Locals relish Clans Race Day

The who's who of local racing were out to see how the current crop of horses fared at the jumps at the Wanganui Racecourse yesterday.

Clans Race Day is now five years old an industry day for up-and-coming horses where every race is named after the stalwart families of the scene in this district.

In Race 3, the Whangaehu Rioch O'Leary's Maiden Steeples 4100m, it was the clan race namesake that had success as 9-year-old O'Connor was the winner, a triumph for owner/trainer Humphrey O'Leary and his daughter Laura, who also owns a share.

Tongue in cheek, Humphrey O'Leary said he had been "aiming" at the race "for a year".

O'Connor beat out fellow Whangaehu-trained (Raymond Connors) horse Duminy.

It was O'Connor's fourth win from 71 starts and the first steeplechase win for jockey Gary Walsh.

There was a touch of the luck of the Irish to Race 2, as the Jolt Coffee House Hurdles 3000m was won by Atomic Road, one of four horses featured for Turakina trainer Kevin Myers.

On its back was 20-year-old Irish jockey Niall Quinn, from County Down, winning on just his second New Zealand ride having competed earlier in the day.

Quinn had spent a year in New Zealand working for Bill Thurlow in Waverley.

Having gone home to Ireland and decided the weather was "too cold", he was back after a month and is now looking after Myers' satellite barn in Waverley preparing six horses.

As well as Myers, Quinn also does track work for Thurlow and Harvey Wilson around the Waverley course and thanked all three men for giving him the opportunity to enjoy the Kiwi lifestyle.

While racing provides such highs, it also brings forth the lows, as Waverley trainer Sam Lennox discovered in Race 2.

After watching three of his horses win at Waverley on Monday, Lennox had to witness Herman Munster pop a tendon in the hock and be pulled up by jockey Isaac Lupton.

The prognosis for the 8-year-old who had won seven times in 40 starts was not good and it will now enter retirement.

Herman Munster is owned by Lennox and his brother Guy, along with their late mother's estate.

Sam Lennox will fly to Melbourne to watch one of his top horses Batman race at the Moonee Valley Racing Club this weekend.