KEY POINTS:
Ian Shaw would like to think Hoorang can correct his Wellington Cup record.
Hoorang, owned and trained by the Awapuni horseman, posted her second major cup win in three starts in winning the $70,000 Marton Cup (2200m) at her home course on Saturday.
The Zerpour 6-year-old mare had two months earlier won the New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton.
Hoorang's next start will be in the group two $350,000 Wellington Cup (2400m) at Trentham on January 24 which will be the second time Shaw has had a runner in the race.
In 2005 he lined up From Heaven, who ran third to Zabeat. Shaw said it was a great effort for a horse with leg problems. "If he had been a sound horse he would have killed them," he said on Saturday.
From Heaven won six races from 60 starts for stake earnings of $128,000
but Shaw said those statistics did not reflect the horse's true worth.
"He was a good horse because he won all those races with a chipped bone in his knee."
He was consequently not quite prepared to rate Hoorang superior to From Heaven, despite Saturday's win being her eighth from 31 starts.
The winning purse of $40,625 took her earnings to $291,000 - a considerable return on the $3500 Shaw paid for her as an unraced 2-year-old at a deplenishing sale of Westbury Stud in South Auckland.
He said he was drawn to Hoorang by the fact that she was a granddaughter of Queensland Oaks winner Triumphal March and Rhythm was the sire of her dam Kay Maree.
Shaw has been involved with horses for most of his life. He had an equine veterinary practice in Palmerston North for many years but is now semi-retired in Wanganui.
"As a kid I used to hang around the stables here at Awapuni," he recalled.
"I've been training horses since the 1960s. That's when you didn't have
to have a licence if you owned your own horses."
After being given a good run in fourth place by Kelly Myers, Hoorang went to the lead inside the last 200m and went on to score by two lengths in the dead track conditions.
"She's a real gutsy mare. Bring on the Wellington Cup," said Myers.
Second was third favourite Butch James, who ran on strongly from last, while 1 lengths away third was Spectacular Icon, who trailed the leader throughout.
Half a head away fourth was the $2.90 favourite Katy Keen. She settled second-last, came through on the inner on the turn before being switched to the outer in the straight and ran on well.
Her rider Jason Waddell was convinced the Tauranga mare was not at her best.
A veterinary report said Katy Keen was troubled with a muscular problem known as tying up, but trainer Stuart Manning was keen to press ahead with a Wellington Cup start.
He said the tying-up problem was probably related to the mare having been in season and he was sure she could turn her form around.
The meeting was delayed when a horse slipped in the opening event after light rain in the morning.
During the delay a ground breaker machine was used on a section of the track near the 800m.
The machine slits the track and at the same time loosens the turf by shifting it left and right.
Steward Neil Goodwin said jockeys had told him the meeting would not have proceeded without it.
- NZPA
