Sugar Schnapps credited the Hastings stable of Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos with a well-deserved win after a frustrating run of second placings when the four-year-old took out a maiden race at Rotorua last Saturday.

In the space of less than a month the Lowry/Zydenbos stable had to endure six runner-up placings with six individual horses.

The exasperating run started when Snowflake finished second in a maiden 2040m race at Wanganui on November 29, beaten 1-1/2 lengths by Platinum Goddess.

Sugar Schnapps then finished second behind the talented Lady Impending at Rotorua on December 5, beaten 1-3/4 lengths.

Nightowl was the next horse to fill a second placing for the stable, going down by only half a head when runner-up behind Unusual Invader in a maiden 1600m race at Tauherenikau on December 10.

The promising filly Spark resumed from a three month spell for the stable in a maiden three-year-old race over 1000m at Trentham on December 14 and finished second to Cosmic Dream while Sol De Otono looked set to finally breakthrough for a deserved maiden win when clear in the lead over 1600m at Otaki on December 19, only to be caught in the last few strides by Pinker and went down by a neck.

Zorero was one of two winners the Lowry/Zydenbos stable produced at the Waipukurau meeting back on November 16 and he was sent out a hot favourite when trying to make it two wins from two starts in a three-year-old 1200m race at Trentham on December 20. After leading for much of the event, he was run down late by Perfect Habit and beaten three-quarters of a length.

Although Sugar Schnapps is officially trained by Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos the mare has been temporarily stabled in Cambridge.

Jockey Matt Cameron made the most of the mare’s handy draw at Rotorua last Saturday, bouncing her out quickly from the barrier to take a clear lead at the end of the first 400m.

From there Cameron dictated terms and had her travelling nicely in front rounding the home bend.

The well supported Silky Shuba put in a spirited challenge early in the home straight and clearly headed Sugar Schnapps at one stage. But the latter fought back gamely to score by a short neck.  

Sugar Schnapps races in the colours of her breeders, Masterton’s Little Avondale Stud and is by Per Incanto out of the Pins mare Shandream.

Shandream was the winner of eight races, including the 2012 running of the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe and was runner-up to Antonio Lombardo in the Group 3 Linwood Park Stud Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings in October 2014.

Waipukurau couple savour another win

Waipukurau couple Garry and Jan Sherratt celebrated another racing success after a lengthy drought when Rosina took out a Rating 60 event over 1950m at Rotorua last Saturday.

The six-year-old mare was recording her second win from 20 starts and her first since she took out a maiden 1800m race at Taupo in August 2024.

Garry Sherratt has been breeding and racing horses for more than 50 years and is a true stalwart of thoroughbred racing. He is a past President of the Waipukurau Jockey Club and is presently the Vice Chairman of that club.

Sherratt has prided himself in racing his own breed and Rosina is just one of a long line of their home-breds.

The daughter of El Roca is out of the Corrupt mare Politic, who was the winner of four races and has also left the winners Argyll (three wins), The Anarchist and Imperial Party.

Politic was prepared for her first three wins by Hastings trainer Patrick Campbell before being transferred to the Cambridge stable of Ben Foote, who won a maiden hurdle race with the mare before she was retired to stud. She is now deceased with Rosina being her last foal.

It is a breed that has needed time to mature, with Rosina only commencing her racing career as a late four-year-old for trainers Ben Foote and his son Ryan.

Sherratt said this week that, being from a family that has produced jumpers and heavy track performers, he and the trainers thought Rosina would excel on wet tracks.

“We stuffed things up with her,” Sherratt admitted.

“We thought she liked wet tracks, just like all the rest of the family, but as it turned out she didn’t.

“So we raced her through the winter for nothing.”

Rosina was given a brief spell after finishing fifth of 11 over 2000m on the Cambridge synthetic track in August and returned with two barrier trial placings on firmer footing before an eye-catching fresh up fourth over 1600m on a good-4 track at Ellerslie on December 11.

“That was a good run and it set her up nicely for her race at Rotorua last Saturday,” Sherratt added.

Jockey Joe Doyle settled Rosina towards the tail of the eight horse field last Saturday before sending her on a forward move from the 600m peg.

The mare ranged up to challenge for the lead rounding the home turn and took control soon after, racing clear in the final stages to win by half a length.

The Sherratts have bred and raced numerous thoroughbreds over the years and have mainly concentrated on jumpers.

Undoubtedly the best they have bred and raced is Just Not Cricket, who was the winner of 11 races including the Great Northern Hurdles (twice) and a Grand National Hurdles.

“He was the best jumper we’ve had and our best one on the flat was Fernoon, who won eight including a Group 3 Stakes race over 1600m at Riccarton,” Sherratt said.

Proposition was another good jumper they bred and raced. He won six races including a McGregor Grant Steeplechase and was twice runner-up in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase and also second in a Pakuranga Hunt Cup Steeples.

“We have still got shares in a few horses coming on, including one getting broken in up north at the moment and The Bambino, who won two hurdle races last winter,” Sherratt said.

“We love the jumpers and as long as jumping races keep going in this country we will keep going,” he added.

Consistent mare has run her last race

La Crique, arguably the most consistent horse in Australasian racing, has been retired.

The dual Group 1 winner has been hampered with foot issues over the last couple of years, with a decision made last Monday to bring the curtain down on her racing career following her fourth placing in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

“She is still putting in some terrific races and even on Boxing Day she ran a terrific race,” said Katrina Alexander, who trained the seven-year-old mare in partnership with her husband Simon.

“However, she hasn’t pulled up from that as well as we would have hoped so we x-rayed her foot, the same foot that has caused her problems for the last two years, and she has degeneration of the foot tissue inside the hoof capsule.

“I have been waiting for a sign for her to tell me that this (racing) just isn’t possible anymore, so it was a really easy decision in the end.”

La Crique flashed onto the scene as a three-year-old, winning five and placing in three of her eight starts that season, including taking out the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), and she was a beaten short-priced favourite when runner-up to Asterix in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).

She got her Group 1 redemption seven months later in the Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) before heading across the Tasman where she ran fourth in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.

She added a further two Group 1 placings to her record later that season before foot issues, resulting from an abscess, led to ongoing problems for the mare.

The Alexanders’ hard work behind the scenes led to La Crique returning to career-best form, with the mare going on to win the Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) before posting six consecutive Group 1 second placings.

Bred and raced by John and Jan Cassin, La Crique will be retained by the couple as they look to breed their next star.

Stackhouse will be riding at Trentham

Expat Kiwi jockey Daniel Stackhouse will once again answer the call of Riccarton trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman to ride their team at Trentham next month.

The Melbourne-based hoop returned to New Zealand last month to ride Mystic Park to victory in the Group 3 TAB Mile (1600m) for the father-and-son team, and he will reunite with the six-year-old gelding in the Group 2 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) on January 17.

“He came over to ride Mystic Park to win the TAB Mile and I have asked him to come over to ride him in the Thorndon and he said ‘yeah, no problem’,” Michael Pitman said.

“We will have a nice team in that day, probably three or four horses.”

Mystic Park, who was runner-up in the Group 3 Spring Sprint (1400m) at Trentham earlier this month, will prepare for the Thorndon Mile with a run in this Sunday’s Timaru Cup (1600m), where Brett Murray will ride him.

While pleased with his gelding heading into the race, Pitman is wary of his 62kg impost, which is three kilograms heavier than his closest rival – Group 1 performer Matscot.

“Weight could be an issue,” he said. “They are claiming on Matscot and Sir Albert, and he is carrying 62kg. But he has won carrying 60kg and he is a strong horse.”

Mystic Park will likely be joined on his float trip north to Trentham next month by several of the stable’s other Timaru runners, including Rosso and Star Ballot, who will contest the Te Akau Racing (2200m).

Rosso has been in a purple patch of form since joining the Pitmans’ barn earlier this season, winning two of his four starts, and both he and Star Ballot are on a path towards the Group 3 Wellington Cup (3200m) on January 31.