Autumn Racing Season Finale
•The days highlight was undoubtedly yet another scintillating performance from the flying two-year-old PROM QUEEN. The diminutive filly gave her 10 rivals a galloping lesson in the Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes to record her fifth win from only six career starts. In so doing she has managed to win both Riccarton Park listed stakes races for the juveniles as she had won the Barneswood Farm Welcome Stakes back on ‘Cup Day’ in November. Alysha Collett partnered PROM QUEEN as she has done in all starts except at her previous start when cousin Samantha took the reins. Incredibly her Ruakaka trainer Kenny Rae, who also has a Riccarton Park base, achieved the very same double with NOSMO KING back in the 2006/07 season.
•The win also secured the connections of PROM QUEEN prize for being the leading horse over the four days of the Autumn Racing Season.
•Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock sent TWOZNOTENOUGH south to Riccarton Park trainer ‘Jumbo’ Didham with the goal of achieving some ‘black-type’. After winning her first southern start at the Riverton Easter Meeting the goal was achieved with a convincing win in the Speight’s Mid Ale Great Easter Stakes. Manawatu rider Leah Hemi was the winning rider as she was at Riverton.
•Punters reasoned that if it was good enough to make BLOODSTREAM an early favourite for the Wallaceville Estate Wellington Cup then it was probably good enough to follow their money in the Redwood Great Autumn Handicap and so they did sending the five-year-old out a $1.80 favourite. The Terri Rae trained stayer did not disappoint winning most easily from THE GORDONIAN and SUREASYOUWEREBORN. Alysha Collett was again the rider claiming the lion’s share of the $60,000 stake which was boosted above the industry minimum with the support of the connections of the stallion REDWOOD.
•Team Pitman was the winner of the NRM Trainers Prize which was competed for over the Autumn Racing Season but there were not many better training efforts over the four days than that of the Brian and Shane Anderton team. 14 starts yielded seven winds and 4 other stake earning placings for a total stakes haul of $211,860, just under 20% of the stakes on offer.
•Brian Anderton’s grandson Jacob Lowry with seven winners was the ‘winningest’ jockey over the four days of the Riccarton Park Autumn Racing Season.
