The Cossack puts in a spectacular leap at one of the live fences on his way to winning last Saturday’s Wellington Steeplechase.
The Hastings training partnership of Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal put the bad memories of last year’s Wellington Steeplechase meeting behind them with another stellar day on the racetrack at Trentham last Saturday.
The pair not only captured both the $75,000 Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) with champion jumper The Cossack and $75,000 Wellington Hurdles (3200m) with Nedwin, but they also took out the $20,000 maiden steeplechase with Al’s Red Zed.
“It’s been a wonderful day and probably a bit of a payback from last year, because we had quite a lot of bad luck that day,” Paul Nelson said after the winning treble.
Nelson was eluding, in part, to last year’s Wellington Steeplechase where The Cossack looked a distinct winning chance when camped behind the leaders approaching the second to last fence but suffered severe interference when his stablemate Argyll crashed in front of him.
Argyll is thought to have suffered a heart aneurysm and unfortunately died on the track.
The Cossack had to regain momentum then set out after the leaders and, while he closed gamely in the final stages, he was 4-1/2 lengths behind the winner West Coast at the line.
Earlier that day the Nelson/McDougal stable had taken out the Wellington Hurdles with Suliman but their other runner in that race, the favourite Nedwin, fell while disputing the pace with 1200m to run.
So it was due compensation for the connections of both The Cossack and Nedwin when they prevailed in Trentham’s two most prestigious jumping races last Saturday.
The Cossack was sent out a raging hot $1.50 favourite for the Wellington Steeplechase after taking out the Waikato Steeplechase (3900m) for the second year in a row in June and following that up with a good run for fourth over 2200m on the flat at Hastings three weeks ago.
He had to lump a topweight of 73kg but his huge band of supporters were given no reasons for concern throughout the testing 5500m event as rider Hamish McNeill kept him in or near the lead and the 10-year-old put in some spectacular leaps at the fences.
After negotiating the double for the final time, with 1000m to run, The Cossack swept to the lead and set a stern challenge for the remainder of the field.
McNeill had him clear as they reached the course proper, at the top of the home straight, with the up-and-coming talents Afterallthistime and Auld Jock looming as the only dangers.
The chasing pair fought on valiantly, but the favourite’s class prevailed and McNeill let him ease down in the final few strides to win by half a length from Auld Jock, with Afterallthistime a further 3¼ lengths back in third.
McNeill stood up in the irons and made a celebratory gesture crossing the line which earned him the wrath of the judicial committee and a $500 fine.
McNeill also guided the promising steeplechaser Al’s Red Zed to victory for the Nelson/McDougal stable in the opening event, the Norm Bevan Memorial Steeplechase (4000m), while it was Jay Kozaczek in the saddle when Nedwin collected Nelson and McDougal’s fifth straight Wellington Hurdles success.
It was Paul Nelson’s third Wellington Steeplechase training success, following Storm in 1987 and Amanood Lad in 2017.
The Cossack’s connections are resigned to the fact that the horse will have to lump topweight of 73kg in whatever steeplechase race he lines up in while his rivals will carry as much as seven kilograms less and so Nelson wonders just how long the horse can keep going.
“I don’t know how much further we’ll go. You can keep going to the well a bit too often, but we’ve spaced his races to try and make it easier on him.”
Nelson has no hesitation in naming The Cossack the best jumper he has trained and he has had more than his fair share of top jumpers through his stable.
“I always go back to No Hero, he won eight steeplechases in a row, but this horse has done it hurdling and now he’s doing it steeplechasing.”
He said this week that The Cossack and Nedwin will both now head to Christchurch next month, where The Cossack will contest the $100,000 Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) and Nedwin will run in the $100,000 Grand National Hurdles (4200m), both run on August 10.
Nelson added that Al’s Red Zed is also likely to make the trip south where he is expected to contest the $50,000 Koral Steeplechase (4250m) on the first day of the Grand National meeting, on August 3. Promising hurdler Dictation could also be added to the team with the $50,000 Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) on the first day and the $30,000 0-1 win hurdle race over the same distance on the last day being considered for him.
Bred by Hawke’s Bay man Ivan Grieve, The Cossack is by Mastercraftsman out of the Galileo mare Stellardelmar and has won 19 starts from 60 starts, nine of them over hurdles and six in steeplechase events.
Grieve sold the horse to his brother Peter and his son Doug and they were joined in the ownership by Nelson and their close friend John Frizzell.
The Cossack has now won more than $690,000 in stake money, most of it since the horse changed hands.
Paul Nelson and his brother David race Al’s Red Zed along with McDougal and her partner Richard Fenwick and Hawke’s Bay brothers Terry and Turei Haronga.
The big chestnut was recording his third win from only 13 starts, his previous two being in an amateur riders’ flat race and one over hurdles.
Topweight Nedwin showed there is simply no quit in his makeup as he unleashed an outstanding finishing burst to capture his second Wellington Hurdles (3200m) at Trentham last Saturday.
Supporters of the Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal stable had two options to choose from in the ace and many out their faith in up and comer Taika, who started a $2.20 favourite, ahead of his stablemate ($7.60), with the Kevin Myers-trained Invisible Spirit splitting the pair at $5.00.
Nedwin was burdened with 73kgs, six-and-a-half kilograms more than his nearest rival and looked a forlorn hope as the two favourites did battle out in front throughout the early stages of the contest.
Coming to the home turn, Nedwin looked to be struggling five lengths behind the leading pair. However rider Jay Kozaczek refused to give in as he urged Nedwin to close on the leaders.
Nedwin had a full head of steam as he strode over the final obstacle and swept past the other two, racing clear to win by 1-1/4 lengths and recording his seventh victory over hurdles and his second Wellington Hurdles success after also taking out the race in 2022.
Bred by the late Tom Lowry, who passed away recently, Nedwin is now owned by Nelson and his wife Carol along with Gisborne couple Mick and Suz Gardner. The gelding has also won six races on the flat and more than $374,000 in prizemoney.
Hastings-owned Call Me Jack, a last-start fifth in the Te Whangai Romney Hawke’s Bay Hurdles, will revert back to steeplechasing at Waverley on July 28.
The Jakkalberry eight-year-old, prepared by Wanganui trainer Kevin Myers, was the winner of a maiden hurdle race over 3100m at Te Aroha on June 27 and backed up two days later in the Hawke’s Bay feature.
He has also had three steeplechase starts for a win and two fourths, with the victory coming over 4000m on the Waverley track in August last year.
Call Me Jack is owned by veteran Hawke’s Bay thoroughbred owner-breeder Tim Symes and his son Wilfred and they bred the gelding out of the Stark South mare Gizakiss.
Symes trained the horse himself in the early part of his career, winning three races with him on the flat including an open handicap over 2200m at Hastings two years ago.
Former Hastings-trained galloper Chairman has struck good form since being transferred to the South Island with two wins and two thirds from his last four starts.
The Charm Spirit four-year-old overcame interference in the home straight to score a half-length win in a $32,000 Rating 75 race over 1400m on the Riccarton synthetic track on Friday of last week, his second success on the surface.
Chairman was bred and originally raced by Taupo’s Pat Lowry and had five starts from his son Guy’s Hastings stable for a second and a fourth.
He is now trained at Riccarton by Richard Didham and raced by him along with a large South Island syndicate.
Chairman finished third in a 1200m maiden race at Timaru in his first start from the new stable, back in April.
He then cleared maiden ranks with an all the way three-length over 1600m on the Riccarton synthetic track on May 16 and followed that up with a third over the same distance a fortnight later.
Palmerston North jockey Leah Hemi was aboard Chairman for last week’s race and she got the horse to settle midfield on the inside in the early stages, despite him trying to over-race.
Chairman was then held up for several strides when Hemi tried to angle him away from the inside in the home straight but, once clear, he finished strongly to win well.
Chairman is out of the No Excuse Needed mare Diplomacy and is a half-brother to Mohaka, who was the winner of the Listed Feilding Gold Cup when trained by Guy Lowry and was also seven times stakes placed, including a third in the Group 2 Avondale Cup (2400m).
Fire crews were called to the scene around 7.30pm.