At this stage, the powerful Hastings stable of Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal will have a four strong team of jumpers competing at next month’s Grand National meeting in Christchurch.

Paul Nelson said this week two of their top hurdlers will probably make the trip along with a maiden hurdler and the well performed steeplechaser Nedwin.

“We’ve got Dictation, Taika and The Bambino as our proven hurdlers but only two of them are likely to go,” Nelson said.

“It all depends on what the track conditions are like.

“It would be a waste of time taking Taika down there if the track was too heavy so, if he doesn’t go, then The Bambino could take his place.

All three horses contested last Saturday’s Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3000m) at Woodville, with The Bambino finishing third, Dictation fourth and Taika eighth.

Nelson said he was satisfied with their performances, given that all three hadn’t raced for a month and track conditions were very heavy.

“Taika was a bit disappointing but the track was probably too heavy for him,” Nelson said.

“The Bambino finished the race off strongly and, if he’d jumped the last fence okay, he could have won and Dictation got used up a bit in the running and missing a start at Trentham last month didn’t help.”

Whichever two go, they will contest the Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) on the first day (August 1) as a lead up to the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) seven days later.

Benjamin is the maiden hurdler likely to make the trip. He finished third in his hurdle debut at Trentham on July 2 and will contest the maiden hurdle over 3100m on the first day at Christchurch. 

Nedwin is coming off a last start third in the Wellington Steeplechase (4900m) and that followed a win in the Waikato Steeplechase (3900m). Nelson said the Niagara 11-year-old will have a race on the flat at Waverley next Friday and then use the Koral Steeplechase (4250m) on the first day at Riccarton as a lead up to the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) on the last day.

The four Nelson/McDougal jumpers are book on a flight to Christchurch on Wednesday of next week.

Rayner now eyeing the Grand National

Lord Spencer sealed his berth across the Cook Strait next month to compete at Riccarton’s Grand National meeting with a gutsy win in last Sunday’s Farmlands Pahiatua Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m) at Woodville.

The winner of two races on the flat, Lord Spencer has shown a talent for jumping, posting three hurdle wins, including the 2024 edition of the Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) at Te Rapa, before transitioning to chasing this season. He finished runner-up in his steeplechase debut at Te Aroha last month before winning his maiden steeplechase at the Waikato venue three weeks later.

Off the back of those performances, Lord Spencer was backed into a $3 second favourite in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase behind Foxton jumper Never Look Back at $2.40.

Under regular pilot Lemmy Douglas, Lord Spencer was allowed to settle at the back of the pack early on, leaving the pacemaking duties to Saint Bernard and Never Look Back.

Heading down the back straight for the final time, Douglas began to improve his charge to be handier to the two front runners, and he quickly drew alongside the pair.

Douglas got busy on Lord Spencer and the trio entered a three-way duel a long way from home. They jumped the second-to-last fence on even terms, but Lord Spencer started to get the better of his rivals and drew clear just before the last, which he jumped well, before dashing away to score by 7-3/4 lengths.

Prince Turbo finished fast from the back to finish second, with a further length back to Saint Bernard in third.

“It was awesome and it was a great ride by Lemmy,” Lord Spencer’s trainer JJ Rayner said.

“He let him have a breather around the back and then he got on his bike and got cracking in the straight each time, and then he really let down and came at them, which was great.

“I was a little worried (when he took off a long way from home) but then I thought Lemmy knows the horse, he knows what he is doing. It turned out well and he jumped beautifully.

“He tends to jump live fences a lot better, and that is why I was worried today, but he really stood off them and jumped nicely.”

Douglas had some of the gloss of the win taken off him when he was fined $2150 by the stewards for excessive use of the whip.

Rayner said track conditions were her biggest concern heading into the race, but she needn’t have worried.

“I thought he would go a nice race, but I was very worried because I thought it would be quite puggy, and he doesn’t really like that, but he coped with it easily,” she said.

Rayner was also chuffed for the horse’s owner-breeder Dennis Dravitski, who was trackside for the win.

“I am pleased for the owner. It is the first time he has been on track when he has won a race, so it was special,” Rayner said.

She is now looking forward to heading to Riccarton next month with Lord Spencer, who will contest both the Koral Steeplechase (4250m) on August 1 and the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) seven days later.

“We will head there, we just wanted to get through today and make sure everything was A-okay,” Rayner said. “He likes it down there, so that is the plan at the moment.”

Day of mixed results for Featherstone

English-born jockey Will Featherstone certainly experienced the ups and downs of jumps racing at last Sunday’s Woodville meeting.

The 22-year-old chalked up his biggest New Zealand success when combining with Happy Star to win the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle and was runner-up aboard Prince Turbo in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase but then took a heavy tumble when Metallo fell at the last fence in the Cody Singer Memorial Steeplechase and sustained a suspected fractured collarbone.

Featherstone settled Happy Star just behind the speed in the early stages of the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3000m) before asking his charge to improve three-wide to sit outside the leader Dictation with a round to go.

The leading pair went head-to-head down the back straight before Happy Star started to draw clear of his rival and entered the home straight with a one-length advantage.

Jockey Kylan Wiles took the short way home along the rail aboard Quid to join Happy Star in the lead and the Kevin Myers-trained stablemates had a dogfight down the home straight before Hapy Star edged clear in the final stages to win by half a neck.

Hastings-trained The Bambino finished off strongly for third with his stablemate, Dictation, weakening a shade to finish fourth.

Happy Star won the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle in 2023 at Hastings and was runner-up in last year’s edition, and his connections were pleased he was able to reclaim his crown on Sunday.

The winner of the 2022 Grand National Hurdles (4200m), and placegetter in the 2023 and 2025 editions, a return trip to Riccarton next month is likely to contest the time-honoured race once again.

Happy Star has now won 13 races, including six victories on the flat, where he also placed in the Listed ANZAC Mile (1600m) and Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m), and his earnings have now surpassed $400,000.

Strangles outbreak contained at this stage

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing is impressed with the measures people are taking to contain the current Strangles outbreak. 

In a statement released last Monday, NZTR thanked everyone for their vigilance, prompt reporting and strong biosecurity practices which are helping to contain the disease.

The statement said there have been no new confirmed Strangles properties since July 9 and that the outbreak remains contained to the Waikato region, with 13 affected properties.

One linked property in Auckland remains well contained and is not connected to racing or communal training facilities.

Any trainer that wishes to take a companion horse to a race or trial meeting should check with the relevant club around feasibility and permission and ensure this horse, regardless of breed, strictly follows all current Strangles protocols that apply to horses racing on the day.

With the Grand National meeting in Christchurch starting on August 1 there have been updated travel requirements put in place.

For those people transporting horses between the North and South Islands:

• The horses must be clinically healthy.
• Horses must complete five days of twice-daily temperature monitoring before travel.
• A completed health declaration must accompany the horse.
• Approval from the Racing Integrity Board (RIB) Veterinary Services Manager and a negative PCR test must be made before travel.