Stable News – September/October 2011
Spring is definitely in the air, with a wide range of seasons within the week. We are at that point where one day we have a winter track, and the next a summer track. It’s keeping us all on our toes trying to watch the weather and best place the horses for their preferred footing.
August has started slowly with 7 runners lining up for only a couple of placings. This should improve as the summer horses get fitter with racing.
Racing Team coming up:
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Riomoral
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Viking Ace
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Lydian Prince
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Month in Review:
With only a small racing team in work there were only a handful of starters during September, 7 in total. This included Riomoral and Shelly Bee who raced at Wanganui on the 3rd, and Coolross who raced at Ellerslie on the 3rd.
Coolross has come to the end of his campaign, not racing like the horse who started out so well at the start of winter. He has now gone out for his summer break with a view to next winter.
Shelly Bee stepped up to a middle distance of 1800m at New Plymouth on the 24th running on well at the finish for a gutsy 3rd. She then followed this up with 1800m at Taupo for a 6th, but has shown us she is at the end of her campaign and will now go our for a well deserved break. She has gone so close to breaking maidens in this campaign with 9 starts for 5 seconds, 1 third, 2 sixths and 2 misses. If she improves as much during this break as she did during her last, she should win several races next time in.
After his fresh up effort for 3rd at Wanganui, Riomoral stepped up to 1400m at his favoured track of Te Rapa. He was wiped sideways at the top of the straight and still picked himself up for another nice 3rd placing. He appears to have come through the race well and may step out in the WFA 1200m at Rotorua.
Viking Ace started his campaign in style with a nice 3rd over 1200m at Taupo on the 14th September. He may have gone close to winning, but for hitting the lead at the top of the straight and then running greenly and being run down late. He travelled back to Taupo on the 6th October for the Maiden 1400m and put in a very impressive effort for a win. He drew wide, sat back in the running and then wheeled around the field from the 600m. If he can carry on the same way he should be going places.
Lydian Prince started out on his new campaign at Taupo on the 6th, needing the run and looking like the 2200m plus stayer he is. Phillip Turner who rode him, was happy with the run, advising he needed more distance and to get fitter, which is exactly why he was there. It is so hard to get your staying horses race fit, when there are no trials being run further than 1200m, so you have no option but to head to the races. He will probably look at another race towards the end of the month, stepping up to 2000m.
Racing in October:
Riomoral possibly at Rotorua on the 15th October or Feilding on the 29th October.
Viking Ace will most probably head to Te Rapa on the 5th November.
Lydian Prince will look at stepping out again at Paeroa on the 2nd November.
Breaking and Pre-training News
The breaking and pre-training has been steadily picking up, with some nice horses stepping through the gate to further their education prior to heading onto their trainers.
Each of the breakers have broken in very nicely and handled themselves well when shown the Matamata training tracks for the first times prior to heading out for a break. They will then come back for a refresher, undertaking more trackwork and being taught the starting gates etc, prior to heading off to their new trainers.