Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Ruakākā Races: The High Priestess returns after injury break on Saturday

Northern Advocate
4 Aug, 2022 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The High Priestess (outside) will contest the Harcourts Series Qualifying Race (1300m) at Ruakākā on Saturday. Photo - Trish Dunell

The High Priestess (outside) will contest the Harcourts Series Qualifying Race (1300m) at Ruakākā on Saturday. Photo - Trish Dunell

Don Walker is looking forward to sending The High Priestess back to the races at Ruakākā this weekend after an injury scare earlier this year.

The daughter of Reliable Man showed early signs of brilliance when runner-up in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at just her second start at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, however she gave Walker a scare after she pulled up sore following the Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) at the Auckland track a week later.

"She pulled up really sore after that last race, it was amazing that she even ran seventh," Walker said.

"We put a rider on the next day and she was biting the rider and wouldn't go forward. We got a scintigraphy done and they couldn't locate anything untoward, just immaturity things in her hocks and knees. That's all they could pick up so we just gave her some rest.

"She was off the scene for a fair while, so I have just mucked around quietly building her up again. She gets massaged every week and she seems pretty good now. We are just taking her along quietly and will know a lot more after Saturday."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The High Priestess will be ridden by top hoop Opie Bosson in the Harcourts Series Qualifying Race (1300m) and Walker said his feedback will help dictate her spring plans.

"Opie wanted to ride her so he will give us an indication of where we are at," Walker said.
"If she goes well up there we will put her in the Tarzino (Gr.1, 1400m) and those races down in Hawke's Bay - but it will all depend on how she goes."

The High Priestess is a daughter of Group One performer Postman's Daughter and Walker believes she has the potential to be better than her dam.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"She is a pretty good horse, I think she is better than her mother, but time will tell," he said.

Walker bought Kinjabelle as a yearling and he said it has been a great breed to him.

"I bought the grandam as a yearling at the sales, she is 27 now and is out in the paddock here," he said.

Kinjabelle frequented Westbury Stud stallion Postponed over several seasons and Walker said his decision to focus on temperament has paid dividends.

Discover more

Ruakākā racing winter season off the mark in style

12 Jun 12:15 AM

'He's got a lot to give, and he absolutely loves it'. Success at endurance riding

29 Jul 05:00 PM

Horses' happy place: Northland couple provide haven for neglected equines

08 Jul 05:00 PM

Part of the family: Far North horse turns up at neighbour's place after 64 days missing

29 Jul 05:00 PM

"It was more temperament-wise (that I sent her to Postponed). I have bred dairy cows all my life and mad on mad doesn't normally work very well," Walker quipped.

"Postponed has done a marvellous job, I had four of them, but she (Postman's Daughter) was the only one that had that real killer instinct. She really wanted to do it.

"She has thrown it on to her offspring. The older brother had to be put down after a paddock accident but Clayton Chipperfield said to me he was one of his best gallopers when he was training.

"Mark Walker thinks a bit of the Tarzino filly (Sealed With A Kiss) that David Ellis bought at last year's Ready To Run Sale, so hopefully she is a good broodmare.

"She will foal a Circus Maximus in the spring and will head back to Tarzino."

Racing at the Whangārei Racing Club's Ruakākā meet on Saturday starts at noon.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

– NZ Racing Desk

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Opinion

Joe Bennett: Hungarian barman shares fears for future

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Northern Advocate

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Opinion

Why being physically active is good for student learning – John Wansbone

04 Jul 05:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Joe Bennett: Hungarian barman shares fears for future

Joe Bennett: Hungarian barman shares fears for future

04 Jul 05:00 PM

I visited Budapest last in the 1980s when it was under communist rule.

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Why being physically active is good for student learning – John Wansbone

Why being physically active is good for student learning – John Wansbone

04 Jul 05:00 PM
McKay leads Samoa's green transport with solar-powered electric catamarans

McKay leads Samoa's green transport with solar-powered electric catamarans

04 Jul 05:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP