On the weekend of the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase it is pertinent that we remember one of the great winners of the race in No Hero, who died on Tuesday of last week aged 26.
The Hastings owned and trained gelding was one of the country’s star jumpers of the 1990s, recording eight wins, four seconds and three thirds and amassed more than $186,000 in prizemoney.
He had his last race when finishing fourth in the Koral Steeplechase on the first day of the 2008 Grand National carnival at Riccarton and saw out his retirement years in the loving care of Hastings woman Jo Harrison.
He went on to compete successfully in the dressage arena and was also used a clerk of the course horse at Hastings race meetings for several years.
No Hero was bred and owned by Paul and Carol Nelson and carried their colours to victory in the 2005 Grand National Steeplechase as well as two Hawke’s Bay Steeplechases (2003 and 2005), the 2005 Koral Steeplechase at Riccarton, the 2005 Manawatu Steeplechase and the 2006 Great Western Steeplechase at Riverton.
He bolted in by nine lengths when winning the Grand National Steeplechase while his winning margins in his two Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase victories were 5-3/4 lengths and 8-1/2 lengths.
The grey also had two races in Japan in April 2007 where he contested the Nakayama Grand Jump but was unplaced.
The horse’s regular rider Jonathan Riddell partnered him in seven of his eight wins and has no hesitation in labelling him as one of the best jumpers he has ridden.
"He was a super jumping horse,” recalled Riddell.
“He took you to a fence, he saw a stride and just jumped. He wasn't the fastest horse but he had a massive heart.”
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for horse and jockey, with Riddell and trainer Paul Nelson reflecting on two race mishaps.
"I rode him at Foxton in his first steeplechase start and we got interfered with down the back-straight and I fell off,” said Riddell.
It was back in the days when horses could be remounted and continue on if the jockey felt so inclined and so Riddell cantered No Hero back to the birdcage to check if Nelson wanted him to carry on.
"I need the money, off you go," was the reply.
No Hero and Riddell went back and jumped the last three fences to claim third prizemoney.
Nelson recalled another incident in the 2006 Waikato Steeplechase where No Hero had been installed a $1.50 favourite.
"Johnathan had talked him up in the press. He was super confident and stated the only way they can beat him is if he falls over," said Paul wryly.
And that is exactly what happened. No Hero jumped so big at the first fence that he knuckled over on landing and both horse and rider were left sprawling on the ground.
Riddell said it was a long way down when he fell and an even longer walk back to the jockeys’ room, where he had to face the ire of Nelson and the punters.
No Hero was a horse that endeared himself to everyone but Nelson said it was the special affection Jo Harrison showered on the horse in his retirement years that he holds dear.
"He was adored by Jo and she gave him the most amazing retirement.
“He was doing dressage, he was a super clerk of the course horse, and when that was all done Jo cared for him like a King. I am so very grateful for her care of him," he said.
Harrison said she used to spoil No Hero with carrots and he was still in amazingly good condition right up to the end. But the horse finally succumbed to old age.
“I’ll miss him more than you will ever know…he was truly my best mate,” a tearful Jo Harrison said.
Sutherland’s perseverance rewarded
Hastings apprentice jockey Lily Sutherland made a successful riding debut on the Riccarton track last Saturday but travel disruptions meant she also missed another winning mount and was lucky to even get to the racecourse at all.
Sutherland produced a polished performance, in testing track conditions, to get the Lisa Latta-trained Make Time home for a neck victory in a Rating 65 race over 1200m.
It was the 18-year-old’s first ride on the big roomy Christchurch track but it was meant to be her second. She had also been booked for the first starter Carignan, who scored an easy 2-1/2 length victory three races earlier, but missed that ride because of travel delays. Another apprentice, Ashvin Mudhoo, was the lucky recipient of that winning mount.
Sutherland had left her Hawke’s Bay base and driven to Palmerston North for a 6am flight to Christchurch.
The flight was to be via Auckland but the Auckland airport was closed because of severe weather conditions so Sutherland and two other Palmerston North jockeys, Faye Lazet, and Chris Dell, were left stranded at Palmerston North airport.
They tried to get on a 10am direct flight to Christchurch but that was fully booked so they decided to drive back to Napier and catch a direct flight to Christchurch from there.
Because they knew they would be cutting things fine, time-wise, by the time they got to Christchurch the trio decided to change into their riding gear at Napier airport before they boarded the flight.
On arrival at Christchurch airport they had a rushed trip to the Riccarton course, arriving just in time for Sutherland and Lazet to weigh out for their mounts in race five. That was the race Sutherland kicked home the aptly named Make Time to win while Lazet finished ninth on Fame Shines.
Sutherland said this week it was a great thrill to chalk up her first win on the Riccarton track but it was also a very tiring weekend as her and the other jockeys then had to fly back from Christchurch to Palmerston North on Saturday night and then get up early the next morning to drive to the Hawera races. She then had to arrange transport back to Hastings.
Sutherland’s win aboard Make Time was her fifth from a short riding career. She will again be busy this weekend, riding at yesterday’s Woodville meeting before heading south again for today’s third day of the Grand National meeting at Riccarton.
Hastings apprentice Lily Sutherland salutes the judge after her win aboard Make Time at Riccarton last Saturday.
Yanagida family issue statement
Life as a jockey may not have been the career choice Kayano Yanagida saw for her son Taiki, but she has taken comfort from the fact the 28-year-old never doubted his path.
This was reiterated in the statement issued by Kayano following the popular jockey’s death in Waikato Hospital on Tuesday. He had been in intensive care with serious head and spinal injuries he suffered in a race fall at Cambridge the previous Wednesday.
“Taiki repeatedly said he had no regrets,” Kayano Yanagida said.
“He told us the same when he went back to New Zealand from Kyoto a month ago. As his family, we will always remember these words as we think of him.
“Taiki’s achievements could not have been reached without the support from each of his friends, acquaintances, and horse racing associates. With their help, he was able to overcome difficulties, always aiming ever higher. We express our deep gratitude,” she said.
A universally-liked member of the racing community, he was nicknamed Tiger and had been riding in New Zealand for five seasons, indentured to the stable of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott for the majority of that time.
With 162 career wins to his name, Yanagida had three stakes wins this year, aboard Dragon Queen in the Group 2 Westbury Classic (1400m), Bellatrix Black in the Group 3 Sunline Vase (2100m) and Germanicus in the Listed Flying Stakes (1400m).
He made the transition to the senior riding ranks earlier this year, finishing the last racing season with 42 wins, and had been victorious aboard Rusavy earlier on the card at last week’s Cambridge meeting.
NZTR chief executive Bruce Sharrock said that Taiki’s mother Kayano and sisters Chiaki and Ayano could be proud of his achievements both on and off the track.
“The outpouring of emotion demonstrates just how many lives Taiki touched during his time in New Zealand. That beaming smile will be an enduring memory when we remember him,” he said.
The racing family does come together in times of adversity, and there are so many people out there wanting to provide some form of support for the family that we have set up an account for the purpose,” he said.
Donations can be made to the account 01-0517-0063944-07 using the reference Taiki.
A service to commemorate Taiki Yanagida’s life is also being organised with the details regarding the date and venue to be advised once confirmed with his family.