NZ HARNESS NEWS
When Alabar Stud’s General Manager, Graeme Henley, sat down with his inner circle and drafted up the plans for a racing syndicate to promote their newest sire, he could not have envisaged just well it may pan out.
Less than two years later, the Alabar Racing Syndicate owns the pre-post second favourite, Chase Auckland, for the biggest three-year-old race in the first half of the season.
And when they score up for the $170,000 Group 1 feature at Addington on Tuesday, a syndicate that includes 35 separate share-holders will be united in having butterflied stomachs.
“There is a real mixture of people in the syndicate,” said Henley.
“Quite a few new ones, some that have raced horses before, and many from Australia as well as from throughout New Zealand.
“And they’re really enjoying it.
“We all are – everyone is getting a big kick out of the start we’ve had.”
Chase Auckland is from the first crop of Alabar sire Auckland Reactor, so any success by the exciting pacer will have a two-fold benefit for the stud.
“Originally we went to Mark Purdon and said if you find the best Auckland Reactor in the sale and you buy him, we’ll syndicate him.
“He said he actually wouldn’t mind getting two, so we said to grab them.
“Then we said to Nathan Williamson to pick out the best Auckland Reactor filly in the sale and we’ll race it with you.
“Then a couple of people said to us that we should buy an Art Major to race in the North Island.
“We couldn’t afford one so we settled for a Mach Three and Geoff Small got him to train.
“Geoff has since scaled right back and the horse is now at Tony Herlihy’s.”
As you would expect from an incomparable judge of yearlings like Mark Purdon, he came to the party in a big way.
He picked Chase Auckland, who looks like being the flag-bearing first crop son his father, and any new sire, so desperately needs.
“Mark has always said to us that Chase Auckland was the one that reminded him the most of Auckland Reactor.
“Of course, Auckland Reactor never raced until he was three either.
“So we think everything he is doing now is a bonus and there is a lot more to come from him.”
Auckland Reactor had a swag of qualifiers at two but just the one winner in New Zealand.
That has changed with Chase Auckland, the recent back-to-back winner Blue Blazer and now-exported winner Addington winner Admiral all saluting the judge.
“We felt he laid a really good platform last season with a lot of qualifiers and now they are poised to take it to the next level this season.”
Henley will be on course on Tuesday in his final day in the role of Chairman of the Sires Stakes Board.
He can think of no better finale than shaking syndicate manager Ivan Behrnes’ hand as the winning owner of the Sires Stakes Final.
“It would be my dream result, to be able to do the presentation to the owners of Chase Auckland.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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