Hawke’s Bay to pay tribute to Colin Meads
Hawke’s Bay Racing will pay special tribute to the late Sir Colin Meads at the Tarzino Trophy Daffodil Raceday at Hastings this Saturday.
Race five on the card will be known as the El Roca Sir Colin Meads Trophy, in honour of the number Meads wore in many of his tests for the All Blacks. The rugby legend died last week after battling pancreatic cancer.
‘‘Sophie’s Choice- a filly Sir Colin part-owned with his wife Lady Verna will wear the number five saddle cloth,’’ said Hawke’s Bay Racing CEO Andrew Castles. ‘‘She will also carry the Cancer Society colours.’’
Sophie’s Choice won at Ruakaka a few days before Meads’ passing and has pleased trainer Stephen Marsh in the meantime.
‘‘She’s a tough filly,’’ Marsh said. ‘‘She meets a strong field on Saturday - there’s some top 3-yearolds in there which will be a challenge.
‘‘She would need to jump well and find a good spot for Danielle [jockey Danielle Johnson] to be a winning chance but she will be trying her best,’’ Marsh said.
Sir Colin and Lady Verna Meads owned several multiple stakes winners and were part owners of Ruud Awakening champion 2-year-old and winner of New Zealand’s richest race the Karaka Million.
‘‘Sir Colin was not only a legendary All Black but also an amazing New Zealander. He and Lady Verna became great supporters of racing later in life and it is a privilege to be able to honour him’’ Castles said.
Now in it’s fourth year the Tarzino Trophy Daffodil Raceday is a fundraiser for the Hawke’s Bay Cancer Society.
Marsh has two of Sophie’s Choice’s stablemates in the Tarzino Trophy. Sofia Rosa and Thee Auld Floozie begin new campaigns in the race.
‘‘Both horses ran well at the Taupo trials and I’d doubt Sofia Rosa could be winning the race but I’d be happy to see her hitting the line as good as any and looking like she needs further,’’ he said.
‘‘Thee Auld Floozie should be running a real cheeky race and can be right in the finish.
Emma-lee Browne wants to make a day at the races as much fun as she can. The busy working mother who trains horses at Cambridge with her husband David, has been flat stick putting together a syndicate with a difference.
The lady who began life riding ponies before making her mark as a top level rider in showjumping, eventing and dressage began training racehorses in partnership with her father Olympic showjumping legend Jeff Mcvean.
Emma-lee spent 15 years in that partnership before her and David launched their business a couple of years ago at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton.
This weekend Emma-lee will take a break from the day-to-day running of the stable to play hostess to some of the nigh-on 70 ladies who have joined her in the Fun and Fascinators syndicate.
‘‘There’s nearly 70 members, I’ve kind of lost count it’s been so popular,’’ Emma-lee said of her brainchild.
The predominantly women’s syndicate puts as much emphasis on the fun, social aspect of ownership as it does the horse, in fact they have a horse but it hasn’t even raced.
It hasn’t stopped the ‘‘girls’’ having plenty of fun – they’ve already had a few events when they’ve dressed up and got together including a day at the Ellerslie races preceded by a collective make-up and hair session.
‘‘It was a fantastic day,’’ Emmalee said. ‘‘We had lots of fun.’’ It’s not all about the ladies. There’s the bloke who won a Love Racing competition and a share in the syndicate.
‘‘He hasn’t missed a single event,’’ Emma-lee laughed. ‘‘But of course husbands and partners come along so he has plenty of male company.
‘‘It’s aimed at the ladies but anyone is welcome and we have people of all ages and from all walks of life.’’
They have a horse, a beautiful bay filly by Bernadini purchased from big former Chiefs rugby lock David Duley who offered the filly at the Karaka sales under his Landsdown Farm banner.
Duley got into the horse game after he retired from rugby and has fashioned a pretty good record with two horses he has sold making it into New Zealand’s richest race the Karaka Million held each January at Ellerslie.
His filly cost the syndicate $115,000 and in Browne’s words ‘‘stole the show from the minute she walked out of her box’’ at the sales.
‘‘She has all the attributes of a class horse.
‘‘She’s correct, she’s strong, she’s athletic and she has the confidence and presence of a supermodel!’’ she said.
No wonder the ladies were attracted and they may have another Duley horse make the Karaka Million field.
‘‘The filly is really exciting and that increases the interest via email and videos on our dedicated Facebook page,’’ Emma-lee said. ‘‘The dream would be the Karaka Million.
‘‘It might be a logistical nightmare but it would be one I would enjoy.’’
The youngster has had a jumpout and is in the stable preparing for a trial before she makes her debut at the races.
Meantime the crew will be off to Hastings this weekend for the first Group I meeting of the season with a bit of wine tasting the day before and plenty of fun.
‘‘It’s pretty full-on but I just want to make it work,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s some doom and gloom in racing and I want to make it more fun while taking the financial pressure of racing a horse off people.’’