"A big... big performance and a promising filly here," Lee said in his commentary as she crossed the line.
"Gee they can't do that very often, hang off the course like that and still win but she has," he added.
Mermaid is trained by Waipukurau's Simon Wilson and he races her in partnership with his Waitotara-based mother Jan, who bred the filly.
She was having only her second start, after finishing sixth on debut in an 1100m 2-year-old race at Trentham back in May. She had won an 850m Foxton trial before then and won another 1000m trial on the synthetic track at Awapuni before last week's successful return.
Wilson said that in all of those runs Mermaid had never shown a tendency to hang out and he was at a loss to explain why she suddenly did it last week.
"She's had plenty of jump-outs and a couple of trials and she's never done that before," he said.
"It's not ideal and was a little bit embarrassing actually," Simon Wilson said this week.
The stipendiary stewards placed a warning on Mermaid, saying her racing manners would need to improve in the future. Wilson said he will give the filly a jump-out within the next two weeks to hopefully iron out any problems.
"She seems to have a lot of speed but she's just got to do things right. We will just take her along quietly from now on," Wilson added.
Mermaid is by the promising sire Derryn out of the Pins mare Oceania, who was the winner of five races.
Jan Wilson bought Oceania off Masterton trainer Gerald Innes and has mated the mare four times with Derryn, who stands at Grangewilliam Stud in Waitotara.
Mermaid is the result of the first mating and the mare then slipped a foal the next year. She has since produced a yearling colt and is now back in foal.
Mermaid is one of five horses Simon Wilson presently has in work, with two of the others being the winners Scutar and Rip Wheeler.
Scutar has won twice, including one over 2100m at Hastings last December, while Rip Wheeler has recorded a win and a third from four starts and was unsuited to the heavy 10 track when resuming over 1400m at Waverley last week.
Wilson is best known as the trainer and part-owner of Dez, whose seven wins included the 2019 Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton, a race that he also finished third in the year before.
La Crique is Melbourne-bound
La Crique, a runaway winner of last Saturday's Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata, will be flown to Melbourne next Tuesday where she will take on some of Australia's best in upcoming major spring assignments.
Katrina Alexander, who trains the mare at Matamata with her husband Simon, said the plan is to target two Group 1 weight-for-age features run over the Melbourne Cup Carnival with the four-year-old, the $A1million Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on October 29 and the $A3million VRC Champions Stakes (2000m) a week later.
Alexander is confident she could handle two races in consecutive weeks.
"History tells us that the more she races, the easier she is to manage. She put together a fairly lengthy campaign last time and continued to thrive," she said.
"We've never backed her up this quickly before, but because she thrives on racing we'd be happy to run her in both races if she's doing well."
Alexander said La Crique had recovered very well from her Arrowfield Stud Plate run, something that was helped by having the race run on her home track and thus avoiding a long float trip to Hastings, where the race was supposed to be run two weeks ago.
On trial for NZ 2000 Guineas
Lightly-raced Hastings 3-year-old Duncan Creek has an opportunity to make up for lost time on his home track on Saturday and also keep a Group 1 dream alive.
Restricted to just four appearances following a series of false starts, the son of Super Easy will step out in the Mardigras Events 3-year-old race (1300m) following a sound fifth when resuming in the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) on the first day of the Colliers Hawke's Bay Spring Racing Carnival.
Duncan Creek holds a nomination for the Group 1 $550,000 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) on November 5 and he will need to perform at his best to give trainer Patrick Campbell a chance to turn back the clock.
Campbell won the New Zealand 2000 Guineas back in 1994 with the outstanding Avedon, whose other victories included the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) and Group 1 Waikato Draught Sprint (1200m). He ended his racing career with a full house, having also triumphed at Group 3, Group 3 and Listed level.
"I think Duncan Creek's a pretty fair horse, but he's not easy. He's still in the Guineas and that may be a bit of a pipe dream. Basically he would have to win on Saturday to carry on to Riccarton," Campbell said this week.
"He is a very, very tough horse with a few peculiarities. He whips around and plays up coming off the track and he's definitely got a few tricks in his armoury."
Duncan Creek has wet track form so the rain that has fallen on the Hastings track since Wednesday should hold no fears for the gelding.
He won at his second start, over 1200m, on a heavy 10 track at Otaki and then finished fourth on similar footing in the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Waverley.
Injury ends Satu Lagi's career
A recurring leg problem has ended the racing career of talented Hastings-trained gelding Satu Lagi.
Bred, owned and trained by Patrick Campbell, the Per Incanto seven-year-old was to have kicked off a fresh campaign at the abandoned Hawke's Bay meeting two weeks ago.
"He has been such a good horse that I won't be trying him again, the problem has kept flaring up. We never saw anything near the best of the horse," Campbell said.
Satu Lagi was restricted to just 19 race starts and won four times. He only finished out of the first five once and was stakes-placed when third in both the Group 3 Stewards Stakes (1200m) and the Listed Levin Stakes (1200m).
An importation of South African jockeys
In response to the shortage of senior jockeys in New Zealand, Byerley Park founder and director Daniel Nakhle has arranged immigration status for current South African champion jockey Warren Kennedy and former South African champion apprentice Craig Zackey.
Kennedy come with an impressive CV, having won the 2020-21 and 2021-22 jockeys championships, the last one by a staggering 63 wins. In addition, he has kicked home seven Group 1 winners, 19 at Group 2 level and 16 at Group 3.
The charismatic 42-year-old arrived in New Zealand this week and is excited about making the move to New Zealand along with wife Barbara and daughters Jamie Lee (3) and Ryleigh (1).
Zackey (27) is due to arrive in New Zealand early next month. He has already notched an impressive 10 Group 1 wins, nine at Group 2 level and 11 at Group 3. He will be accompanied by his fiancée Sasha and their daughter Sierra (2).
Nakhle believes that the loss of some of New Zealand's senior riders is being felt throughout the industry.
"New Zealand racing will benefit greatly from the quality and calibre of two champion South African riders," Nakhle said.
Levante wins Te Awamutu trial
Matamata trainer Ken Kelso saw exactly what he wanted from his Group 1 winner Levante in her 850m trial at Te Awamutu on Tuesday.
She was tucked away on the inside early in her eight-horse heat by jockey Cameron Lammas before he produced her four-wide on the home turn where she was able to range up to the leaders and edge clear for a comfortable three-quarter length win.
"It was a nice trial. She had a nice hit-out on a grass track, on a nice surface. It was pleasing to see what she did," said Kelso, who trains in partnership with his wife Bev.
The daughter of Proisir is being readied for a hit-and-run mission to Australia next month for the Group 1 A$3million Darley Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on November 5.
The Melbourne track was the scene of her previous Australian start, where she finished fourth in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) in March.
