Dean Shuker (left) and son Caleb holding two of the trophies presented at last week’s Hawke’s Bay Racing and Breeding Awards function.
John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay.
OPINION
Class racemare Atishu and one of her part-owners, Dannevirke’s Dean Shuker, dominated the Hawke’s Bay/Poverty Bay Thoroughbred Racing awards for the last racing season.
The awards function, sponsored this year by the Napier company Betta Inspect It, was held in the Cheval Room at the Hastings racecourse on Wednesday of last week.
Shuker owns a 5% share in the Chris Waller-trained Atishu, who added to her amazing race record with several outstanding performances in Australia during the 2023-24 racing season.
The daughter of champion New Zealand sire Savabeel, won both the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) and Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) and also recorded second placings in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) and Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) as well as adding a third in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m).
To qualify for one of the racing and breeding awards the recipient must be a member of the Hawke’s Bay/Poverty Bay Racehorse Owners Association and own at least a 5% share in the horse concerned or be a member of the Hawke’s Bay/Poverty Bay Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
Most of the racing and breeding awards were decided on a points system. Group 1 races carried points of 10 for a win, six for a second and three for a third. Group 2 races were worth eight for a win, five for a second and two for a third while Group 3 races and prestige jumping races carried points of six for a win, three for a second and one for a third. There were also four points awarded for a Listed race win and one point for a non-Black Type win.
Atishu took out the Sprinter-Miler Award with 25 points, with Mazu second on 11 and Karman Line third on seven.
Atishu also took out the Stayer of the Year Award with 13 points, five ahead of Asterix with Zambezi Khan third on four.
Dean Shuker took out the Owner of the Year Award while Atishu capped a huge night for him by being crowned Horse of the Year. She was a clear winner of that title with 38 points, 24 ahead of second-placed The Cossack with Nedwin third on 13.
The Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal-trained The Cossack took out the award for Jumper of the Year for the third season in a row but only just. He amassed 14 points with wins in the Prestige Wellington Steeplechase and Pakuranga Hunt Cup as well as a win in the Waikato Steeples and a third in the Great Northern Steeplechase.
He finished just two points ahead of his stablemate Nedwin, who won both the Great Northern Hurdles and Wellington Hurdles.
The Chouxmaani Investments Three-year-old of the Year award went to Taradale couple Mark Evans and Lynette Hammington as co-owners of Zambezi Khan.
The daughter of Mongolian Khan earned five points from two wins in Australia and a second in the Group 3 South Australian Classic and finished one point in front of Geriatrix and Tokyo Tycoon.
Ivan Grieve picked up both the Breeder of the Year Award based on global results and the Breeder of the Year Award based on New Zealand results.
He owned the now-deceased broodmare Stellardelmar who was the dam of The Cossack (14 points), Galileo Invader (one point) and Catch And Release (one point).
Chapinta, co-owned by Ivan Grieve’s brother Peter, was crowned Broodmare of the Year. She left three individual winners of multiple races during the 2023-24 racing season, Chapinteel (three wins), Island Hop (three wins) and Indian Gold (one win).
John Bary was the top Hawke’s Bay/Poverty Bay trainer for the season with 16 wins, two ahead of Guy Lowry while the husband and wife team of Mick Brown and Sue Thompson won the trainers’ strike-rate award with their six wins from 43 starters giving them a strike-rate of 7.17.
Ellerslie feature now beckons for Crouch
Crouch’s dominant win in a $70,000 Rating 75 race at Trentham last Saturday, has qualified him for the $125,000 Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
The Tarzino gelding, co-owned by Napier’s Roy Potter, produced a gutsy performance to win the 2100m event as he was never closer than three-wide for the entire race yet still kept up a sustained finish to win by 1-1/4 lengths.
It was Crouch’s fifth win from 19 starts and he has rarely finished further back than fifth, with a second, two thirds and six fourths also next to his name.
The five-year-old is prepared at Awapuni by Mike Breslin and his victory brought up his 499th win as a trainer.
Breslin purchased the horse for $20,000 at the 2021 Karaka yearling sales and races him with Potter. The pair have bought and raced a number of horses together over many years.
All four of Crouch’s previous wins had been on heavy tracks but he seemed to cope admirably with the firm racing surface at Trentham last Saturday.
South Island-based jockey Tina Comignaghi got the horse to settle midfield but they were caught three-wide going out of the straight with a round to go and were stuck out there from then on.
Comignaghi started to urge Crouch forward starting the last 600m and they were flushed out five wide rounding the home bend.
After such a tough run Crouch was expected to start to tire over the final stages but the big gelding’s staying powers kicked in and he surged clear to comfortably beat the minor placegetters Yellow Jersey and Celtic Echo.
Breslin said he was drawn to Crouch when he perused the Karaka sales catalogue and realised the yearling was out of a half-sister to Klose, a horse that won four races from only 16 starts from his stable and still rates as one of the best he has trained.
Government to halt offshore betting
Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced the introduction of legislation to amend the Racing Industry Act 2020.
The change will extend TAB NZ’s current land-based exclusivity for sports and racing betting to online and comes at a time when investment into infrastructure around racing venues is crucial.
“This legislation will enhance the long-term sustainability of New Zealand’s racing industry by making TAB NZ New Zealand sole provider for sports and race betting both on land and online,” Peters said.
“Growing competition from offshore online betting operators poses a significant threat to the TAB NZ model.
“This change brings the model up-to-date with the current sports betting climate and will ensure the financial sustainability of the racing industry, as established in the coalition Government’s Q4 Action Plan for New Zealand.”
The Racing Industry Act established TAB NZ for the purpose of funding the racing industry. It provides 90% of the racing industry’s revenue, which generates billions of dollars for the New Zealand economy and employs over 13,500 people.
TAB New Zealand chief executive Nick Roberts welcomed the Government’s decision to introduce a “legislative net” granting TAB NZ the exclusive rights for online racing and sports betting in New Zealand.
“This is a positive outcome which will have national impact,” he said.
“We estimate Kiwis lose $180 million annually to offshore racing and sports betting operators. Retaining this money in New Zealand will not only maximise funding to our communities instead of providing profits to foreign companies but also ensure Kiwis can bet in a safe and regulated environment.”
The TAB was established as the country’s sole betting operator in 1950 but that position has been eroded by online activity since the turn of this century. Roberts said the announcement serves as a welcome reset.
“Critically this will deliver an additional $1 billion to our stakeholders over the remaining term of our strategic partnership with Entain,” Roberts said.
In June 2023, TAB NZ commenced a 25-year strategic partnering arrangement with sports betting and gaming group Entain for the delivery of TAB NZ’s betting operations.
TAB NZ will receive a one-off payment of $100m from Entain once the legislative net is in effect, in addition to increased revenue share and other payments over the remainder of the 25-year strategic partnership.
The announcement comes after a winter of disruption and just as the summer racing period starts to heat up and infrastructure around courses across the country is tested.
Freshened Savaglee to trial next week
Star colt Savaglee will be given the opportunity to maximise his stallion potential on Australian soil in the autumn and will take his first steps toward that goal on his home track.
The Pam Gerard-trained son of Savabeel enjoyed time out at owner Dick Karreman’s The Oaks Stud following his Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) heroics and will be ready to trial at Matamata on Friday of next week.
“There are two trials before the races at Matamata over 1100m for Group and Listed horses and he’ll be in one of those for sure. All the reports on him are very positive,” The Oaks general manager Rick Williams said.
Safely through his upcoming hit-out, a Trentham restart next month is on the cards for the six-time winner.
“He could kick off in the Levin Classic (1400m) on January 11 and then we’ve got a whole lot of different choices to make,” Williams said.
Savaglee has already been the subject of overseas interest, but the focus is solely on a crack at the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in the autumn.
Street dweller Boy Taylor died in Napier's CBD on Wednesday morning.