Racing: Wheeler has fears for the future of NZ jumps races

Things were on the move from John Wheeler's stable at Te Aroha races yesterday.

Mali Juraj was on his way to Warrnambool with his win in yesterday's Axis Automotive Steeplechase and stable rider Shannon Doyle was on his way to a possible successful career as a jumps jockey.

And High Season showed he was in for another lucrative winter with his dominant hurdles win.

That could be in Australia, but not yet.

The other thing on the move as far as John Wheeler is concerned is the jumps industry - right out the back door of racing.

Mali Juraj looked fit and ready for a big campaign in Australia when he won yesterday's steeplechase, pure and simple with superior fitness.

"I'll send him to Warrnambool for the Grand Annual, he's the right sort of horse for it," said Wheeler. "He'll leave on Sunday night."

John Wheeler was a long way from embracing the warm fuzzies yesterday.

As much as he has been a dominant force right up to group one level in flat races for the past couple of decades, Wheeler loves his jumping races. He has been sensational at producing winners in the icon events on both sides of the Tasman.

However, he knows jumping's demise is near.

"Do you know the Northerns at Ellerslie later in the winter are going to be run for $54,000?

"That's a disgrace. New Zealand racing administrators want to see the end of jumps racing as much as Racing Victoria does, they just haven't got the guts to admit it.

"Racing Victoria was delighted when the activists came along and made it easy for them to put the knife into jumping.

"Everyone is paying lip service to jumps racing - they want it gone because in the time it takes to put a steeplechase to air from Ellerslie they can run two maiden races from Port Augusta.

"It's all about just betting for these people. They don't know about the industry and they don't care about the people they're going to lose from the industry because of this."

Wheeler will meantime maximise the jumpers he has for racing in Australia.

High Season was stylish in beating three rivals in his hurdle race to the delight of Shannon Doyle, who struggled with his weight when he came back from Sydney to complete his apprenticeship with Wheeler at New Plymouth.

Shannon Doyle had all the ability in the world in racing, except for his talent in keeping his weight down.

He had a break from riding, joined up with fellow Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock, then three months ago returned to Wheeler.

"Shannon's a very good rider and he was keen to have a go at being a jumps jockey.

"He got a couple of fences wrong today, but he's inexperienced and you expect that - that's why he gets a 3kg claim. Overall, he did a damn good job.

"He went to the point-to-point on Sunday and rode five horses with 10 jumps per heat. He got only a couple of fences wrong, so two in 50 is a massive result. He's going to be good."

Wheeler is equally excited about this winter for High Season, who looked bright, big and healthy yesterday. "He's already beaten the best in the Yalumba Champion Hurdle over there and he's as well now as he's ever been.

"His only issue is that he doesn't do that well when you campaign him over there for an extended period.

"If you drop him in there four or five days before a big race he's fine. If you leave him there for a few weeks he doesn't do so well. So I'll look to time my run with him over there well."