We’re all trying to produce black type performers and there’s such a rush when we succeed.
1 March saw our homebred Our Echo triumph in the Otago RC White Robe Lodge Stakes (Group 3, 1600). Winning a weight for age race is special. There’s nowhere to hide on the handicap, no question of your clever trainer sneaking your horse in at the bottom of the handicap. You carry exactly the same weight as every other horse of the same age and gender.
Danny Frye had prepared Echo so that he was at his physical peak for the occasion and Tina Cominaghi produced an exquisite ride to narrowly defeat the proven WFA performer, Perfect Scenario (Iffraaj).
The only other weight for age event on the South Island calendar is the time-honoured Canterbury Gold Cup, run over 2000 metres since 1854. Its latest renewal occurred yesterday; the winner was our other homebred, the 4g by Pure Champion, Riviera Rebel. Again, our trainers (Graham Eade/ Brooke Kincaid) timed our horse’s preparation to perfection; again, our jockey, Kylie Williams, executed our tactical master plan with flair and aplomb.
I’m writing this at 2.31 a.m. on Sunday morning. Still too excited to sleep.
