Hastings-trained filly’s first win a thriller
The on-course crowd at last Friday’s Woodville races was minimal for a weekday meeting but one section of the grandstand erupted when Hastings-trained She’s Miss Gevious crossed the line first in a 1400m maiden race.
The four-year-old mare is prepared at Hastings by Fred Pratt and raced by a large group of people, many of whom had made the trip to Woodville to watch her race.
“They certainly made plenty of noise…you could hear them all over the course,” Pratt said this week.
Pratt owns the four-year-old mare and has retained a racing share. He has leased out racing shares to the Oh Chiwhawha Syndicate as well as Martinborough butcher Scott Reid and Pratt’s stable employee Caitlin Johnson.
The Oh Chiwhawha Syndicate consists of 30 members, many of whom reside in Hawke’s Bay, and most were at Woodville to celebrate the win.
Some of them live at Waimarama Beach and have been involved in other racing syndicates, including being part-owners in the former outstanding galloper and now successful sire Dundeel.
The large group started cheering when the mare hit the front early in the home straight and kept up a roar until she crossed the finish line.
Caitlin Johnson is a first time racehorse owner and was Pratt’s stable strapper on the day, getting to greet her pride and joy when she came back to the winner’s stall and then leading her away afterwards.
“It was a great thrill,” Johnson said this week.
She’s Miss Gevious was having her fourth start when she lined up in the $14,000 event. She had been a well beaten eighth on debut over 1400m at Woodville in early June but has kept improving ever since according to Pratt.
She finished sixth over 1200m at Otaki at her second start before a good third over 1400m at Hastings on July 21.
“She is a horse that has taken time to get there but has gradually improved all the time,” Pratt said.
Pratt said he decided to put a senior rider, Mereana Hudson, on the mare at Woodville last week to hopefully get her to perform at her best.
She’s Miss Gevious dwelt at the start and was back third last in the early stages but Hudson made the most of an inside draw to drive the mare through to be fifth starting the last 800m.
She then bided her time until the home turn where she angled her mount out to lodge a challenge.
She’s Miss Gevious hit the front soon after and staved off the challengers to win by half a length from Ride The Tide, with the same margin back to third placed Ironwood.
Pratt said this week She’s Miss Gevious was a $1500 purchase from the 2020 Karaka yearling sales but was gifted to him when the owner decided she was surplus to his requirements.
She’s Miss Gevious is by Unusual Suspect, a little known stallion who stands at Nigel and Adaire Auret’s property in Wanganui.
He said he will now aim the mare at a Rating 60 race over 1600m at Hawera on Friday.
Vale John Scoular
John Scoular, who with his wife Lucy, was one of Hawke’s Bay’s most passionate thoroughbred ownerbreeders for more than 40 years, died last week aged 92.
Quietly spoken, and always dapper in appearance, John loved racing and endeared himself to everyone he met in the racing industry.
Although he and his wife Lucy never enjoyed a huge amount of success on the racetrack they still enjoyed a lot of great times from the horses they bred and raced.
Their biggest moment in racing came when they bred Jolly Jake, winner of five races including the 1984 Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).
Significant win for Fannin
Hastings-born jockey Shaun Fannin fulfilled a lifetime ambition when he steered West Coast to an all the way win in last Saturday’s $100,000 Grand National Steeplechase.
The 26-year-old, one of the country’s leading jumps jockeys, has won most of the feature jumping races on the New Zealand calendar but success in the Grand National Steeplechase had, until now, eluded him.
He was delighted to finally capture a win in the race after finishing runner-up on Mandalay 12 months ago in what was his best result from five previous rides in the iconic event.
“This is the biggest race I’ve wanted to win as I haven’t had much luck in it, so it’s very special to finally get it,” Fannin said.
Fannin sent West Coast straight to the lead in the 5600m race and the 7-year-old gelding set a leisurely pace throughout, virtually walking the first lap before increasing the tempo starting the final round of the Riccarton circuit.
With 1000m to run it looked like West Coast’s race to lose and he didn’t put a foot wrong, clearing the last three obstacles competently before racing clear in the run to the line to score by 10 lengths.
Double for apprentice
Hastings apprentice Lily Sutherland and Wanganui trainer Kevin Myers are starting to build a formidable partnership.
Sutherland,18, recorded her first win as a jockey when piloting the Myers-trained Shockproof to victory at Hawera in April and, at Riccarton last Saturday, she rode her first double for the trainer.
Sutherland got the hot favourite Kick On home a decisive 21⁄2 length winner in the $40,000 Zilco Handicap (1400m) and, three races later, she was back in the winner’s stall after guiding Aljay to a 4 length victory in the $30,000 Stephanie Murray Mortgages Handicap (2000m).