Hastings-trained Le Zain Bolt took a step towards contesting the Listed $1million Karaka Millions Two-year-old Classic at Ellerslie in January with an excellent debut win at Tauherenikau last Sunday.
The Hello Youmzain filly only had four rivals in the two-year-old 1000m event but created a big impression with a performance that belied her inexperience.
Le Zain Bolt is prepared by the training partnership of Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos and went into the race on the back of a decisive two length win in an 800m jumpout at Hastings on October 12.
That day she jumped straight to the front and led throughout but at Tauherenikau she was a lot more tractable, with rider Lily Sutherland getting the filly to settle behind the leaders until the home straight.
Le Zain Bolt was momentarily held up before Sutherland managed to get a late split between horses and the filly drove through, under a hands and heels ride, to score by a short neck from Uncorked, with the hot favourite Choosin Texas a long neck back in third.
Guy Lowry purchased Le Zain Bolt from this year’s Karaka yearling sales for $15,000 after the filly had originally been passed in.
“She was the last horse to be sold at the sale which is probably why we managed to get her so cheap,” Lowry said.
Taradale couple Mark Evans and Lynette Hammington own 60 per cent of Le Zain Bolt with Napier-based Noel Lister also owning a 10 percent share. The other 30 per cent was taken up by the In To Win In Style Syndicate, managed by Palmerston North-based Tineke Balcombe.
There are several In To Win syndicates in operation, with a sizeable number of horses involved, and the Awapuni-based pair of Roydon Bergerson and Mike Breslin have been their mainstay trainers.
“This is the first one we have had with Guy and Leah and so we now have a 100 per cent record with the stable,” a delighted Balcombe said after watching Le Zain Bolt’s win.
Guy Lowry said Le Zain Bolt will now be given a brief freshen up before a steady build up to her next race.
“She’ll probably have her next start in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham on December 19,” Lowry said this week.
“It’s a $100,000 Group 3 race and, if she went well again, it should get her a start in the Karaka Millions.”
Noel Lister has had shares in horses that have finished second, third and fourth in Karaka Millions races in the past and is hoping Le Zain Bolt can finally give him success.
Evans and Hammington also own the well performed Zambezi Khan, who won one race from three starts when trained by Guy Lowry before being transferred to Australia. She went on to win another four races there and finished second in the Group 3 South Australian Classic (2500m) before being retired to stud.
Sol De Otono fulfilling her potential
The Hastings stable of Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos produced two winners at last Sunday’s Tauherenikau meeting and both horses look destined for better things.
Le Zain Bolt was an impressive winner of the 1100m two-year-old event while Sol De Otono scored a game half-head win in a Rating 75 race over 1600m.
Sol De Otono was having her second start back in a new campaign and showed great tenacity to outstay the better performed Sheaf in a two-horse war over the final stages.
Sol De Otono is owned by Cambridge breeder Tony Rider and is a well-bred mare, being by The Autumn Sun out of the Savabeel mare Savvy Dreams.
The latter only won two races but was placed third in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and second in the Group 3 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and also finished fourth in the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) in Adelaide.
Rider races 50 per cent of Sol De Otono and has leased the other 50 per cent out.
Guy Lowry has a racing share as well as several other Hawke’s Bay people. They are Fred Coates, brothers Mark and Paul Apatu, Bruce Lewis, Jim Small, Darrel Cook and George and Karen Bulled.
The other syndicate members are Sundi Destounis, Gavin Duckworth and Diana Dobson from Gisborne along with Matthew and Karma McCallum, Steve and Cathie McCallum and Ryan and Catriona McFarlane from Wellington. A number of them were part of the syndicate that raced Savvy Dreams.
Sol De Otono was the first foal out of Savvy Dreams to race but the mare has since left Savour The Dream (by Super Seth), who has won four races in Australia, and Tony Rider’s Milan Park Stud sold a Sword Of State filly out of Savvy Dreams for $425,000 at last January’s Karaka yearling sales.
Guy Lowry said this week Sol De Otono has come through last Sunday’s win well and will now have her next start in a $25,000 Rating 75 race over 1950m at Rotorua on December 2.
Hercock back in winning grove
Hawke’s Bay jockey Kate Hercock didn’t take long to grace the winner’s stall again after a lengthy layoff when she kicked Potcheen to victory in a maiden race over 1300m at last Sunday’s Tauherenikau meeting.
The win came just a week after Hercock returned to race-riding after being sidelined for six months following a race fall at Woodville in April.
It has been a frustrating road to recovery for Hercock, who had to wait two months after her fall before getting an MRI scan, which revealed the state of her injuries.
“I fell off at the end of April and by the time they decided they were going to MRI it (leg), it was eight weeks later,” she said.
“I ruptured a ligament in my ankle and strained my Achilles, and I ended up having ankle surgery.
“They did keyhole surgery on both sides of my ankle and took all the debris out, because I had a couple of bone chips. They scuffed up the bone to try and regenerate cartilage in my ankle. I also had a fracture in my ankle that they didn’t pick up until I had an MRI scan.”
While it was a frustrating process to get to surgery, Hercock said she took the opportunity to go on an overseas holiday to the United States and coincidentally started seeing an expat American chiropractor on her return, who she credits for her quick recovery.
“We are very lucky in Waipukurau, we have got a myofascial specialist who has come over from America. He is one of our chiropractors here,” Hercock said. “Without him (Zeke), I wouldn’t be back riding as soon as I am. He has been amazing.
“We have been using different techniques, and I have had needling, hot cupping and stuff like that.”
Hercock said the surgery was a success and gave her almost instant pain relief.
“Before I had surgery the ankle had been really sore and the day after surgery I wasn’t on any painkillers, it was absolutely brilliant,” she said. “I think that is through a lot of the work that we had done with Zeke.”
Hercock said she slowly worked her way back into the saddle and began riding track work last month before returning to raceday riding at Otaki on October 31.
She was delighted that her first win back came on a horse trained by Cambridge-based Cody Cole, who has been one of her greatest supporters.
“His team is flying and he does a bloody good job with his horses,” Hercock said. “It is just nice that you have got someone like him that is willing to back you and put you on.”
Potcheen was having her second start following a good debut second over 1200m at Taupo in September and Hercock bounced her out well from the barrier before settling her fifth place in the early running.
She waited until the home turn before angling across the heels of the two leaders and once she got Potcheen into the clear the Ancient Spirit four-year-old showed a great turn of foot late to race clear for a 1-1/4 length win.
Sandown Cup next for Manzor Blue
Palmerston North mare Manzor Blue claimed valuable Australian black type when runner-up in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington last Saturday and she will now try to go one better in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) later this month.
New Zealand syndicator Go Racing began to dream of a Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) tilt with their mare following her victory in the Group 3 Wellington Cup (3200m) and runner-up effort in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) earlier this year, and while she failed to make the field, they were rapt with their consolation prize on Saturday behind Pinhole.
“We are absolutely over the moon,” Go Racing’s General Manager Matt Allnutt said. “To get a Group 3 placing at Flemington on the last day of the carnival is massive.
“We have always had a lot of confidence and faith in her, and we were hoping the race would be run to suit with the topweight leading and setting a strong gallop, and that is how it turned out.
“I thought she was magnificent, just the way she hit the line and finished the race off. It was such a good result.”
Allnutt said the Lisa Latta-trained mare was also able to silence a few doubters with her performance.
The Sandown Cup on November 28 now presents as the perfect finale for Manzor Blue’s spring campaign, and Allnutt said she will likely target the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) next autumn before being set on another Melbourne Cup path.