FINAL FENCE: Jockey Buddy Lammas guides Bally Heights over the final obstacle, ahead of Cody Singer on Yorkie, to win the Jolt Coffee House Wanganui Steeplechase yesterday. PHOTO/LEWIS GARDNER 170814WCLGSTEEPLECHASE1
FINAL FENCE: Jockey Buddy Lammas guides Bally Heights over the final obstacle, ahead of Cody Singer on Yorkie, to win the Jolt Coffee House Wanganui Steeplechase yesterday. PHOTO/LEWIS GARDNER 170814WCLGSTEEPLECHASE1
It was a dynamic double for Hastings gelding Bally Heights after a dominant run home to claim the $20,000 Jolt Coffee House Wanganui Steeplechase for the second time in 2014 at the racecourse yesterday.
After an absence of 16-18 years, Wanganui Jockey Club brought back jumps racing to the localcourse in 2014 by running features in both May and August. The 12-year-old Bally Heights had claimed the 4100m race by a length in wet conditions during the May edition, but made no contest of it under the sun in the final 1000m dash for home yesterday, winning by nine lengths in a race that saw two jockeys take a tumble.
Matthew Cropp came back to the grandstand with his arm in a sling after Mister Deejay took a hard fall on the far side of the course, then contender Duminy threw Aaron Kuru off and finished without him. Kuru had been riding Bally Heights in May, but yesterday it was Buddy Lammas who kept the defending champion in good order amongst the chasing bunch as Niall Quinn took The Fox out to a big early lead at a near cantering pace.
Duminy and Yorkie were at the head of the chasers, eight lengths back, with Authentic coming up to join them as they made their second sweep past the finishing post.
The Fox was run down as Mister Deejay fell hard and Duminy parted company with Kuru, but by then Bally Heights had made the move and took the final three jumps in his stride, on the way to powering home and bringing in the quinella ahead of Yorkie, with Stainley getting up for third.
The victory was good compensation for Hawkes Bay trainer Paul Nelson, whose horse No Governance had been injured in the previous race and was immediately euthanised. Nelson said the change in fortunes was just racing. "We know what can happen."
Back-to-back Wanganui Steeplechase feature wins was a welcome return to form for Bally Heights, who after the May victory had run third in the Waikato steeplechase before being weakened by a virus that went through his Hawkes Bay stables.
Nelson said it had taken a while for him to come right, having just a flat run at Hastings last week to prepare for Wanganui.
Jockeys Charlie Stud and Kelvin Peterson also suffered injuries during the meeting, resulting in their remaining rides being scratched, which included another horse from Nelson's stable.
