Ohope Wins on track for Australian debut

Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park) conquered all before her in New Zealand this season and she is looking to extend her reign in Australia when she heads to Rosehill on Saturday to contest the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).

Formerly trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, the daughter of Ocean Park is undefeated at stakes level, winning the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Gr.2 David and Karyn Ellis Filles Classic (2100m) and Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m), and owner Yulong Investments were keen to tackle Australian autumn targets with their filly following her New Zealand Oaks triumph.

She has subsequently been entrusted to the care of leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller, who is fresh off a Group One hat-trick at Rosehill on Saturday.

Waller has been pleased with the way Ohope Wins has settled into his Rosehill base and he is looking forward to her making her debut for this stable this coming Saturday.

“She has settled in really well,” Waller told Weigh In. “Andrew and Lance have done a fantastic job with her and they have been great to deal with since we have taken her over.

“She has had a pretty straightforward fortnight. She is very professional, she has settled in really well, she is in the same barn as Autumn Glow.

“We haven’t fussed over her, we have just treated her as a normal horse.

“We have seen some good things, she has had a couple of quiet gallops and she had a trial. James (McDonald) was aboard in the trial and he was very impressed with her.

“She will run in the Vinery this Saturday over 2000m, it is a pretty good field.

“She has certainly got something about her.”

The expat Kiwi horseman will also be chasing elite-level success in his homeland next weekend, with Chica Mojito (NZ) (Zacinto) and Mare Of Mt Buller (Dundeel) contesting the Gr.1 Listen Live On Sportnation.nz NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Trentham.

The pair put in pleasing fresh-up efforts when finishing second and fifth respectively in the Gr.2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day, and Waller believes both will appreciate the step up in distance on Saturday.

“They have both come through their runs well and they have remained at Cambridge Stud in Karaka, who have been great hosts to us,” Waller said.

“They both ran really well (in the Dubai Classic), which was a fresh-up run for them. Chica was poking through late and probably peaked on her run with 50m to go, and I think a mile will suit her better.

“Mare Of Mt Buller just had to go back from the draw and took a while to wind up. A mile will suit her as well.”

Waller is also looking forward to lining up horses at his former stomping ground, having started his training career at Foxton.

“It is exciting for me personally to go back to Trentham,” he said. - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

McDonald gets AB pep talk ahead of record-breaking day

Leading jockey James McDonald had the same dream many Kiwis have as a kid, to be an All Black, and while his diminutive size quickly put paid to that idea, on Saturday he got to experience something very similar.

Like the All Blacks, McDonald has been at the pinnacle of his sport, winning the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award on three occasions, coincidentally the same number of World Cups won by his nation’s rugby team.

Sir Steve Hansen was part of the coaching staff in two of those victories – assistant to Sir Graham Henry in 2011 and head coach in 2015.

Horse racing is Hansen’s other big love and he has experienced topflight success in that sport as an owner, particularly with Nature Strip, who won nine Group One races, six of which were achieved with McDonald in the saddle.

Accustomed to big occasions, the rugby maestro was aware of the importance of Saturday for McDonald, who was just one victory shy of Damien Oliver’s Australasian Group One record of 129 wins, and like revving his rugby players up for a test match, he sent a message of sage advice to the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame rider.

“I got the text through and thought, that’s nice of him (Hansen) to text me. But I took something away,” McDonald said.

“He said, ‘Walk straight into it, grab it with both hands and walk straight into it.’

“I was thinking to myself, imagine him sitting down with the All Blacks, a 15 squad of men, our greatest sport in New Zealand, and he’s saying, ‘Walk into it, embrace it’.

“I thought that was quite special because it took me back a little bit.”

While not short on inspiration, those words stuck with McDonald and the Sydney-based hoop went out to Rosehill and duly equalled Oliver’s record when riding New Zealand-bred mare Aeliana to victory in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) before surpassing it aboard Autumn Boy in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), and then extended his lead in the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) aboard Autumn Glow, all for expat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller.

“To get to a mark like this, it’s obviously special,” McDonald said. “Especially with how I look up to Damien Oliver.

“When I was growing up as a 10-year-old kid, he was riding Melbourne Cup winners. One that comes to mind is Media Puzzle when he went through so much adversity and still had the vivacity to come out on top. He’s a phenomenal rider.

“I’m just blessed with a great family and great support crew with Mark Guest (agent) and good family friends.

“John O’Shea (trainer), who is like a father figure to me, he got me over and he gave me so many chances even when I wasn’t riding well. Many trainers throughout Australia and New Zealand as well.”

With the Australasian Group One record now firmly in hand, the 34-year-old is looking to build on his legacy, and while many are plauding him as the greatest jockey to grace the track, he said his children’s opinion will be the mark of his success.

“I’m just humbled by the support. To be honest, I flicked social media off this week and just focused on my rides,” he said.

“But Katelyn (wife) would mention, ‘someone said kind words about you’. That means so much. Whether I deserve it, it’s up to people’s opinion who’s the greatest jockey to ever grace the turf, it doesn’t worry me.

“As long as I’m in the conversation, I’m very proud of it, and if my girls in 10 years’ time look up and say, ‘gee Dad, you’re pretty good’, that would mean more to me than whether someone thinks I’m the best or not.” - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Latest Model struts her stuff in St Leger

Gary Vile is tipping a bright future for Latest Model (NZ) (Vespa) following her win in the Life Direct NZ St Leger (2500m) at Trentham on Saturday.

The five-year-old mare has shown the Awapuni trainer plenty of promise in her 24 previous starts, notching three victories, and he always thought she would be better suited over ground and she got her opportunity to show her staying qualities in the St Leger.

Jockey Elen Nicholas, who rode Latest Model to a dead-heat victory at the Upper Hutt track in her only other ride on the mare, was content to sit off the pace during the early stages of the race.

Nicholas asked her charge to improve three-wide with 700m to go and hit the lead turning for home. While Nicholas feared she may have gone too soon, Latest Model showed her tenacity with a gritty finish and held off the fast-finishing Freebelle to win by a short half head.

Nicholas, who remains unbeaten on the mare, had to work hard to make the 52kg weight allocation and said the win made it all worthwhile.

“I got my weight down to 52kg to ride her, which is a tough effort,” Nicholas said.

“I almost felt like I had gone a bit too soon at the top of the straight, but she persevered the whole way to the line and it worked out perfectly.”

Vile was rapt with the win and rates her alongside a couple of her stakes-winning stable predecessors.

“I have been blessed over the years to have three good stayers – Jacksstar, who is probably the best I have had, Rock On, and this girl us up with them,” he said.

“She found the line very well at her last start, her first start in open company, and I knew 2500m wasn’t going to worry her.

“I didn’t go to the Wellington Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) and maybe I made a mistake going to the Remutaka ($350,000, 2100m) and we didn’t have much luck in that, but she has won the St Leger and anywhere else in the world this is a horse maker.”

Vile said Latest Model will now head for a spell while he maps out a plan towards feature staying targets.

“She is going to go to the paddock for a little while,” he said.

The win secured a winning double for Vile and Nicholas, who teamed up earlier in the day to win the Metroclad 2100 with Helluvah Return. - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

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