That horse recorded a third and a fourth from only five race starts for Hastings trainer John Bary before a tendon injury ended her racing career.
McKenzie has since been breeding from Affrettando and has had tremendous sale results with her progeny.
He sold a Time Test colt out of the mare at the 2021 yearling sales for $130,000 and that horse, named Metrical, has gone on to record two wins, two seconds and two thirds in Australia. He also sold a Proisir colt out of Affrettando at this year’s Karaka yearling sales for $360,000 and that horse is so far unraced.
In between those two colts Affrettando produced a filly by Time Test that McKenzie and his partner, former jockey Jordan Bassett, have decided to retain and race themselves.
Named Prestissimo, the three-year-old recorded a win at only her second start when taking out a 1300m maiden event at Tauherenikau last Sunday.
She was following on from an unlucky debut fifth over 1200m at Otaki last month, where she got held up in the home straight, yet was overlooked by the punters and returned odds of 12 to one.
McKenzie and Bassett train Prestissimo in partnership and were in two minds whether to late scratch the filly when steady rain in the Wairarapa saw the Tauherenikau track downgraded to a heavy-10 by the time her race came up for decision.
“We weren’t sure how she would handle it but she seemed to cope okay and was very brave,” McKenzie said this week.
The plan was to position Prestissimo in the first three but, after being crowded by other runners soon after the start, apprentice rider Jim Chung took her straight to the front.
They rounded the home turn with a handy break on the field but Prestissimo then then started to lay out, under pressure, and had to dig deep in the final stages to hold out second placegetter Don Pedro by half a head.
“I actually thought she had only run second so it was great to get the result,” McKenzie added.
The win brought McKenzie and Bassett great satisfaction given they had been involved in every step of the process of getting Prestissimo to the races.
“You have them from a foal right through, watch them grow up and it’s nice to see you get them that far [races] let alone win,” McKenzie said.
“It gives you a bit of satisfaction when it is all under mine and Jordy’s tutelage.”
He added that Prestissimo is only a lightly framed filly so they won’t be rushing her into another race.
“We’ll see how she is over the next few days but maybe she can run next at Wanganui in three weeks’ time.”
Affrettando missed getting in foal last year but is now safely in foal again, this time to the promising sire Ace High.
Last to first win by Makkaldee
Hawke’s Bay-based Danny Champion pulled off another great training feat when he produced Makkaldee, a horse better known for his deeds over longer distances, to win fresh up over 1300m at Tauherenikau last Sunday after a seven-month break.
The Jakkalberry gelding was having his first start since finishing second in a Rating 65 race over 2100m at Woodville back on April 12 and before that he had recorded a second over 2060m at Wanganui and a third over 2200m at Trentham.
Thus the horse was always going to be outpaced in the early stages of a 1300m sprint and it was not surprising that he was a clear last until the home turn last Sunday.
In-form jockey Kate Hercock then brought him to the outside of the track and he produced giant strides over the final stages to get up and win by a length.
Makkaldee is now a seven-year-old who had recorded one previous win, that being over 1400m at Otaki in November 2021, when trained by Hercock.
Back then she said Makkaldee showed good ability but was “big and dumb” and just needed time to get it all together.
He has certainly been given plenty of time to fully mature with last Sunday’s race being only his 19th start.
He now boasts a record of two wins, three seconds and three thirds for his Hawke’s Bay owner-breeders, Julian and Mary Aitken and Andrew and Rachael Ritchie.
Champion, formerly from the South Island, moved north to Hastings at the beginning of this year and is the partner of Kate Hercock.
He made an early impact from his new base when he saddled up two winners, Wish Me Well and Sid’s Mate, in the space of four days in March and also produced another four winners from a limited number of starters last season.
Smokin’ Romans back on song
Smokin’ Romans, part-owned by Dannevirke’s Steve Prenter, broke a two-year win drought in style last Saturday with a black-type success at the scene of his biggest triumph.
Prenter owns a 15% share in the Ghibellines gelding who went into the A$300,000 Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington as a nine-time winner from a career spanning 39 starts. However, he had not won since taking out the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in October of 2022.
The eight-year-old, aided by an outstanding front-running ride from Ben Melham, turned back the clock when holding the chasers at bay all the way down the Flemington straight to win by half a length.
“I was a little bit cheeky,” Melham said. “Because we had it so cheap the first half, I stepped it up a good way out and he maintained his gallop all the way through the line.”
Smokin’ Romans is trained by Ciaron Maher and has now had 40 starts for 10 wins, nine placings and A$1.96 million in stakes.
“He’s a Turnbull winner,” Maher said. “He hasn’t got to that form for a while, but it’s fantastic for the horse, the owners and the team to get a big win like this.”
Smokin’ Romans was bred by Brian and Lorraine Anderton’s White Robe Lodge and is out of the high-class staying mare Inferno, the winner of 10 races including the Group 3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) twice.
Cup day function raises $2000 for Trust
The New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust benefited by $2000 from a Melbourne Cup day function held at Jarks Restaurant and Bar in Hastings.
A small group of regular customers at the popular establishment decided, earlier this year, to organise a special Cup day function that would not only provide a great day’s entertainment for patrons but also raise money for a worthy cause.
More than 70 people attended the function where they were able to purchase sweepstake tickets on the Melbourne Cup as well as mystery bets at both the Flemington and Ellerslie race meetings that day. There were also plenty of giveaways and those in attendance were treated to regular food platters throughout the course of the afternoon.
Jarks Restaurant proprietor Marianne Poszeluk said the function was a huge success and it was great that such a sizeable amount of money was raised for the New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust.
“It was a fantastic day and all the credit goes to the committee that organised everything. Jarks just provided the venue and the food and they did all the work.
“Everything went off well and, hopefully, we can stage another Melbourne Cup function next year.”
The primary purpose of New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust is to operate a national fleet of horse ambulances, equipped with support and recovery equipment to assist in the provision of critical care to horses injured while competing in equine sports.
The experienced operators work closely with specialist equine vets to support an injured or unwell horse.
A purpose-built horse ambulance is on track at every thoroughbred race meeting and trial, and harness race meeting in NZ.
The ambulances, designed and custom-built in Mosgiel, are a world-class asset and highlight the importance of equine welfare for racing, sport and leisure horses and ponies.
There are 10 units in operation around New Zealand, with six in the North Island and four in the South Island. They are specially designed trailer floats with a sophisticated hydraulic system than enables the floor to be dropped to ground level to provide easy access for horses so that they can be transported to a veterinary clinic.
The trust relies on fundraising and sponsorship for its operations.
