Racing: Talented trainer gets into his stride

The big chestnut Heza Karma Karzi kicks away to win the Open Sprint at Tauranga on Saturday. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Leo Molloy has his critics.

Undoubtedly in the most part because he's a pretty good critic himself.

But after you've given Leo a good listening to about winning with Heza Karma Karzi at Tauranga on Saturday, it reconfirms the underlying talent that, among other things, is creating a headline training career for the former jockey.

It's a gross understatement to say he's intolerant.

Which is precisely the reason he's gone into training racehorses after riding, becoming a vet followed by a couple of decades of heavy involvement in the hospitality industry in Auckland.

"I was sick of listening to certain idiots getting on television and spouting on about how much they knew when anyone who was paying attention knew they didn't.

"I thought: 'Instead of criticising and moaning about these people, you should get in and do it.' So I did."

None of the above will surprise anyone who knows Molloy. Neither will his success with Celeris and now with Heza Karma Karzi.

"We didn't go into this as a commercial venture, it's more of an indulgence and if it ends up paying its way it will be further down the line.

"I'm really enjoying training at Byerley Park [at Karaka].

"The fellowship there is fabulous. Sean Clotworthy and his dad Kim have been terrific. We use their [equine] swimming poll and they use some of our facilities - that's the type of community we are."

Molloy says he wants to train only for the right people that suit his style - perfection in that area, he says, being Celeris' owners Daniel and Elias Nakhle and Peter Walker, Alistair Sutherland and Tony Timpson, who race Heza Karma Karzi.

"I've got 10 horses and 17 boxes (at Pukekohe) and I'm not interested in filling the other seven boxes just to fill them."

He has a strong working relationship with highly successful Melbourne trainer Peter Moody.

"I'm interested in a relationship there - whether it's us taking on the lease of a horse that might have found its mark in Australia, or whether we just take over the training."

It was a surprise to some to see Heza Karma Karzi win over 1400m on Saturday, but clearly not to others - he paid just $6.20.

It surprised Molloy. "We were treating it pretty much as a trial because we couldn't find a trial on a suitable track for him. "I thought he'd get back off them and run home (strongly)."

Heza Karma Karzi had a leg issue when last in work and his last race was in Zavite's Auckland Cup last March.

Molloy says he trains the massive chestnut as he does his others, along a system widely used by Hong Kong's leading trainer, Australian John Size.

"This horse has done just three pieces of work, only one of which you would say was proper fast work.

"He swims every day, gets on he treadmill, into the water walker."

All of which conditions the tendons and leaves the speed in the legs, which was obvious on Saturday.

"I know people rate him a stayer, but I ride him in most of his work and he has all the characteristics of a sprinter, so we'll keep him for sprints and miles and if he looks like losing a bit of his speed there are nice 2000m races around." Meantime either the 1400m of the Waikato Draught or the 1600m of the Thorndon Mile are being considered.

Heza Karma Karzi weighs in at a massive 636kg and with his strength and freshness he had Grant Cooksley flat out early on Saturday.

Rather than get into the biggest fight of all time, Cooksley decided to let the big bloke slide forward and into the lead and the horse's class did the rest.

"He's probably matured a bit since he last raced," said Molloy. "He's been a slow maturing horse."

Molloy says the horse deserves a chance to make himself into a stallion.

"He's got the right attributes - he's got a gorgeous nature."

Molloy goes to great lengths to explain he's not after any strike rate awards, even though he's clearly on top in that area at the moment. "It's just happened that way and it won't last."

Leo Molloy

* Leo Molloy loves surprising people and he did it again with Heza Karma Karzi at Tauranga on Saturday.

* Best known as a stayer, Heza Karma Karzi won well as a sprinter.

* He may be given a chance at further short-course features.