Racing: Ring Of Fire breeders enjoy third time lucky

It was a case of third time lucky when it came to the breeding of very promising stayer Ring Of Fire.

Ring Of Fire on Saturday took his record to four wins from 11 starts when taking out the $50,000 New Zealand St Leger Stakes (2500m) for three- and four-year-olds at Trentham, Wellington.

The four-year-old gelding was bred by Northland trainer Donna Logan in partnership with Auckland owner Henry Drinnan, but their first two attempts ended in disaster.

Logan, who trains at Ruakaka, said she and Drinnan bred two Anziyan fillies from Ring Of Fire's dam but both came to sad ends.

"One broke a leg on Henry's farm, just galloping across the paddock," Logan recalled.

Fate dealt a similar blow to the second Anziyan filly, Logan said.

"The other filly got tangled up with a fence and we had to put her down."

In both cases Logan and Drinnan had been given free services to the stallion Anziyan and they were grateful a third was offered. The third mating produced Ring Of Fire.

Ring Of Fire has been a gift horse all round. Logan was also given the horse's dam Setchell as a racehorse and she roped in Drinnan as a partner.

"Henry and I had just retired one, so I said to Henry 'you might as well race this one with me'."

Ring Of Fire was the second favourite for Saturday's race but because Willy Smith dominated the betting his odds were still better than 6-1.

Logan, who trains in partnership with husband Dean, said she wondered why Ring Of Fire was at such generous odds.

"I was surprised at the way they let him go today," she said. "I was starting to think to myself, am I the only confident person coming into the race."

Ring Of Fire had run third to Pentane at Ellerslie on January 1 and that form was franked when Pentane won the $600,000 Auckland Cup (3200m) earlier this month.

"We were making ground on Pentane at Christmas," Logan said. "All the form around him is very strong."

Logan said Ring Of Fire just needed time to learn to race truly.

"He's been very green. He's taken a while to race properly. I've always thought he would be a nice two-miler (3200m) in the making."

"We set him for this race a long time ago. Things have just fallen into place beautifully."

Logan was not sure yesterday of immediate future plans for Ring Of Fire but had considered sending him to either Brisbane in the winter or Melbourne in the spring for some second-tier staying races.

Ring Of Fire was ridden by Leith Innes, who settled the horse midfield on the inner.

After reaching the lead inside the last 200m, he went on to score by half a length.

Second was third favourite Dimondsontheinside.

- NZPA