Just Ishi now bound for Trentham
With his first Prestige feather in his cap, Just Ishi is setting himself up for what could be a career-defining season.
The jumping pride of Awapuni was so far ahead in the closing stages of the $50,000 Prestige Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase yesterday, his jockey Gary Walsh had to double and triple check that no other runners were sneaking up on him.
Walsh had three long looks behind him in the straight but could only see daylight. The winning margin was 16 lengths but Walsh eased Just Ishi down well before the post.
The nine-year-old Ishiguru gelding has now won three of his four steeplechase starts with his only failure coming when Walsh was dislodged at Hawera back in May.
Some critics will say Just Ishi has not beaten the top line chasers in the country but he has dispatched the more than handy horses he has been put up against and if he wins his next start that argument will be put to bed.
His Awapuni trainer, Gail Temperton, indicated that next start will be his toughest test yet.
‘‘I think we’ll probably go to Trentham for the Wellington Steeplechase next,’’ Temperton told NZ Racing Desk.
‘‘We are taking it a step at a time and today was over an extra 800 metres and Trentham will be a bit further again.’’
Walsh was happy to sit back in the field until the 600m mark when he took the $2.60 favourite to the lead.
His patient ride drew praise form Temperton.
‘‘He rode another fantastic race and you just can’t say enough about someone with his experience,’’ she told NZ Racing Desk.
Fair Script stuck on for second with a further 51⁄2 lengths back to Tizza Secret in third.
Nells Belle dropped Shaun Fannin shortly after landing over a fence with around 1000m left to run.
The eight-year-old Istidaad mare, trained at Mystery Creek by Neil O’Dowd, had led most of the way until she dropped Fannin.
Despite a couple of indifferent jumps, she looked to be a genuine chance in the race until the incident.
Kings Deep and Aaron Kuru crashed out of contention upon landing at the second to last fence when running third.
Meanwhile, Shaun Phelan has only been legged-up onto Kipkeino once but has seen enough to know what the promising jumper can achieve.
Kipkeino ($6.70), trained at Waipukurau by Lucy de Lautour, was a 11⁄4-length winner of yesterday’s $50,000 Hawke’s Bay Hurdles.
It was the first time the nine-year-old Sunray gelding and Phelan had combined but the talented jumps jockey, who has won stacks of big races up and down the country, was more than impressed.
‘‘He’s such a good jumper, he’s like riding a robot,’’ Phelan said.
With a feature win in the bag, Phelan had no hesitation when asked if Kipkeino could potentially win a Prestige hurdle race.
‘‘He’s won open races on the flat so he’s probably got more flat ability than most and his jumping is right up there so you would have to say he can on today’s effort, definitely,’’ Phelan said.
The Wellington Hurdles could be the next target and given Kipkeino ran second, behind Justa Charlie, in an open hurdle at Trentham last month, Phelan was confident about Kipkeino’s chances.
Yesterday’s victory was a rewarding one for Phelan, who had twice finished second in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles, but until yesterday had never won the race.
But he placed the credit with de Lautour. ‘‘She does a great job with him and always has him ready. You can tell that by how consistent he is.’’
The Hawke’s Bay Hurdles win was just the second over sticks for Kipkeino but he also has four seconds amongst his seven hurdle starts. Yesterday’s victory took his career earnings past the $145,000 mark with the bulk of it from his six wins on the flat.
Phelan picked up the ride because Aaron Kuru, who did a lot of schooling with Kipkeino, was already committed to riding the Paul Nelson-trained Ooee.
Unfortunately, Ooee was scratched on Friday night due to a minor case of tying up.
Justa Charlie, who hit the line with purpose, beat Sea King into second by a nose. Sea King, a last start winner in the Awapuni Hurdles, was brave with a hefty 71kg on his back.
Phelan picked up a double with Chocolate Fish successful in the maiden steeplechase for Woodville trainer Shane Brown.