NZ HARNESS NEWS
Kaikoura breeder Peter Smith gave harness racing fans a gentle reminder that he can produce a handy type when Wainui Creek and Blazin Creek won at Methven on Sunday.
The half-siblings from dam Christian Creek both produced impressive debut wins for Smith, the man who bred New Zealand’s greatest ever trotter, Lyell Creek.
Christian Creek is a half-sister to Lyell Creek who was decidedly less successful than him, unable to win a race in 17 attempts.
Driver Ricky May took no chances with Wainui Creek, moving her three-wide in the back straight to the parked position.
The rangy filly then produced a strong effort to win her 2400-metre mobile event for trainer Richard Aubrey.
The effort was enough to have her driver think the Bettor’s Delight filly could have this season’s better three-year-old fillies races as long-term goals.
“Ricky was pretty impressed with her and he offered the opinion that she might be up to running around with the better fillies later on in the season,” Aubrey said.
“She is paid up for everything and, provided everything keeps going the way it is, we will try to give her an opportunity there at some stage.
“We are pretty hopeful that she will keep going and develop in to a pretty nice horse.”
Should Wainui Creek progress to race in good company, it could be thanks to her trainer and owners’ patient approach to her career paying off.
They resisted the temptation of racing her last season to give the filly more time to develop.
“She qualified quite nicely as a two-year-old, but we thought she would be better off with a bit of time,” Aubrey said.
“Her owners are great horse people and they know the story so we gave her a nice spell.”
“She has had a perfect preparation since she has come back in, everything has gone pretty right for her.”
One hour later Ricky May added another win to Christian Creek’s broodmare record when he drove Blazin Creek to victory.
The four-year-old Auckland Reactor gelding scored in completely different circumstances to his little sister, when coming with typically well-timed run from May.
Blazin Creek grabbed runner-up Days Of Redemption just before the winning post to win Sunday’s 2400m mobile pace.
The victory doubled the amount of winners his dam had to her name before yesterday’s meeting started.
Christian Creek had previously produced two-win mare Millies Creek and one-race Australian winner, Forest Creek.
The twelve-year-old mare has left a two-year-old Betterthancheddar colt and a yearling filly by Art Major.
She is due to foal to Art Major again this breeding season.
- NZ Harness News
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