Locally Sauced brought up his seventh win on the flat when taking out a 2200m highweight at Te Aroha last Sunday but it is over the big steeplechase fences that his future lies.
The nine-year-old Ifraaj gelding, part-owned by Hastings woman Irene Downey and her son Josh, will revert back to jumping the big fences in the 4000m maiden steeplechase at today’s Wellington meeting at Trentham.
Locally Sauced has had three steeplechase starts. He lost his rider after knuckling over at the sixth fence in a 3900m race at Te Rapa in May but then finished a good third behind No Tip and Delegate over 4190m at Ellerslie on Queen’s Birthday weekend.
He then lined up in a maiden steeplechase at Hastings on July 3 where he disputed the pace with eventual winner Shackeltons Edge for most of the 4000m event before weakening in the final stages to finish fifth.
Waiuku trainers Grant and Tana Shaw decided to give the horse another run on the flat last Sunday to boost his fitness and they expect him to strip a lot fitter at Trentham today.
There is a chance, if the horse performs well again, that he could head south for the Grand National meeting at Riccarton early next month.
Locally Sauced has now had 89 starts for seven wins, seven seconds and 10 thirds and has earned his connections more than $130,000 in prizemoney.
He had to produce a game effort to win last Sunday as he looked likely to only run second inside the last 300m but lifted late, under the urgings of jockey Clayton Chipperfield, to wrest back the lead and score by a neck over Haere Up, with 1-1/4 lengths back to third placed Richard Of Yorke.
Locally Sauced’s victory credited comeback jockey Clayton Chipperfield with his first success after a 15-year hiatus.
“It was a big thrill and I had my daughters there with me,” Chipperfield said. “It was the first time they have ever been to the races to watch me ride, so it was a special day.”
While pleased with the win, Chipperfield was surprised to see what his charge was paying on the tote.
“He is a nice and relaxed horse, and he was pretty fit going into the race,” he said.
“I was surprised he was the second outsider ($14), as he had over $120,000 in the bank and six wins on the flat.
“With 300m to go I thought we were beaten, but we got up by a neck in the end and he fought so well.”
Chipperfield said it was good to get the monkey off his back and he is hoping his next win won’t be far away.
“I was never worried about getting the win, it was just a matter of when,” he said. “It was always going to come in time, but it was good to get that one out of the way.”
A highly successful jumps jockey, Chipperfield’s victory took his career tally to 99, with a highlight being his association with top jumper Golden Flare.
“Golden Flare and I created history over the Ellerslie hill, winning the Great Northen Steeplechase and he McGregor Grant double twice, which has never been done before or since,” he said.
Bosson keen to resume riding
Champion New Zealand jockey Opie Bosson is champing at the bit to get back in the saddle as he prepares himself for the new racing season that starts on August 1.
Bosson is hard at work on his Pukekawa sheep and beef farm and ready to resume riding trackwork after recovering from an ankle sprain he suffered shortly after returning from riding at the Queensland winter carnival.
While most jockey’s would be happy with a season’s return that saw him ride 61 New Zealand winners, 15 of them in stakes races, Bosson admits he was somewhat disappointed with his body of work over the past 12 months.
“It was a good season where I was fortunate to get on some wonderful horses from the Te Akau Racing team,” Bosson said.
“I guess 15 stakes wins is a real highlight, but I actually think I could have done better if I’m honest with myself.
“I had a really slow start last season due to the problems I had with my weight, so I’m preparing for a better start this time around.
“I rode at 56.5kgs during the Brisbane carnival so my weight is good and the time I spend on the farm really helps keep it under control.
“I’m confident I will be in good shape to kick off again, which should be next Saturday.”
Bosson was also glad to have wife Emily back at home this week after she was stuck in Queensland for three weeks due to the COVID-19 enforced lockdown in that state.
Bosson will once again be spoiled for choice in the 2021/22 season when it comes to feature rides for the Jamie Richards-prepared Te Akau Racing team.
“Jamie has had a magnificent season and will have some very impressive firepower for the big races again this year,” he said.
“Horses like Sword Of State, Amarelinha and Avantage are what you get out of bed for and I’m sure they are all in for good campaigns.
“I’ve had a meeting with David (Ellis) and we discussed some of the options that are likely, which got me pretty excited.
“It’s great to be able to sit down with David and talk about that sort of thing while he is also a massive help when it comes to the way I operate on my own farm.
“I’ve got 250 head of cattle plus a few cows getting ready to calve, so if we’re not talking horses then it’s farming.”
Bosson will have his chance to test out some of the Te Akau Racing talent for the new season with Richards expected to have a big team lining up at next Tuesday’s Cambridge trials.
Opie Bosson is set to resume race-riding next Saturday after recovering from a sprained ankle.
HB races next Thursday
Hawke’s Bay Racing will stage it’s final race day of the 2020-21 season at the Hastings track next Thursday.
Traditionally known as “Stock Agents Day” the race meting is an industry day, with the main race being an $11,000 Rating 74 event over 1400m.
There is one important change to the advertised program with the distance of the maiden two-year-old race being run at 800m and not 1200m as shown in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing booklet.
The race was run over 800m last year and drew a full field.
There will be free admission to next Thursday’s meeting and the Members Stand will also be open to the public.
Melbourne options for NZ colt
Talented New Zealand three-year-old Not An Option rounded off his Queensland campaign with a game third in last Sunday’s Group 3 $190,000 Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast.
The Tony Pike-trained colt went back to the rear in the early stages and then attempted to loop the field from the 600m, maintaining a strong run to the line.
“The run was super,” Pike said of the son of Not A Single Doubt.
“He ended up getting shuffled back to near last, a mile off the speed and the winner saved a lot of ground up the fence. He just got wider and wider from the 600m and closed off really well.
“It’s frustrating but encouraging going forward.
“He’s going to spell in Sydney now for two or three weeks and then a Melbourne program will be put together for the spring.”
Not An Option, who is raced by Cambridge Stud proprietors Brendon and Jo Lindsay, showed that he was more than capable of getting 1600m and potentially further.
“He’s had a lot of unfortunate hiccups over the last 18 months, which aren’t his fault, but he seems to have come out the other end of it and two of his three runs in Queensland were very good,” Pike said.
“If he can stretch it a bit more into his four-year-old season he shouldn’t be far away in some nice mile races in Melbourne. He’ll probably get a nice 2000m if the right race is around as well.”
Satono Aladdin yearlings in demand
Rich Hill Stud shuttle stallion Satono Aladdin posted strong results during last Monday’s Japanese Select Yearling Sale.
The Group 1 winning son of the legendary Deep Impact had five youngsters go through the ring and they sold for $3,539,848, at an average of $707,969.
The most popular yearling by the sire was Lot 82, who was offered by Northern Farm and sold for $1,487,872. The colt is a half-brother to four winners including the Group 3 Fairy Stakes winner and Group 1 Japanese Guineas third placegetter Fine Rouge.
Northern Farm also sold a son of Satono Aladdin for $1,111,898, with the colt being out of a half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner and successful sire Medicean.
Another Northern Farm offering was a filly by Satono Aladdin who sold for $376,632. She is a half-sister to five winners.
Shadai Farm sold a pair of Satono Aladdin youngsters, with a filly out of a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Caravaggio selling for $285,783 and a filly out of the two-time Argentinian Group 1 winner Cursora fetching $271,565.
Satono Aladdin will return for the fourth time to Matamata’s Rich Hill Stud for the coming breeding season and will stand at a fee of $12,500 plus GST.