Racing: Drama aplenty as Nereus claims Counties Cup win

Nereus winning the Group 3 TAB Counties Cup (2100m) at Pukekohe on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright, Race Images

Promising stayer Nereus put his current campaign back on track when he captured an action-packed Group 3 TAB Counties Cup (2100m) on Saturday.

The field of 14 runners was thrown into chaos after 500m when Arby dropped rider Matt Cartwright after making contact with the inside running rail leaving the straight for the first time.

Severely checked in the incident were Cognito, Blue Moon, Sassy Lass and Ess Vee Are while the rest of the field were also subsequently hampered as the riderless Ess Vee Are raced through the field to land in front of pacemakers Bosch and Quality Time, causing all riders to proceed with extreme caution from there on in.

While all this was happening Nereus and rider Joe Doyle enjoyed an economical run in midfield before improving wide on the home turn with the Te Akau Racing pair of Qali Al Farrasha and Cognito tracking him at every stride.

Nereus, sporting the well-known colours of the Chittick family, and Qali Al Farrasha set down to fight out the finish at the 150m with the Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained son of Savabeel gaining the upper hand at the post by half a length with Cognito, who did a wonderful job to put himself into contention after the early check, shading The Odyssey for third.

Ritchie was delighted to take out the contest with the Waikato Stud homebred five-year-old who had made a mixed start to his spring campaign, forcing a slight tinkering with his race plans including dropping him back to 1600m at his last start before stepping up in distance again for the Counties feature.

“We backed off him and went back to the mile last time always thinking he would make a stayer,” Ritchie said.

“He just wasn’t there that last 10% [lately], but the warmer temperature overnight has brought his coat through while he is a horse that goes best with his races spaced. He has really picked his appetite up in the last week so the signs were there he would go well and he has.

“It was a messy race with some hard luck stories I’m sure, but it is fantastic for Colm and I to have a horse like this winning in the Waikato Stud colours. They are obviously a big part of New Zealand racing and it is great to do it for Mark and George (Chittick) who are here at the track.”

Ritchie is keen to look ahead to more of the big Summer Cup races if the horse can continue on his development path.

“He has a magnificent pedigree, being by a champion stallion who keeps producing, and out of a fantastic mare,” he said.

“It suggests he is going to get to a Cups trip and it would be nice if we could get him to run two miles as there is a lot more money in those races.”

Doyle, who brought up a winning stakes double on the day after earlier taking the Listed Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m) aboard Luberon, was pleased with how the race had panned out despite some challenges.

“I followed Ryan Elliot (No Compromise) around and didn’t think I was in a bad spot,” he said.

“I thought we’d be following something good and when the loose horse went around the speed was really on and that set it up nicely for us.

“Going down the back I thought we would be right in it and he was good and tough up the straight.

“The Te Akau horse (Qali Al Farrasha) went past him and he knuckled back down and got to the line.”

Nereus is out of Waikato Stud’s Pins mare Eudora, the dam of outstanding Group One winning filly Savvy Coup who is the older full sister of Nereus. Included in his extended family are stakes performers Ocean Emperor, Tootsie and Legless Veuve along with three-time Group One winner Probabeel.

He has now won six of his 14 starts and over $372,000 in prizemoney.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk