New sponsor for HB’s prestige race

New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance is the new sponsor of Hawke’s Bay Racing’s biggest race of the year, the Group 1 Spring Classic.

The 2040-metre weight-for-age event, formerly the Kelt Capital Stakes, will this year carry a stake of $300,000, which is up $50,000 on last year. It will again be run on the third day of the Hawke’s Bay spring racing carnival, on October 1.

New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance is a committed sponsor of thoroughbred
racing in New Zealand and, for the past two years, has been the sponsor of another main race at the spring carnival, the Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas. A new sponsor is now being finalised for that race.

Hawke’s Bay Racing general manager, Jason Fleming, said his club is delighted that New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance has chosen to extend its involvement with Hawke's Bay Racing.

“The Spring Classic is the country’s supreme weight-for-age contest, with the best horses descending on the Bay. It is heartening for us as a club to further develop our partnership with New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance and increase the stake to $300, 000,” Fleming said.

Jim Bruford, manager of New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance said: “After many years of sponsorship at Hawke’s Bay we are pleased to now take over the sponsorship of this prestigious Group One event. Our sponsorship with Hawke's Bay Racing is an acknowledgement of the support we receive from owners in the Central Districts and we look forward to continuing our commitment to a region that supports the business of New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance. We must also acknowledge the contribution made by our London underwriters whose continued support enables New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance to be a prominent sponsor of the New Zealand thoroughbred industry.”

Nominations for the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Spring Classic stand at 42, with most of the racing stars turf in recent seasons among them.

Spearheading the list is the 2010 Spring Classic victor Wall Street, five time Group 1 winner Mufhasa, local hero Jimmy Choux and Queensland Oaks winner Scarlett Lady.  Australian interest is headed by dual Group 1 winner Alandi, whose victories include the Irish St Leger and Prix Du Cadran at Longchamp, in France.

The Rush Munro Spring Racing Carnival is held at Hastings Racecourse over three exciting days;

v  Saturday, August 27- featuring the Group 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m).

v  Saturday, September 17– featuring the Group One Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m).

v  Saturday, October 1 – featuring the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Spring Classic (2040m), Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Group 3 TradeRacks Stakes (1400m).

Five HB winners in the past week

It has been another successful week for Hawke’s Bay-trained horses, with five individual winners since last Thursday.

The Paul Nelson-trained pair of Vamoose and Ho Down started the roll when successful in two of the three jumping races at Thursday’s Wanganui meeting. Then, on Saturday, No Excuse Maggie triumphed for John Bary at the Taumarunui meeting while Just As Well and Just A Shout were successful at Otaki for their respective trainers, Sue Thompson-Brown and Teresa Shepherd.

Vamoose completed a hat-trick of wins as a jumper with a 12 length victory in a 3000-metre hurdle race at Wanganui and could now be headed south for the Grand National meeting at Riccarton, which starts this Saturday.

The seven-year-old His Royal Highness gelding is owned by Hawke’s Bay’s Hilton Meech and his daughter Anna Follett, in partnership with Ashburton couple Brock and Catherine Peddie.

Last year’s Hawke’s Bay Hurdles winner Ho Down made a successful transition to the bigger fences with a 1-1/2 length victory in the restricted open steeplechase over 4100 metres at Wanganui. It was the Victory Dance gelding’s eighth win from 70 starts and six of them have been as a jumper.

He is owned by trainer Paul Nelson, in partnership with his wife Carol.

No Excuse Maggie followed up some excellent trackwork last week with a game all the way win in a $25,000 Rating 90 1600-metre race at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The grey mare was rated perfectly in front by woman rider Sam Spratt and staved off a challenge from favourite Ourforeignminister to win by a neck.

It was No Excuse Maggie’s third win from just 10 starts. She is owned by Wairoa couple Howard and Kay Jones and raced by the Full Of Excuses Syndicate.

Just As Well credited Hastings trainer Sue Thompson-Brown with her first win of the season when he led virtually all the way in a 1600-metre maiden at Otaki on Saturday.

Thompson-Brown, a successful amateur rider, has been preparing a small team of horses on her own for the past couple of years and also had one win in the 2009-10 season. She is now training in partnership with husband Mick Brown from the start of this season.

Just As Well is owned by Kumeu-based trainer Davina Waddell in partnership with another couple from that area, Stuart and Colleen McLachlan. Waddell initially prepared the horse but sent him south to Thompson-Brown as he was proving difficult to control and she lacked the necessary staff to work the horse.

Thompson-Brown said Just As Well can still be quite difficult and dropped Mick Brown in trackwork last Friday. So it was great that the couple were able to get the desired result with the horse on Saturday.

Just As Well was following on from a last start second at Hastings on July 21. His  jockey Robert Hannam shot him to a clear lead rounding the home bend on Saturday and the horse managed to hang on to win by three-quarters of a length from the fast finishing The Last Al.

Just A Shout appreciated a drop back in class when he scored a decisive length win in the Rating 70 2100-metre race at Otaki on Saturday.

The Generous gelding, trained at Waipukurau by Teresa Shepherd, had only managed eighth on the same track the start before but that was in an open class race over 2100 metres.  He looked well placed in Saturday’s race, especially with apprentice Jessica Shackleton claiming a three kilogram allowance, and led for the last 700 metres.

Just A Shout is now the winner of three races for his owners, Waipukurau Jockey Club president Dick Miller and his wife Tessa.