Papa Surf, in the hands of apprentice Jim Chung, surges clear of her rivals in the closing stages of a $40,000 Rating 65 race over 1200m at Tauranga last Saturday.
Papa Surf, in the hands of apprentice Jim Chung, surges clear of her rivals in the closing stages of a $40,000 Rating 65 race over 1200m at Tauranga last Saturday.
It was a case of a happy de-ja-vu for Hastings owner-breeder Neville Robertson when Papa Surf scored a runaway win in a $40,000 Rating 65 race at Tauranga last Saturday.
Robertson is the co-breeder of the Dalghar four-year-old and races him in partnership with a group of close friends. He also co-owned the horse’s dam, Surf Patrol, which was the winner of seven races and one of them was on the Tauranga track.
“I can remember Surf Patrol winning a Rating 70 race over 1400 metres at Tauranga in 2011 but it was only worth $16,000 then. Saturday’s race was worth more than twice that,” an elated Robertson said this week.
Papa Surf was resuming from a five-month break when he lined up in the J Swap Contractors 1200 at Tauranga last Saturday but had the benefit of two Foxton trials to prepare him for the assignment and his Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin was confident of a bold showing.
“Mike has been saying all along it was the best the horse has ever been,” Robertson said.
“The horse won two races last preparation but is a lot stronger now.”
“Mike had given him two trials, one in February when he finished third and another one earlier this month, when he finished second, so he thought he was ready to show something.”
Persistent rain during the day in Tauranga last Saturday turned track conditions from a soft-5 in the morning to a heavy-8 by the time Papa Surf’s race came up for decision.
“We were a bit worried about the track because we don’t think he likes it too heavy but I think they had watered the track in the previous week so at least it was loose.”
Breslin’s stable apprentice Jim Chung has ridden Papa Surf in most of his starts and was again aboard last Saturday.
Trainer Danny Champion has produced three winners from five starters during March.
He restrained the horse to sit just behind the leaders in the early running and then angled him to the outside rounding the home bend.
While some runners struggled to quicken in the heavy track conditions Papa Surf seemed to skip over the ground as he raced away in the final 200 metres to win by 3-1/4 lengths.
It was the gelding’s third win from 16 starts. He has also recorded two seconds and two thirds and has amassed $71,100 in stake money.
Robertson races Papa Surf in partnership with Hawke’s Bay couple Danny and Karen Tobeck and Hastings-based Darryl Morgan along with three Wellington friends, Mark Bloomfield, David Earl and Gavin Wallace.
Robertson, Bloomfield, Earl and Wallace were also all involved in the ownership of Surf Patrol, along with well-known Central Hawke’s Bay thoroughbred owner-breeder Sue Harty.
The mare descended from a prolific winning family that was initially started by Harty.
Surf Patrol is now deceased but left three foals to race and all of them have been winners.
The first was Son Of Surf, by Any Suggestion, which won three races, while the second was Flying Surf (by Niagara) which chalked up four wins.
After Papa Surf was born, Surf Patrol then produced a filly foal by Staphanos that died and the mare unfortunately had to be euthanised when foaling a colt by Ribchester in October 2022. That foal also died.
“We’ve got nothing coming on from the family as we sold Flying Surf to Hastings trainer Vikki Wilson and she has put her in foal to Mongolian Falcon,” Robertson said.
Robertson said Papa Surf has come through last Saturday’s taxing fresh-up win remarkably well but Breslin is undecided where the horse will race next.
“Mike said he arrived back at the Awapuni stables on Saturday night and left a bit of feed overnight, which was to be expected after such a long trip,” Robertson added.
“He is now in Rating 75 grade and there are not many 1200-metre races around for that grade.
“There is a Rating 75 race over 1200 at Trentham on April 6 but that might be a bit too soon so we might wait for a race on April 27.”
The winning run being enjoyed by new Hawke’s Bay trainer Danny Champion continued when he produced Chester Boy to score an impressive fresh-up win in a 1300m maiden race at last Sunday’s Tauherenikau meeting.
It was Champion’s third individual race winner from five starters in March, following victories by Wish Me Well at Tauherenikau on March 3 and Sid’s Mate at Otaki on March 6.
Champion, formerly based in the South Island, moved to Hawke’s Bay about four months ago and is now the partner of successful jockey Kate Hercock.
The pair are certainly proving a successful combination as Hercock has been aboard in all three of the Champion-trained winners.
Chester Boy was having only his second start and had not raced for 11 months when he lined up at Tauherenikau but indicated he was ready for a bold fresh-up performance when winning a 1000m Foxton trial on March 7.
The big Ribchester four-year-old was sent out favourite for the race and, despite doing a lot wrong in the running, he still managed to score by half a length.
After beginning awkwardly, Chester Boy raced keenly outside the leader until the home turn. He then bounded to the front but wanted to wander around in the final stages and Hercock had to work to keep him on a straight line.
The horse had made his race debut over 1230m at Rotorua in April last year, where he only managed seventh out of 10 runners but was hampered in the running.
Champion said this week that, although the horse has only had the two starts, he has now been turned out for a winter spell and probably won’t be seen at the races again for some time.
“He’s still big and green but he’s a horse with plenty of ability,” Champion said.
“We don’t really want to run him around on wet tracks so he can have a freshen up now.”
Chester Boy is owned by his breeders, Matamata-based Gary Hennessy and his Hong Kong partner Andrew Wong.
They bred the gelding out of the Danzero mare Batroun, who was the winner of two races from only nine starts in Australia.
His sire Ribchester stands at Auckland’s Haunui Farm Stud and was Europe’s Champion Miler as both a three and four-year-old. His four Group 1 wins at a mile included the Queen Anne Stakes in record time and he also recorded a further six Group 1 placings.
Champion said Sid’s Mate has also been turned out for a winter spell after he bumped a leg while in his paddock.
It’s nothing serious but he will also be out until the spring.”
Wish Me Well is likely to have his next start in a Rating 65 race over 1600m at Wanganui on Friday of next week while another stable runner, Makkaldee, is coming off a last-start third over 2200m at Trentham and will return to that track for another middle distance race on April 6.
Queensland races for Molly Bloom
There has been a slight change in plans for Group 1 winning mare Molly Bloom.
The New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner was supposed to tackle this Saturday’s Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie but will now head straight to Queensland for a three-race campaign.
“She had a busy time over the spring and summer, so we thought this was a good opportunity to take a deep breath with her,” said Andrew Scott, who trains the filly in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan.
It was also revealed this week that Molly Bloom had contracted a minor cold so it was not worth risking running her this weekend.
While another Group 1 victory in her homeland would have been a great addition to her pedigree page, her connections felt focusing on the Queensland Winter Carnival was the best option.
“There are some good opportunities for her in Brisbane,” Scott said.
“We are hoping to trial her here on April 9 and hopefully she puts in a nice trial and it can give us the confidence to go.”
Scott said Molly Bloom may have another trial in early May with her first Australian start likely to be in the Listed A$160,000 (NZ$171k) Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) on May 11. There are also options to run her in the Group 2 A$300,000 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben on May 25 and the Group 1 A$700,000 Queensland Oaks (2200m) on June 8 if she continues to hold her form.
Molly Bloom is expected to remain in Australia after her Queensland campaign and will be put into the care of another trainer over there.
She changed ownership before her last start win in the Group 2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa last month and is now owned by a group headed by well-known Australian owner Ozzie Kheir.
The O’Sullivan-Scott stable is also looking forward to heading to Perth next month with Group 1 winner Waitak, who will contest the A$4 million The Quokka (1200m) on May 20.
“It’s incredibly exciting for our team to take on The Quokka,” Scott said.
“He has had a couple of trials and is booked to fly out on April 7 to Sydney and then from Sydney to Perth on May 8.
