Racing: Jumps career some time off

Matamata horseman Terry McDermott reckons getting a hernia was a blessing in disguise.

McDermott was the trainer of Jack Hobbs, an 8-year-old he had won four races with from 43 starts.

But the horse was transferred to stable of fellow Matamata trainer Craig Thornton when McDermott had a hernia operation last month.

First-up for Thornton, Jack Hobbs scored at Matamata on March 23 and second-up, at Te Rapa on Saturday, he made it consecutive wins in when taking out the day's feature, the $25,000 Hamilton Caterers (2000m) .

"Just as well I got crook so I could give him to Craig as a jumper," McDermott quipped afterwards.

"He's an honest old bugger. I got him as a 3-year-old."

Despite the references to Jack Hobbs as a jumper, neither McDermott nor Thornton were prepared to say when he would kick off over fences.

Both are content to keep him in flat races while he was in winning form.

Said Thornton: "He's a lovely jumper. He's a neat old horse. He just keeps going and he's in great form.

"We're having a lot of fun with him. It's such a joy to get a horse like that to train.

"The little bit of jumping he's done has just perked him up. We've taken him up [Ken and Ann] Browne's hill and he really enjoyed that."

Rider Trudy Thornton on Saturday had Jack Hobbs travelling on the shoulder of pacemaker Anden throughout the race, the pair fighting out a tight finish.

On returning to scale, Thornton said she was confident Jack Hobbs would have won the race in the inquiry room had he not got the judge's verdict by half a head.

"I would have won it if he hadn't got up because the other horse knocked me around," she said. "He's a neat old horse, he tries really hard and he's got a fair bit of ability.

"He's a horse with a great attitude - he knows his job and he does it."

Craig Thornton said he was unsure where Jack Hobbs would start next but it was unlikely to be in the Bay Of Plenty Cup next Saturday.

Runner-up Anden will head towards the group three Manawatu Classic (2000m) at Awapuni on April 16, while third-placed Lord Asterix and fourth-placed Envoy, the beaten favourite, have the group two Hawkes Bay Cup (2200m) at Hastings on April 23 on their agendas.

* Craig Thornton will fly to Japan this week to again team up with top New Zealand jumper Fontera in next Saturday's 152 million yen ($2.02 million) Nakayama Grand Jump.

Thornton rode Fontera to finish second in the Pegasus Jump Stakes in Japan on March 26.

He said the run was an ideal lead-up to the Nakayama Grand Jump, the world's richest jumping race.

All but retired from jumps riding domestically, the internationally recognised Thornton rode the John Wheeler-trained St Steven to win the Nakayama Grand Jump in 2002.

- NZPA