Some of them live at Waimarama Beach and have been involved in other racing syndicates, including being part-owners in the former outstanding galloper and now successful sire Dundeel.
The large group started cheering when the mare hit the front early in the home straight and kept up a roar until she crossed the finish line.
Caitlin Johnson is a first time racehorse owner and was Pratt's stable strapper on the day, getting to greet her pride and joy when she came back to the winner's stall and then leading her away afterwards.
"It was a great thrill," Johnson said this week.
She's Miss Gevious was having her fourth start when she lined up in the $14,000 event. She had been a well beaten eighth on debut over 1400m at Woodville in early June but has kept improving ever since according to Pratt.
She finished sixth over 1200m at Otaki at her second start before a good third over 1400m at Hastings on July 21.
"She is a horse that has taken time to get there but has gradually improved all the time," Pratt said.
"She wasn't really putting in but we put blinkers on her at Hastings two starts back and it has made all the difference.
"She was gawking around and not concentrating but now she is."
Pratt said he decided to put a senior rider, Mereana Hudson, on the mare at Woodville last week to hopefully get her to perform at her best.
She's Miss Gevious dwelt at the start and was back third last in the early stages but Hudson made the most of an inside draw to drive the mare through to be fifth starting the last 800m.
She then bided her time until the home turn where she angled her mount out to lodge a challenge.
She's Miss Gevious hit the front soon after and staved off the challengers to win by half a length from Ride The Tide, with the same margin back to third placed Ironwood.
Pratt said this week She's Miss Gevious was a $1500 purchase from the 2020 Karaka yearling sales but was gifted to him when the owner decided she was surplus to his requirements.
She's Miss Gevious is by Unusual Suspect, a little known stallion who stands at Nigel and Adaire Auret's property in Wanganui.
As a racehorse Unusual Suspect was the winner of the Group 1 Hollywood Turf Cup and the Group 3 Hollywood Turf Handicap in his native North America before he was sent to Australia where he continued his career with leading Victorian trainer Mick Kent.
He won the Listed Werribee Cup, finished third in the Listed Sandown Cup and fourth in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes.
He was also fourth in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup and, although only ninth in the 2011 Group 1 Melbourne Cup, he was only four lengths from the winner Dunaden.
Pratt is confident She's Miss Gevious will make a good stayer in time as her dam More In Store is by Mettre En Jeu, who finished second in the 2007 Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).
He said he will now aim the mare at a Rating 60 race over 1600m at Hawera on Friday of next week.
Vale John Scoular
John Scoular, who with his wife Lucy, was one of Hawke's Bay's most passionate thoroughbred owner-breeders for more than 40 years, died last week aged 92.
Quietly spoken, and always dapper in appearance, John loved racing and endeared himself to everyone he met in the racing industry.
Although he and his wife Lucy never enjoyed a huge amount of success on the racetrack they still enjoyed a lot of great times from the horses they bred and raced.
Their biggest moment in racing came when they bred Jolly Jake, winner of five races including the 1984 Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). He was by the then Hawke's Bay-based stallion Three Legs out of the Sucaryl mare Honeypot and was sold by the Scoulars as a young horse to Singapore-based Ivan Allen.
Honeypot has been the foundation mare of a family that the Scoulars have bred and raced from since then and was also the dam of Our Secret Weapon, who won 11 races in the South Island.
Other notable performers out of that mare were Lady Beebee (five wins), Busy Bee (two wins) and Showbizz (two wins), while another of her progeny, Sweet Gem, was stakes placed in South-east Asia.
The Scoulars have continued to breed from daughters and granddaughters of Honeypot with success, the most recent star being Bizzwinkle, whose six wins included the 2018 New Zealand Cup and two Stratford Cups.
Bizzwinkle is by Rip Van Winkle out of a grand daughter of Honeypot called Bizz, who is now deceased but has also left the winners Murdoch, Runny Honey, The Bizzness, Awesome Treasure and Free Bee.
Awesome Treasure was a winner over 1000m in Hong Kong in December last year while The Bizzness led all the way to win a 1200m maiden race at Tauranga in November last year.
Free Bee, a four-year-old mare by Rageese, is the winner of two races and is back in work with the Hastings training partnership of Sue Thompson and Mick Brown after a brief spell.
The Scoulars have also been shareholders in the I See Red Syndicate, a group of racing enthusiasts that have raced a string of successful jumpers from the Hastings stable of Paul Nelson and, more recently, his training partner Corrina McDougal.
John Scoular was farewelled at a funeral service held in Poukawa last Sunday that was attended by more than 150 people, nearly all of them immaculately dressed just as he would have liked.
Significant win for Fannin
Hastings-born jockey Shaun Fannin fulfilled a lifetime ambition when he steered West Coast to an all the way win in last Saturday's $100,000 Grand National Steeplechase.
The 26-year-old, one of the country's leading jumps jockeys, has won most of the feature jumping races on the New Zealand calendar but success in the Grand National Steeplechase had, until now, eluded him.
He was delighted to finally capture a win in the race after finishing runner-up on Mandalay 12 months ago in what was his best result from five previous rides in the iconic event.
"This is the biggest race I've wanted to win as I haven't had much luck in it, so it's very special to finally get it," Fannin said.
Fannin sent West Coast straight to the lead in the 5600m race and the seven-year-old gelding set a leisurely pace throughout, virtually walking the first lap before increasing the tempo starting the final round of the Riccarton circuit.
With 1000m to run it looked like West Coast's race to lose and he didn't put a foot wrong, clearing the last three obstacles competently before racing clear in the run to the line to score by 10 lengths.
"He's probably not the best in front as he gawks around a bit," Fannin said.
"He controlled the race throughout in a beautiful rhythm and he was just too strong at the finish."
It was the seventh win in the race for West End's Awapuni trainer Mark Oulaghan.
Double for Hastings apprentice
Hastings apprentice Lily Sutherland and Wanganui trainer Kevin Myers are starting to build a formidable partnership.
Sutherland,18, recorded her first win as a jockey when piloting the Myers-trained Shockproof to victory at Hawera in April and, at Riccarton last Saturday, she rode her first double for the trainer.
Sutherland got the hot favourite Kick On home a decisive 2-1/2 length winner in the $40,000 Zilco Handicap (1400m) and, three races later, she was back in the winner's stall after guiding Aljay to a 4 length victory in the $30,000 Stephanie Murray Mortgages Handicap (2000m).
"I was really pleased to get that, it is my first double. Both horses were very deserving," said Sutherland, who is indentured to Hawke's Bay trainer Vicki Wilson.
Sutherland, who now has a tally of seven wins from her short career, was elated to get the results for Myers, who has been a key figure in her development as a rider.
"He has been a huge help to me," she said.
''He has given me a lot of trial rides and has been very helpful. He is a good teacher for younger riders.
"He has always given me great advice and puts me on his horses. I was really glad to ride the double for him on Saturday.''
Now into her second season of race riding, Sutherland said her main aim is just to continually improve as a jockey.
"The short-term goal is to outride my four-kilogram claim and that is not far away now," she said.
