Agua Caliente became a man at Addington yesterday. An old man, but a man never the less.
The enigma of New Zealand open class pacing finally broke through for a major open class win by outsprinting New Zealand Cup hero Yulestar in the $100,000 New Zealand Free-For-All. Third was the New South Wales visitor Zyuganov Leis.
It was the expected battle of speed against strength as driver Glen Wolfenden blasted to the front with Agua Caliente and then gave the lead away to Yulestar, sitting ready to pounce up the passing lane.
When the time came pouncing wasn't as easy as many expected as Yulestar had a full head of steam up.
It took all of Agua Caliente's devastating sprinting qualities to get past him in a stirring display that rejuvenated the crowd stunned silent by Lyell Creek's defeat.
While we all knew Agua Caliente could sprint as fast as any horse in Australasia, it was a step in the late development of a horse once rated a potential champion.
Until this week he had never won a race more than 100 kilometres from his South Auckland home. When he travels he usually gets sick, or sulks, or gallops, or is unlucky. He just doesn't win.
Now he has won two serious races in three days, prompting Wolfenden to admit had travel arrangements for next week's Miracle Mile in Sydney been easier, Agua Caliente might have finally needed his passport.
Instead the muscly speed machine will return to Auckland and step back up in distance in the Auckland Cup, back to his dreaded standing starts
But Wolfenden knows a new world is now open to Agua Caliente.
"We will look at the big races in Australia like the Interdominions because he is an eight-year-old and there is no point waiting for anything."
The win also touched the hearts of breeding enthusiasts, as he is the last open class horse racing by our greatest ever standarbred stallion Vance Hanover, who died over eight years ago.
While beaten, Yulestar was all guts from a wide draw in a race short of his best distance while Holmes D G was never a winning hope after settling last but flew into fourth and should have done enough to earn an invite to the Miracle Mile.
Part-owner Susan Short said the delight of victory was always tempered with thoughts for her father Don who died four years ago.
Don Short had been involved with horses for much of his career but came to the point where he decided to pay more money than usual for something better than average.
He asked Peter Wolfenden to pick out some likely candidates at the Karaka yearling sales.
"Dad just kept putting up his finger. When the horse was knocked down to him he didn't even know how much he had paid."
The price was $25,000 and although Don Short died when Agua Caliente was a four-year-old, he passed away knowing it was money well spent.
The eight-year-old has now taken his record to 24 wins from 42 starts, for earnings of $403,000.
Racing: Agua Caliente stuns in hard Free-For-All
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