Hi Yo Fox Rox continuing family legacy
Well-related gelding Hi Yo Fox Rox (NZ) (Complacent) showed he has inherited some of his family’s ability with his gritty win in the Hi Yo Legacy (2000m) at New Plymouth on Saturday.
A full-brother to Group One performer Hi Yo Sass Bombm(NZ) (Complacent), Hi Yo Fox Rox showed early promised, winning his second start over a mile at Wanganui in June, before finishing unplaced over 1800m at New Plymouth last month.
He garnered plenty of support from punters on Saturday, jumping a $3.90 favourite, but his backers were sweating soon after as the five-year-old gelding was posted three wide.
Apprentice jockey Hayley Hassman, who was aboard for his maiden win, kept a cool head, allowing her charge to lob along out wide. She asked him to improve with 800m to go, and Hi Yo Fox Rox quickly responded, surging forward to sit outside pacemaker The Finnster (NZ) (Vadamos).
The son of Complacent continued to dig deep, finally getting his nose in front with 300m to go, and he finished off strongly to score by 1-3/4 lengths over Kyanite Man (NZ) (Ribchester), with a further 2-3/4 lengths back to Indian Gold (NZ) (Ocean Park) in third.
Trainer Kim Reid was beaming with pride following the win.
“He was super brave,” she said. “The plan was to run outside the one who had a bit of speed going into it, and that is what Hayley did, but ended up three-wide. It was a huge effort, I am so proud of him.”
Reid, who races the gelding with her parents Josephine and Graeme Reid, said he is the polar opposite to his accomplished sibling, Hi Yo Sass Bomb, and he is a pleasure to have in the stable.
“He is so different from his sister, they are opposites,” she said. “They are very well named – she is a sass bomb and he is just a cool, cruisy dude and such a cool horse to train. He almost got called Hi Yo Kaimanawa. It looks like he walked out of the bush, and there is not much to him, but he is just a good, honest sweetheart of a horse.
“He is a lean bean, but it suits him, and we will just go with that.”
Reid doesn’t have any set plans for Hi Yo Fox Rox, but said she will press on with the gelding’s preparation for now.
“As soon as he tells me he needs to go out we will let him, but he is not saying that yet, so we will keep going,” she said.
