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.

The Prince, a four-year-old by O’Reilly out of The Grin, is part-owned by Hawke’s Bay Racing general manager Jason Fleming. He is a member of a syndicate that bought the horse as a yearling for $300,000.

The Prince is trained at New Plymouth by John Wheeler and is now the winner of two races from six starts. He is out of the Grosvenor mare The Grin and a full-brother to the dual Group 1 winner The Jewel.

Four Hastings winners

Hastings-trained horses have won four races in the past week. Shesalljazz, Desi Girl and San Pedro were all successful at last Wednesday’s Hawke’s Bay meeting while Commett took out a Rating 65 1200-metre race at Rotorua on Friday.

Commett is trained by John Bary and owned by Cambridge couple Peter and Christine Scoular. The three-year-old No Excuse Needed gelding won his debut over 1200 metres at Waverley last September and is now the winner of two races from six starts.

Shesalljazz also won a Rating 65 race over 1200 metres, leading all the way. The Coats Choice mare is trained by Patrick Campbell and owned by her Hastings breeders, Chris and Ken Russell. She is out of the Dieu D’Or mare Donna Jazz and has now won two races from 10 starts.

Desi Girl broke through for a maiden win over 2000 metres at her 13^th start. The John Bary-trained mare is by Keeper out of the Jetball mare Flash and owned by Auckland’s Narendra Balia.

San Pedro, owned and trained by Hastings couple Paul and Carol Nelson, scored an impressive 1-1/2 length win in a Rating 65 race over 2000 metres.

The Colombia five-year-old was having his eighth start, his previous seven outings resulting in one win, a second and two thirds. He was bred by the late Alan Dever and is out of the Lord Ballina mare La Esmeralda.

High priced yearlings star

Two of the highest priced yearlings ever raised in Hawke’s Bay have both been successful in recent days.

Rock ‘N’ Pop, a $1million purchase from the 2010 premier session of the Karaka sales, brought up his third success from six starts with a nose victory in Sunday’s $100,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Karaka Three-year-old Mile at Ellerslie. The following day Maciano, who was knocked down to a bid of $1,450,000 at the 2008 premier sale, recorded his second win from 15 starts when taking out a $6000 Rating 65 event at Te Teko.

Both horses are out of the Sir Tristram mare Popsy and were bred by Havelock North’s Sam Kelt. Maciano is now a five-year-old and a son of the great Australian sire Redoutes Choice while Rock ‘N’ Pop is a colt by the new boom sire in Australia, Fastnet Rock.

Popsy won the 1993 Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and also included the Group 1 ARC Championship Stakes among her six wins. She has been mated this season with Mastercraftsman.

‘Dragon’ roars again

Hong Kong's reigning Horse of the Year, the Hawke’s Bay-bred Ambitious Dragon, produced a dominant winning performance fresh up in Sunday’s $HK8million Stewards Cup (1600m) at the Sha Tin track.

The Tony Millard trained gelding was forced to race wide, without cover, in the first leg of the Hong Kong triple crown but the tough trip did little to dent his finishing burst as he strode clear to win by 1-1/4 lengths.

Ambitious Dragon was bred by Taupo’s Pat Lowry and underwent his early education from the Hastings stable of Guy Lowry. He was sold privately, unraced, to a Hong Kong client of trainer Tony Millard.

Millard said Ambitious Dragon will now head to the second leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown, the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2000 metres.

HB-bred winner at Ellerslie

Shining Armour, bred by Central Hawke’s Bay’s Sue Harty, scored an impressive maiden win over 1200 metres at Sunday’s Auckland premier meeting.

The three-year-old gelding is by Spartacus out of the Shinko King mare Shining Shells and was sold by Harty as a weanling. He was then on sold as a yearling for $29,000 and is now destined to do his future racing in Hong Kong.

Shining Armour is the last foal produced by Shining Shells, who had to be put down after suffering a severe bout of colic in July 2010. The mare has also left the South Island winner Bokkie Bokkie.