. He stepped into stakes company and scored a popular local win in the Gr.3 Taranaki Cup (1800m) on February 1, then ventured to Matamata for Saturday’s Wairere Falls Classic.

Herbert came up against a highly talented field in the $350,000 feature, which is restricted to trainers outside the top 10 positions on the premiership. His opponents included Group One performers Malt Time, Navigator and Mali Ston, while warm favourite Frostfair was a last-start fourth behind the elite mare Legarto in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m). But Herbert stood tall and carried on his winning way.

Herbert jumped from the outside gate in a full field of 14, but jockey Harry Grace was able to get across and slot into a handy position in sixth behind Shamus, Fly My Wey, Quality Time, Navigator and Drop Of Something.

Grace hooked Herbert to the outside at the home turn and turned him loose, and the high-flying gelding quickly bounded past Shamus to hit the lead.

Challengers lined up across the track to take their shot down the straight, with Frostfair working home out wide while Navigator desperately tried to find a way through closer to the rail. But there would be no denying Herbert, who went on to win by a long neck from gallant runner-up Quality Time.

Herbert has now had 22 starts for six wins, six seconds, a third and $386,805 in stakes. He is trained by Hall of Fame horseman John Wheeler, who shares ownership with former Taranaki Racing chief executive Carey Hobbs as well as Dennis Hunt.

Herbert is named after Hunt, who had horses with Wheeler when he operated a Victorian stable in Mornington and is widely known by the nickname Herbert.

“I’ve always had a lot of time for this horse, but he’s taken a bit of time and has taken a bit of making,” Wheeler said. “We set our sights on this race a fair while out. That win in the Taranaki Cup last month showed us that we were on track.

“It was a bit of a step down in distance for this race, but I wasn’t worried about that. Harry Grace got him into a perfect position in midfield, doing nothing in the run. It was a great ride from that draw. I’m as happy for Harry as I am for ourselves.”

Wheeler is in no rush to map out any future plans for the new star of his New Plymouth stable.

“We’ll head home to Taranaki now and celebrate when we get there, and we can worry about what’s next later,” Wheeler said.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk