Patience rewarded as Brucie chases another jumping prize
Brucie's (NZ) (Raise The Flag) remarkable comeback is set to continue, with the Wellington Steeplechase winner likely to head south for Riccarton's Grand National Week, where he is expected to contest the $150,000 Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge 151st Grand National Steeplechase (5600m).
The 10-year-old Raise The Flag gelding heads to Christchurch after breaking through for the biggest victory of his career in last week's Wellington Steeplechase, a triumph that came after overcoming two tendon injuries and years of perseverance from trainer Raymond Connors.
"He showed enough ability early on that we always thought jumping was going to be his game," Connors said.
"He did his tendon a couple of times, but they weren't major. They were just enough to keep stopping him and setting him back.
"It would've been easy to give up, but we just persevered. Luckily it's all come together."
Originally trained on the flat, Brucie was transferred to Connors after connections looked to extend his racing career over the bigger fences.
"Wayne and Jack from White Robe Lodge are good friends of mine, and the owners were looking at other options because he wasn't showing a lot on the flat," Connors said.
"It gave him the opportunity to continue his career, so they sent him up here to try him as a jumper."
At one stage, Connors had hoped Brucie could qualify for the lucrative Jericho Cup before injury forced a change in direction.
"At one stage I was hoping to get him to the Jericho, but he was beaten by a nose twice in the Road to the Jericho races," he said.
"If we'd won one of those they pay half your way over, so we might have taken that opportunity.
"Unfortunately he got injured, so we probably wouldn't have got there anyway. After that it just fell into place to move him into a jumping career.
"He's by Raise The Flag, who's left some very successful jumpers.
"His career has been a bit stop-start because of the injuries and things just hadn't happened for him. This year it's slowly come together. Whether it's timing or just a bit of luck, everything fell into place in the Wellington Steeplechase."
Connors believes the key this season has been abandoning flat racing altogether and focusing solely on steeplechasing.
"We didn't worry about running him on the flat and just concentrated on the jumping side of things," he said.
"We went straight to steeplechasing instead of trying to hurdle him. His last couple of runs he really started to jump well. He's only just coming to it now, even though he's quite an old horse."
The Bulls horseman, who enjoys training staying horses, said the move into jumping had given Brucie the opportunity to fulfil the potential he had shown earlier in his career.
"You try to win Cup races on the flat, but not every horse has that ability," he said.
"With a horse like him, jumping gives you another option, and fortunately that's worked out."
Connors said victories like the Wellington Steeplechase are what make racing worthwhile after years of setbacks.
"We do it for the enjoyment. We're certainly not doing it for the money," he said.
"It's the thrill of it. That's what racing's all about.
"When you've been through everything we have with him, it's very rewarding. The staff were pretty happy. He's a lovely horse to have around and everyone was buzzing after the win.
"It's nice to persevere with a horse and then finally get the result."
The Wellington Steeplechase victory was one Connors was determined to savour before turning his attention to Riccarton, with the respected horseman acknowledging Brucie is likely in the final campaign of his career.
"We're going to enjoy this one," Connors said.
"I don't think we'll bring him back next season, so this will probably be his last campaign.
"I don't know whether he can do it again, that's yet to be seen, but hopefully he can perform like that again." - NZ Racing Desk
Promising juvenile seeking to join Te Akau stakes Honour Roll
Te Akau Racing have been a dominant force among New Zealand’s juvenile ranks this season, and they are hoping to add one more two-year-old stakes scalp to their record on Friday.
The country’s leading stable are tipped to do so when they line-up Honour Roll (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Otaki, with the son of Savabeel an even money favourite for the juvenile feature.
Bred by Waikato Stud, Honour Roll was purchased out of their 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft by Te Akau Racing principal Sir David Ellis for $190,000.
He placed on debut over 1000m at Tauherenikau on Waitangi Day before being gelded, and he subsequently went on to win fresh-up over 1200m at Matamata in May.
“He was quite colty but now that he is a gelding he is putting it together,” said Mark Walker, who trains Honour Roll in partnership with Sam Bergerson.
“He has had a jumpout (since his last start) at the home track (Matamata) because the trials didn’t really fit in, and that kept ticking him over nicely.”
Honour Roll will jump from barrier 12 and will be ridden by Michael McNab, with Walker believing he will handle the Heavy10 track conditions that are currently on offer at Otaki.
“He has drawn wide, but it is a Heavy track so they will probably be coming down that part of the track anyway,” Walker said.
“Matamata was pretty wet that day (he won) and he skipped through it pretty well, so he should be fine (on a Heavy track), he certainly gets through the ground.
“It is a pretty even field on Friday so we will see how we go.”
The Listed Phils Electrical & Gipsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki in a fortnight presents as another black-type opportunity, but Walker said they will likely bypass that race with Honour Roll in favour of next month’s Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka.
“We might give him a bit of time to get over it and maybe we head to the Ruakaka race, but Sam and I will just see how he pulls up,” Walker said.
If successful, Honour Roll will become the fifth individual two-year-old stakes winner for Te Akau this season, joining Group One winners Lara Antipova and Seize The Day, and Zafar and Kinnaird.
Undefeated filly Lara Antipova has crossed the Tasman to join Te Akau’s Cranbourne barn ahead of a Melbourne spring campaign, and Walker said she is coming up nicely alongside stablemate and fellow elite-level victor Belle Cheval.
“Lara Antipova and Belle Cheval are going to trial next Thursday at Caulfield over 800m,” Walker said. “Both of them are ticking over nicely.”
Meanwhile, Walker is looking forward to injury plagued Group One performer Bellatrix Star’s raceday return this weekend.
The Star Witness mare suffered a fractured neck and chipped fetlock in separate incidents last year and is on the comeback trail once more and will make her highly-anticipated return in the Gr.3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday, where she will be ridden by Craig Williams from barrier 10.
Walker said Bellatrix Star has had a lengthy build-up and Saturday’s performance will dictate whether she continues her racing career or retires to the broodmare paddock.
“She has had four jumpouts this time in, so she has been well seasoned to make sure that the (fetlock) operation has been successful and we have just got to see if that equates to raceday performance,” Walker said.
“Her last jump out was good (won over 800m), so it is really D-Day for her on Saturday. If she puts in a really good performance we carry on, but if she is disappointing, she will almost certainly be looking for the broodmare paddock I would say.” - Joshua Smith
Paul Vettise
NZ Racing Desk
Joshua Smith
Jess de Lautour
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