Racing: Softball whiz hits them out of park

Aaron Kuru rides The Shackler to victory in the Wellington Hurdles at Hastings yesterday. Photo / Race Images

Race riding and playing international softball have as much in common as gumboots and suspender belts.

Not for Aaron Kuru, he's done both and if that's not a world record it should be.

Just days after his former Black Sox teammates celebrated winning the world championship in Whitehorse, Canada, Kuru rode the winners of a magic double, The Shackler in yesterday's $75,000 Anuka Smoker Wellington Hurdles and Amanood Lad in the $75,000 Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeples at Hastings.

Four years ago the then 21-year-old had to make the choice between international softball representation and being a jumps jockey. But only the international leg of his favourite sport.

He continues to play club softball through the summer for the Auckland club of Northcote. He was last a member of the New Zealand team in 2012, when he made his decision he could still split his time enjoying both forms of sport so he gave away the international level.

"If I wanted to continue playing for the New Zealand team I'd have to put on too much weight to make race riding possible. Most of the international games we play are during our winter and the northern hemisphere summer.

"I can still play during our summer. I'm lucky because when we ride our last jumps races here I have a couple of weeks to put on the weight for club softball. And when we finish softball I have three to four weeks to shed the weight to ride again. It fits well.

"During the winter I walk at 62kg-63kg and in summer I can get to as much as 75kg."

At shortstop, Kuru has played alongside almost all of the current New Zealand world championship-winning team. "I played alongside Joel Evans, who hit the four-run homer to take the series against Australia in Whitehorse, Yukon, at the weekend." Kuru says he is still feeling the buzz from watching that.

"It was bloody awesome, it was the best hit of Joel's life."

Kuru is used to pressure and he needed to be - one punter put $10,000 on The Shackler to win yesterday, a game bet in a jumping race. There looked to be no problem until The Shackler came as close to crashing as possible without actually hitting the ground over the second last hurdle when six lengths clear of the opposition and looking to have the race in safe keeping.

The Shackler's nose hit the ground, he sprawled, but somehow managed to regain his balance, remarkably without losing any ground.

Aaron Kuru on his way to winning the Wellington Steeplechase on Amanood Lad. Photo / Race Images

No, Kuru was not spooked by the close call.

"He was travelling well and might have taken it a shade casually. If he'd been a tired horse he'd have crashed for sure, but Paul [Nelson] is a terrific trainer and he gets his horses very fit. He wasn't at all tired."

Amanood Lad was patiently ridden by Kuru and the tactic was crucial to the result. Turning into the home straight Nells Belle, out wide, was challenging hard and looked likely. Amanood Lad, closer in, The Oysterman and Wise Men Say were in a four-way war.

The fitness Nelson can put into his horses through hill work on his Hawke's Bay farm kicked in from the last fence and the former Great Northern Steeplechase winner was too strong in the final strides to pay $11.

Aaron Kuru and Paul Nelson celebrate the brace. Photo / Race Images

Like The Shackler, Amanood Lad is a recent addition to the Nelson stable. His previous form had been created with Cambridge trainer Ben Foote, who has had a sustained association with Nelson.

"Ben called me and said where he was living it was a stretch to take the horse to Ann Browne's to work him up the Browne Hill. Ben said he'd spend half the day in his truck and asked me to take him for hill work here."

Understandably, Nelson said Amanood Lad will be aimed at the Pakuranga Hunt Cup and Great Northern Steeples. As a rising 13-year-old Amanood Lad will be the emotional favourite for both.

Nelson said he was unsure of the immediate future of The Shackler who took his record to six hurdling starts for three wins. "The owner is here today. We will probably make a decision later." He omitted to add, probably over a celebratory gin.