Myers’ influence seen at Hastings
TIM BARTON KEVIN MYERS was a common factor with the winners of both feature races at Hastings on Saturday.
Myers trains Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase winner Palemo and was the original trainer of Hawke’s Bay Hurdles winner Zenocoin.
Myers bought Zenocoin at the 2009 ready to run sale at Karaka, paying $29,000 for the horse on behalf of his partner, Angela Illston, and sisters Cathy McEvoy and Maree Prebble [nee Payne].
The same partnership raced Descarado before the horse was sold and won a Caulfield Cup for Gai Waterhouse.
Myers took Zenocoin to Victoria as a spring three-year-old and the Zenno Rob Roy gelding won a 2050m maiden at Moe.
He won at Timaru the following winter and was sold to Graeme Rogerson after recording two seconds over a middle distance at the National meeting at Riccarton.
He was transferred to Rogerson’s Sydney stable and won firstup from his new quarters, at Newcastle, but did not manage another win in Australia, from 16 attempts.
He was returned to New Zealand and has turned his career around as a jumper.
Rogerson bought Zenocoin with a flat career in mind but knew that the horse could jump.
“We bought him as a stayer but Dummy [Myers] had jumped him and told me that we could win a Grand National with him,” Rogerson said yesterday.
That prediction should be put to the test in the $75,000 Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton on Au- gust 6. “The National is his main aim this year,” Rogerson said.
Zenocoin, who is now raced by Rogerson in partnership with long-time Sydney clients Max Whitby and Paul Favretto, was having his first jumps race for the year on Saturday but won with ease.
He has now earned $85,000 over fences, with four wins, three seconds and a third from 11 attempts, and taken his career earnings past $150,000.
One of his few failures last winter came in the Wellington Hurdles, after he had won the Awapuni Hurdles and run third in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles. As a result, Rogerson is wary of giving the horse another testing run at Trentham, with just one jumping race under his belt. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”
Rogerson gave some thought after Saturday’s win to backing Zenocoin up in next weekend’s Taumarunui Cup, but that is now an unlikely option. Instead, Rogerson will consider running the horse at Trentham or in a restricted open hurdle, at either Te Aroha on July 9 or Te Rapa on July 19. “I’m probably leaning towards Te Aroha but we will see how he does over the next week.”
TRISH DUNELL
Zenocoin’s original aim this year had been the Oakbank meeting in South Australia at Easter, but those plans were abandoned after he “whacked” a leg in a flat race at Awapuni in March.
He then had two months work on the aqua-walker and was fit enough to win at Hastings after just a hurdle trial and a 1950m flat race.
“He’s not a bad horse,” Rogerson said. “The main thing is to get him to relax. He can pull a bit.”
Zenocoin settled well for stable rider Michael Mitchell on Saturday and the victory gave Mitchell his sixth win for the month and the richest of his career. He is now one win behind Mathew Gillies, who had a winning double at Hastings, in the battle for the jumps jockeys’ premiership.
Real Treasure, the $4 favourite for the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles, fought well for second, with Just Got Home third.
Real Treasure will bypass the Wellington Hurdles, but stablemate Big Brownie is being aimed at the Trentham feature.
Big Brownie was well beaten in the Wellington Hurdles last winter but has produced two encouraging runs this campaign, finishing third in both the Ken Browne Hurdles at Ellerslie and the Awapuni Hurdles.
Aintree, who had pushed Indikator hard in the Awapuni Hurdles, raced well below his best at Hastings. Rider Isaac Lupton told stewards that the horse had jumped poorly throughout, but a veterinary examination failed to find anything amiss.
Mahanadi, last year’s Grand National winner, also mixed his jumping and was never a threat.
Central districts apprentice Charlotte O’Beirne, 20, recorded her first win when Josephine won the open 2100m at Hastings.
O’Beirne, who is apprenticed to Josephine’s trainer, Peter McKenzie, was having just her sixth ride and it is rare for an apprentice to notch their first win in a nonclaiming race.
Awapuni galloper Ringo ran second, beaten three-quarters of a length, in a Winter Championship Heat at Flemington on Saturday. Cambridge three-year-old Allez Eagle was unplaced on the same programme.