HB owner shares in Wellington Cup glory

Hawke’s Bay thoroughbred owner Ron Spotswood celebrated another major race win after a lengthy absence when Six O’Clock News took out last Saturday’s Group 2 $200,000 Pacific Jewellers Wellington Cup.

Spotswood is a member of the Six O’Clock News Syndicate that owns the Zabeel seven-year-old and he has a 10 per cent shareholding. Another shareholder is Taupo-based John de Lautour. Spotswood has raced horses for many years with his first top performer being Burletta, winner of the 1983 Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas and crowned New Zealand Three-year-old Filly of the Year for the 1983-84 season.

He was also the owner of Avedon, who won 15 races including both the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton and Group 1 Otaki Bayer Classic in 1994 and the 1997 Group 1 Waikato Draught Sprint at Te Rapa.

Six O’Clock News is out of the Avondale Cup winner Maurine and cost $110,000 at the 2006 Ready To Run two-year-old sale. He has now won eight races from 50 starts and his victory on Saturday took his stake earnings to $524,643.

Trained at Cambridge by Trent Busuttin, Six O’Clock News also won the Group 3 $70,000 Trentham Stakes (2100m) on the first day of this year’s Wellington Cup carnival and will now be aimed at the Group 1 $500,000 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on March 7.

Six O’Clock News was one of two Hawke’s Bay-owned winners at Saturday’s Wellington Cup meeting, the other being The Prince in the $20,000 Special Conditions 1400.

Two winners for Sam Kelt in a week

Havelock North thoroughbred owner-breeder Sam Kelt has shared in the ownership of two winners on New Zealand racetracks in the past week.

Kindred, a filly he races in partnership with his wife Belinda, made it three wins from six starts with an emphatic 1-1/4 length victory in a $7000 Rating 75 1400 at last Wednesday’s Whangarei meeting while Scarlet O’Hara, a filly he co-owns with another Hawke’s Bay man, Jonathan Wallace, scored by 1-1/2 lengths in a $10,000 Rating 65 1200 at Trentham on Monday.

Kindred was a $260,000 purchase from the 2010 premier session of the Karaka yearling sales and is trained at Matamata by Jason Bridgman. The Pins filly scored a winning double in the South Island back in October last year, when prepared out of Bridgman’s Rangiora stable, and was transferred north just before Christmas.

The filly is out of the Zabeel mare Kind Return, who was the winner of four races and was placed second in both the Group 1 ARC Zabeel Classic (2000m) and Group 2 City Of Auckland Cup (2400m).

HB owner left lamenting after unsigned deal

Monday’s win by Shez Sinsational in the Group 1 $200,000 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie has hit home to Havelock North thoroughbred owner-breeder Herbie Wong that deals, especially those involving racehorses, should never be done on just a handshake.

Wong has bred and raced horses for many years and once owned a 25 per cent share in Original Sin, the dam of Shez Sinsational. Photographs of the mare’s two wins are proudly displayed on a wall of his home.

Wong raced Original Sin in partnership with the Auckland-based company Karaka Group Limited and when it came time to breed from the mare he was of the understanding that he would get the fourth foal she produced to own outright.

However nothing was put in writing and when Karaka Group Limited went into liquidation the receivers moved in and took control of all thoroughbreds owned by the company, including Original Sin and her latest foal.

That foal, now a yearling, is a full-sister to Shez Sinsational. It is the horse Wong thought he owned until he was informed this week that, because there was nothing in writing, it was part the Karaka Group Limited assets seized by the receivers. The filly, by Ekraar out of Original Sin, will now be put up for auction at the select session of the upcoming Karaka yearling sales in Auckland. She will be offered as part of the draft from Highbury Park Stud, which is acting as agents for the receivers.

Former Hastings horse wins in Australia

Think Mink, a horse who started her racing career in Hawke’s Bay and is still part-owned by Hastings trainer Guy Lowry, notched her first success in Australia last week.

The Scaredee Cat four-year-old resumed from a two month break with a decisive victory in a $A27,000 fillies & mares race over 1200 metres at Wednesday’s Kembla Grange meeting in New South Wales. She was well back until the home turn but stormed home up against the inside rail to score by 1-1/4 lengths.

Now trained in Sydney by John O’Shea, Think Mink has had five Australian starts, the other four producing a second and two thirds.

Waipukurau’s Steve Ellis bred the mare and sold her to Guy Lowry and Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick as a foal. She raced under the name of Mink in New Zealand and had three starts from the Hastings stable of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen for a fifth, a win and a sixth. She finished fifth in her debut over 1200 metres at Woodville in October last year and then won her second start, over 1200 metres at Gisborne. She then finished an unlucky sixth over 1340 metres at Wanganui before being transferred to O’Shea’s stable. She is now owned by Lowry and Mark Chittick in partnership with John O’Shea’s wife and one of his stable clients.

Think Mink is out of the Rhythm mare Zazu and is a half-sister to Bally Duff, who was stakes placed as a two-year-old in New Zealand and was recently placed in Hong Kong.

Steve Ellis still owns Zazu and is presently racing an Istidaad three-year-old gelding out of mare called King Of Rock.

Deserved group win for Lady Kipling

Hawke’s Bay-owned mare Lady Kipling will now be aimed at one of two rich stakes races at the Auckland Christmas-New Year meeting after recording her first black type success with a decisive length victory in Saturday’s Group 2 $85,000 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa.

Jimmy Choux flown out to Hong Kong

Hastings trainer John Bary has had nothing but glowing reports on the progress of his star galloper Jimmy Choux as the horse prepares to take on some of the best gallopers in the world in the $HK20million Hong Kong Mile at the Sha Tin racecourse on Sunday, December 11.

The Thorn Park four-year-old remained in Australia after his game last start fourth in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 5 but was on a flight to Hong Kong last night, in the care of Bary’s stable employees Aaron Kuru and Sue Hall. He is the only Australasian horse invited to compete at this year’s rich Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International meeting.

Kuru, an amateur jockey, arrived in Melbourne at the beginning of last week and has been riding Jimmy Choux in all his trackwork since.

Promising hurdler Vamoose is no more

Talented Hastings hurdler Vamoose has died suddenly on the Hawke’s Bay farm of his part-owner Hilton Meech.

The seven-year-old His Royal Highness gelding was the winner of four races from 23 starts and also recorded four seconds and three fourths and amassed stake earnings of $34,350.

Double success for HB in 2000 Guineas

For the second year in a row a Hawke’s Bay bred and owned galloper has captured one of the jewels in the three-year-old crown, the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.

Last year it was Jimmy Choux, bred and owned by Havelock North couple Richard and Liz Wood. On Saturday it was Rock ‘n’ Pop, bred by Sam Kelt under the company banner of Barnaby & Co Limited. The only difference is that last year’s 1600-metre feature carried stakemoney of $1million whereas Saturday’s race was run for just $400,000.

Jimmy Choux shines in track gallop

Star Hastings galloper Jimmy Choux turned in an excellent training gallop in Melbourne yesterday in preparation for this Saturday’s $1million Emirates Mile, feature race on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.

Jimmy Choux invited to Hong Kong Mile

Hastings trainer John Bary confirmed yesterday that his star galloper Jimmy Choux has been invited to contest this year’s $HK20million Hong Kong Mile.

The 1600-metre event is the richest race run over that distance in the world and will be run at the Sha Tin racecourse on Sunday, December 11.

Entry into the race is by invitation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Jimmy Choux was said to be one of only a couple of Australasian horses being considered for the race.