732m Staying Test For Kiwi Bred Stayers
Adding plenty of interest to Thursday’s Christchurch hosted Group 1 $30,000 Active Electrical Christchurch New Zealand Leger meeting is the appearance of the Kiwi bred staying athletes who will contest their $12,000 NZRS Distance final over the demanding 732m Addington journey (race 10).
Pictured: Perfect Result who won last year’s edition of the NZRS Distance final
Gary Cleeve has been a long time breeder of staying greyhounds who he rears, trains and races with his partner Gaylene Turnwald. He has accepted with four of his stayers for this feature event.
Classy Witch has been a competitive stayer for a long time, although surprisingly she hasn’t featured in her previous three assignments over the 732m trip. It would pay to overlook that anomaly in this event as this C2D graded daughter of Know Class and Know Witch certainty can feature from her one trap draw here. Last season’s Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar finalist (779m) was a bold Ascot Park 630m winner two races ago.
Her litter brother Know Equal is returning to his home track after claiming a pair of strong recent Forbury Park 545m wins. He adds real interest here by having his taste of staying racing here in his 110th career race. There’s no doubt that this bloke will be race fit for this assignment.
Know Talent is another C0D graded stayer who didn’t feature in either of her previous pair 630m and 645m races. This daughter of Yella Mustard and Know Revenge was held in the rear group throughout when she contested her last start $7,500 NZRS Novice final race over 545m at Forbury Park.
Know Pudding is a litter brother to Know Talent who has placed in two of his six previous staying races with those placings being over 630m and 645m. His Addington 645m second came when he gamely chased home the star stayer Dyna Weslyn 2.75 lengths behind her. The key indicator to his stake claim here was his gutsy fourth placing in the Group 1 Wanganui Distance over the 755m distance eleven months ago.
On the other side of the staying experience scale is the Steve and Bonnie Evans prepared Goldstar Sydney who has contested 35 staying races. She is the only other stayer in this field who holds a C2D grading and she has placed in three of her prior 732m races at this venue.
This daughter of Know Peace and Noble Fantasy endured a completely luckless 645m race here last Thursday when she was carved up and fell with a lap of the track to race. Steve Evans has confirmed that Goldstar Sydney has taken no ill affect from the incident saying that she has worked up good since then.
Thursday Addington 732m NZRS Distance contenders include (from left): Classy Witch; Goldstar Sydney; Go Belle
Go Belle arrives into this event as a C1D assessed chaser for her conditioner Robin Wales. She has been the winner of two staying races one over 645m here, however, it was her stunning pace making Ascot Park 732m win last May that really stood this daughter of Dyna Lachlan and Opawa Andrea out. She was massive when she led home Dyna Weslyn by a comfortable six-length margin. She has placed over 732m here.
Dave and Jean Fahey has recently stepped up Student Loan to staying tasks and his five attempts over longer distances has yielded him with two Cambridge 650m placings. He finished third in a heat from where this lightly raced son of My Bro Fabio and Andrea then delivered a solid second in the $7,500 feature final behind a real promising stayer (Thrilling Nina). He adds interest here by having his first outing over an extreme race distance.
There were celebrations at the Addington Raceway two Tuesday afternoons ago when the Janine McCook prepared Haze Adams won his first career race in his 49th race day outing. This son of Yella Mustard and Olympic Medal produced his normal strong finish when sighted racing over 520m to nail his 30.90s C0 win. His best effort during his eight staying races came when he finished second over 660m at the Manawatu Raceway in a C0D event.
By Peter Fenemor
