Racing 20 Ashburton Guardian
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Saturday, March 25, 2017
In brief 2YO rated highly Donna Logan has no doubt that her impressive debut winner Qiji Phoenix can make his mark in stakes company. “He’s a really nice horse and we were looking at the Sires’ Produce at Awapuni, but it would just come up a wee bit soon for him,” said Logan, who trains the two-yearold at Ruakaka with Chris Gibbs. “We’ll look for something else and then we might think about Brisbane for him.” - NZME
Cobbler sidelined
Ashburton owners Stuart and Liz Leadley with their trainer, Robert Dunn (left).
PHOTO HRNZ
Confidence in Balham
■ ACCIDENTAL OWNERS
Leadleys on to a winner By Matt MarkhaM
Matt.M@theguardian.co.nz
A small place bet on a horse at a low-key country meeting in the North Island led Ashburton owners, Stuart and Liz Leadley, to buying boom two-year-old pacer, Alta Maestro. The Ashburton dairy farmers are dabbling more and more into the world of harness racing, but haven’t had the best of luck with injuries curtailing many of their promising horses. Owners, or part owners, in Alta Las Vegas and the very talented Franco Christiano, the Leadleys weren’t looking to buy at the Yearling Sales when Alta Maestro was set down for sale. “Robert Dunn had rung me and said he’d spotted a colt, who was simply stunning,” Leadley said.
“He also said he was a brother to Alta Las Vegas, but I said to him that we weren’t going to be buying that year and that was that. “On the Sunday before the sale there was a race meeting in the North Island. “A horse called Alta Teresa was racing and I said to Liz that I was going to have a bet on the horse and if we collected off it that we would buy the colt. “It ran third and I made a very small profit, but we rang Robert that night and said we would buy him.” The move has turned out to be one of the most fortuitous ones the Leadleys have made since getting into horse ownership with Alta Maestro making an immediate impact when stepping out on to the track.
The Robert Dunn-trained pacer has now won three of his four career starts and on Thursday night at Cambridge set a New Zealand record for a two-yearold pacer over 1700 metres when smashing his rivals by four-anda-half lengths. The showy colt paced the distance in 1:59.7 and the Leadleys were on hand to witness it. “He was very impressive, it was great to be able to be there to watch him go. “Robert speaks very highly of the horse. “He told me one day he thinks he might just be the brainiest horse he’s ever trained to which I said to Liz must mean we own Mr Ed. “Hopefully this is just the start of it for him though.”
In winning on Thursday night, Alta Maestro qualified himself for the $150,000 Sires’ Stakes Final in May at Alexandra Park in Auckland. The Leadleys yesterday were making the trek from Hamilton to Auckland to be on hand to watch Alta Las Vegas race last night and Stuart said they loved being able to go and enjoy watching their horses in action. “That’s our life at the moment, following our race horse and rugby. “Probably in the wrong order though.” An active supporter of Mid Canterbury rugby, Leadley was looking forward to the season kicking off again and getting back to his other love for the winter months.
■ BREEDERS’ STAKES
Early black-type opportunity for Fairlight The timing of today’s Gr.3 Valachi Downs South Island Breeders’ Stakes might not be perfect for Fairlight, but her trainer Les Didham is willing to roll the dice. “It is probably early days to be running her in a Group race,” the Riccarton trainer said. “Six months from now she will be a far more developed racehorse, but the race is at our back door so we’ve got to have a go.” Didham took over the training of Fairlight when Michael Stokes, who had prepared her for her first four starts, gave up training. “He has kept a percentage in
Promising South Island three-yearold Cobblertothestars will not be seen in action again until next season. The lightly raced son of Jimmy Choux had shown trainer Les Didham enough to encourage him to plan a path to the NZ Derby but an injury put paid to that. “He pulled a muscle some time ago and we thought we were on top of it when he ran in late January,” Didham said. “Everyone — chiropractor, vet, and those who were riding him in trackwork — thought he was over the problem but it obviously didn’t hold up under race day pressure,” he said. - NZME
her as he always thought she had ability,” Didham said. The four-year-old daughter of Rip Van Winkle has had six starts this season, notching up three wins and recording two third placings. Two of her wins have come in New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series bonus races, something Didham said was targeted from the outset. Fairlight’s first start from the Didham stable came at the New Zealand Cup meeting in November and expectations were high. “Even though she drew 18 of
18 we expected her to run well,” Didham said. “Mark du Plessis rode her and they finished sixth. He got off and said she was a nice horse and would probably win a few races – she won her next two.” Leading into Saturday’s black type assignment on her home track, Didham said he couldn’t be happier with Fairlight. “Her races have been well spaced and she has done everything right,” he said. “She is just thriving and we are definitely hoping for a good run.” - NZME
Mark du Plessis has a high opinion of the daughter of Rip Van Winkle
David and Emma Haworth fancy the chances of Balham at Tauherenikau tomorrow. The father and daughter training combination expect the Don Eduardo six-year-old to be hard to roll in the Kuripuni Sports Bar and TAB Masterton Cup. “We’re very pleased with him,” Emma Haworth said. “He went well at the trials and we’re pretty confident.” Balham finished runner-up to subsequent Trentham winner Shadows Cast in a recent Foxton trial. - NZME
Sakhee to Soldier on Former New Zealand Group One winner Sakhee’s Soldier will make a fresh start for a new trainer today. He is now in the stable of David Kelly and will debut from his Gold Coast quarters in an open sprint at Doomben today. Sakhee’s Soldier was trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman to win the New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie in March 2015. He was brought to Australia last year for the Brisbane winter carnival, but was then injured in the Hollindale Stakes and remained in Queensland after bone chip surgery where he was placed in Kelly’s care. - NZME
Jockey out for season Former champion jumps jockey Mathew Gillies will be a notable absentee from this winter’s action. The 31-year-old, who won the premiership in 2013-14, will be side-lined after undergoing knee surgery. “I’ll be out for the season, but I will be looking to come back for the next one,” Gillies said. The Cambridge-based rider had only just made a full recovery from the effects of a nasty fall from Gagarin in last July’s Wellington Hurdles when he suffered his latest setback. Gillies was concussed and copped a bad head gash when he came to grief in the Trentham feature. Gillies said he had given thought to retirement after his latest injury problem, but he is now committed to a return to the saddle. - NZME