Racing: Remember Howe caps off memorable day

Sam Spratt. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Only one word could sum up racing at Wanganui on Saturday - unusual.

First, two jockeys couldn't make the meeting.

Chris Johnson and David Walsh were stranded in quake-stricken Christchurch, while Kelly Myers and Chad Ormsby were late arrivals because of travel disruptions.

Then the first race, the juvenile, had a scary ending when $80,000 purchase Alvesta got the speed wobbles, veered out sharply after winning the race and tossed Sam Spratt in the - luckily for her - bush-clad outside running rail. Spratt was bruised and muddied, but not bloodied.

There was more drama to come in the ninth when Babydoll threw jockey Mark Du Plessis just after the start, while hot favourite, highly promising colt Eminence, broke down badly 300m from home and was destroyed.

Fortunately, Du Plessis suffered only bruising to the face but was stood down from his ride in the last.

In between the calamities, there were some memorable moments.

Wanganui's Remember Howe, raced by a bunch of Kaitoke Prison officers, won the O'Leary Fillies (3-year-old, 1200m), after sustaining a powerful burst in the hands of Lisa Allpress to head off pacemaker Elle Tresor and win by 1 lengths.

Waiana Gold rushed into third with hotpot Smoulder fourth, feeling the effects of a wide run throughout.

Co-trainer JJ Rayner was confident maiden Remember Howe, named after former Kaitoke Prison superintendent Tony Howe, who died almost a year ago, would measure up on Saturday and she didn't let her down.

Remember Howe (Handsome Ransom-Yachting Magic) will now head to Hastings on Saturday week for another fillies' race.

Part-owner Tony O'Neill said Mr Howe was "a great bloke who loved his racehorses".

Te Awamutu co-trainer Mark Sanders was disappointed with Smoulder and said she might be looking for more ground.

Matamata gelding Fiddler scraped home in the day's feature, the $45,000 Wanganui Guineas, beating favourite Jimmy Choux by a nose.

It was Sam Spratt's second success in the race on end, winning last year on the ill-fated Warrentherooster.

Jockey Jonathon Riddell thought he had done enough on Jimmy Choux, waving his whip in jubilation just after the line, and Fiddler's trainer Tony Gillies feared the worst as well.

"It feels good to win that one. We haven't been having a great trot of late," said Gillies, who has a team of only four in work. "He should have won three on end, but was very unlucky the previous start at Hastings where he just couldn't get out."

Fiddler is owned by builder Bob Thompson, who gave Gillies his first horse to train 30 years ago.

Spratt couldn't praise pacemaker Fiddler's tenacity enough, predicting he will be an even bigger force in the months to come.

Fiddler and Jimmy Choux will renew their rivalry in the Hawkes Bay Guineas on October 2.

A brave Cellarmaster, third on Saturday, will be there too. He was only 75 per cent fit and the ground wasn't to his liking, but his class earned him a placing.

On the undercard, Lisa Latta had two wins - Yourhavinmeon and Hot Deputy - while Peter McKenzie's Bedlum thrashed his Rating 80 rivals in the Boyd's 90th Birthday.

Mark Du Plessis said Bedlum did it so effortlessly "he could go around in half an hour and win again".

McKenzie said Bedlum struggled in his two runs in the bog at Riccarton's winter carnival.

Foxton trainer Sandie Cookson was quietly confident maiden Mr O'Ceirin - a half-brother to O'Ceirin's Angel - would win on debut and he duly obliged, thanks to a well-judged front-running ride by James McDonald.

Like O'Ceirin's Angel, Mr O'Ceirin is raced by the Keenan family of Wanganui.

Second-placed Sir Jack Gunno was game and won't stay in maiden ranks.