- The first day of the Autumn Racing Season was conducted in beautiful seasonal conditions.
- Unlike the previous year when only essential workers could be oncourse under COVID-19 Alert Level 4 conditions the Hororata raceday was busy with people including the annual ‘Owners Function’ for those who had raced a horse at Riccarton Park in the past 12 months.
- Kevin Hickman has strong links to the Hororata district and fittingly sponsors the feature Valachi Downs South Island Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes. BELLE FASCINO was best off under the set weights conditions of the Group 3 race and gained her second win at that level having won the White Robe Lodge Stakes two starts earlier. Clyde & Pat Buckingham had bought the mare prior to her previous start when she won at Riccarton Park and races her under thier ‘Emblem Limited’ banner. Sam Wynne rode for Stephen Marsh who trains her at his southern satellite stable.
- CAMINO ROCOSO a noted front runner was in the unusual role of last after being slow away but powered home to win the Seaton Family Memorial Hororata Gold Cup for Gosen Jogoo and trainers John and Karen Parsons. He is something of a modern day ‘Country Cups King’ after previous wins in a Marlborough Cup, two Cromwell Cups, a Waikouaiti Cup, a Greymouth Cup and a Taupo Cup. The win was one of three on the day for the Parsons’ with LETSBRINGITON and FLOAT also winning.
- That feat was upstaged by the Matthew and Michael Pitman partnership who trained the winners of the first four races on the programme including promising two-year-old MACKENZIE LAD in the 37th renewal of the Petersens Jewellers sponsored Ladies Bracelet.
- The only other race on the day was the Selwyn Rakaia Vet Services Three-year-old which drew a cracker field of 14 runners which included no fewer than 11 winners. Stephen Marsh’s ATISHU a $260,000 sales purchase for Go Racing prevailed in a tight finish with the Cambridge trained LELAWALA for apprentice Kozzi Asano.
