Racing: Win makes trip worthwhile

Charles Wong made the trip from Singapore to see his horses race at Oamaru and was rewarded when Want Want won the 2-year-old event.

Want Want was having his first start and emerged as a prospect for 3-year-old races in the spring. He overcame a wide barrier draw and ran 1200m out strongly to win by half a length at the meeting held by the Otago Racing Club on Saturday.

He was a $12,000 purchase at the South Island Sale last August when offered by Te Mania Thoroughbreds. Want Want is a half-brother by Woodborough to Fiscal Madness (by Volksraad), winner of the Southland Guineas and three other races this season.

Want Want is trained at Riccarton by Shane Kennedy, whose other winners this season for Wong include First Wind and Tsingdao.

First Wind has won three races this season and ran second to Moby in the Great Autumn Handicap (2500m) in April. He was then spelled and is back pre-training. He has been set for the New Zealand Cup in November.

Tsingdao, a first-up winner at Riccarton in December, was sidelined with a knee injury after two further starts.

Wong also races Kingsoft, a winner from the Rangiora arm of Waikato trainer Mark Walker. Kingsoft raced at Oamaru yesterday and finished sixth.

Want Want was named after a major food processing company in Singapore. Wong is a friend of the business' owner.

Wong, a semi-retired electronics manufacturer, has several horses based in Canterbury. He bought into the Te Mania beef and thoroughbred stud at Parnassus, North Canterbury, in partnership with Bee Teck Hoong, of Singapore, eight years ago.

They bought a farm adjacent to Te Mania and operate WH Thoroughbreds. Hoong, who shares the ownership of Tsingdao, also made the trip to Oamaru yesterday.

Meanwhile, Classic Clare, winner of five races including the Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton and the listed New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes at Wingatui from the Kennedy stable, is heading to Melbourne tomorrow.

The filly owned by Kotuku Investments, of Christchurch, will be trained there by Graham Richardson.

- NZPA