Racing: Timing of win right on the nose

Arlingtonboulevard's barnstorming feature race win at the Taranaki Racing Club's meeting came at a most appropriate time for the horse's part-owner Gordon Calder.

The Cambridge bloodstock agent just last month started work as the New Zealand agent for high-profile Coolmore Stud in New South Wales.

Coolmore Australia is home to no fewer than 17 thoroughbred stallions, including Spinning World, the sire of Arlingtonboulevard.

Arlingtonboulevard was looking at all of her rivals 500m from home yesterday when rider Noel Harris sent her forward on the outer in the $40,000 Mason Appliances 4YO.

In no time the big striding chestnut had reached the lead, going on to score easing down near the line by four lengths.

Arlingtonboulevard has won four of her career starts and her latest victory took her earnings to just on $60,000. She won fresh-up this campaign earlier this month at Te Rapa.

Formerly of Taranaki, where he was assistant secretary to Des Friedrich for the Hawera racecourse partnership, Calder worked as marketing manager for Cambridge's Windsor Park Stud up to 2001.

Calder races Arlingtonboulevard in partnership with Geoff Taylor, of Rangiora, who owns the stables nearby where the horse's trainer, Mark Walker, has his southern team based.

Calder was on course to cheer on Arlingtonboulevard.

"We always thought she was up to it, but it's nice when they actually go out and do it," he said.

"She showed a lot of ability last sea son, but she wasn't physically or mentally mature. This year she's come up so much more mentally on to it that, hopefully, now we will get to see what she can do.

"We haven't finalised plans exactly where she's going to go just yet, but Mark is very happy with where she's at and she'll be aiming at a couple of some very best races this spring," Calder said on Saturday.

"Just what they are we're going to talk about in the next couple of days."

Calder has raced horses in partnership with Taylor for about 10 years.

"Geoff bred Kaapstad Way and was quite a big client with Windsor Park Stud when I was there and we've raced quite a few horses and have had a couple of broodmares."

Calder bought a half-share in the filly as a weanling when a partner in the horse wanted out.

"She wasn't a yearling sale type of filly, but I quite liked her and basically bought her to race her."

Arlingtonboulevard is the second foal of her dam, Golden Bridge, by Gold Brose. The first foal, Oxford Road, by Danske, is a winner of three of six career starts in New Zealand from Mark Walker's stable.

The ease of Arlingtonboulevard's win was just one of the features of the race. There were some solid runs in behind her, in particular from runner-up Mikki Street and next home Rosetti Bay. Both horses are sure to improve on their first-up efforts following winter lay-offs.

La Sizeranne, runner-up to Justa Tad in the group one One Thousand Guineas last season, was not disgraced in finishing fifth. The Stravinsky mare showed her freshness by sweating up profusely in the parade ring.

- NZPA