Old Redfeather scores action packed win

OLD REDFEATHER took out the feature Open Steeplechase at Te Aroha on Sunday in a thrilling contest that had more twists than a John Grisham novel.

Mark Brooks’ Cambridge stable had a strong hand in the race with three well favoured runners and with 1000m to run he would have had designs on the trifecta.

Joking led for much of the race and was going well before crashing out of contention at the third last jump. That left his runners Goosebumps and Jack Romanov in line for the quinella and they set sail for home in first and second spots.

Shaun Phelan hadn’t given up on 10-year-old Te Awamutu jumper Old Redfeather and their never-say-die attitude had them chasing the Brooks pair. Over the penultimate jump and Jack Romanov was lodging his claim for victory when officials directed the field around the final jump to the confusion of horses, riders and spectators.

Simultaneously the Brooks grip on the race dissolved as Old Redfeather charged between the stablemates under Phelan’s urgings to surge to victory.

The cause of the last fence diversion was a hole in the track and, in the interest of safety, horses were directed around the fence.

It was a welcome win for trainer Darrell Hollinshead who races the Generous gelding with his father Peter.

The pair bred the gelding out of their mare Havitbak, making the tough old campaigner a close relation to their Group I mare Pondarosa Miss and her Gai Ecuador.

“He surprised me,” Hollinshead said. “He was really going around today to get ready to go over the Ellerslie hill at his next couple of starts.

“Actually if he didn’t produce in his next few starts, I told a girl back home she could have him for a hunter – he must have heard me.”

The Ellerslie races Hollinshead has in mind are the Pakuranga Hunt Cup and all going well the Great Northern Steeplechase.

Thenamesbond showed he is progressing towards his feature Ellerslie hurdling assignments with a commanding win in the open hurdle in the hands of Charlie Studd. The Stephen Ralphtrained jumper easily beat Moni Nui with West End third.

Waterhouse-trained

brother