Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal are making the most of Rotorua’s meeting postponement to prepare for Te Rapa on Saturday where they will have several of their talented team featuring in the iconic Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4800m).
Inclement weather conditions in the Bay of Plenty region over the weekend caused the Rotorua meeting to be rescheduled to Tuesday, and the Hastings trainers elected to stay in the north with their six runners, basing themselves at the course.
Among their representatives is Shackeltons Edge, with a start in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4800m) on the cards depending on the gelding’s run and recovery in the Greenlight Insurance Brokers Limited and Rotorua BOP Hunt Cup (3500m).
The 10-year-old son of Thano has had four appearances over the steeplechase fences, including a decisive victory in the 0-1 WIN Steeplechase (4000m) first up this campaign, and a second in the Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) in 2021.
“He hasn’t run since Hawke’s Bay and he blows quite a lot, so he needs to go around. If he comes through it well then he’ll be off to Pakuranga,” McDougal said.
Also preparing for bigger assignments come Saturday are star jumpers and equally capable flat performers Nedwin and The Cossack, who will both contest the Pryde’s Easifeed 2200 Highweight at Rotorua.
Niagara nine-year-old Nedwin was in red-hot form and coming off a tough Waikato Hurdle (3200m) victory when he misjudged a fence at the 1000m and fell in the Wellington Hurdle (3400m) last month, but will be out to defend his Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle (3200m) title come Saturday.
Stablemate and Champion jumper The Cossack almost faced the same fate later in the card in the Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) when severely hampered by a fallen runner and will look to return to his regular winning ways in Saturday’s Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4800m).
“We’ve stayed up here and they’re very bright in their work and seem very happy,” McDougal said.
“It (the delay) works out quite well because it’s a good gallop for them, and if they’re a bit fresh it’ll be perfect.
“We’re pretty happy with them, after Wellington both of them were quite sore but we had Tommy Behrns (chiropractor) to see them and they’re good now.”
The Cossack and Nedwin’s chances in the Te Rapa features will be assisted by the return of expat-Kiwi jumps jockey Aaron Kuru, who will make the trip over the Tasman aiming to add to the five prestige jumping titles he has collected aboard the pair.
Victorian-based Kuru is a two-time Jumps’ Jockey Premiership victor in New Zealand, and heads to the Pakuranga meeting fresh off a triumph in the Australian Grand National Hurdle (4200m) aboard San Remo earlier in August.
McDougal added that emerging hurdler Taika and in-form steeplechaser Raucous will join their stablemates in the respective Pakuranga features, the pair each recording strong victories in their past two jumping starts.
Before turning their focus to the Te Rapa meeting, the stable will have Galileo Invader and I’m Chuck making hurdling debuts at the Rotorua venue.
“Jack (Power) chose to ride Galileo Invader out of the two, but they both jump pretty nicely so we’ll see how they go,” McDougal said.
“We think I’m Chuck is looking for more ground and he’ll get that over the jumps, he’s been jumping for quite a while.”
The stable is also represented by Imperial Party in the Zero 2100 Automotive, One Stop Automotive Parts & Flair Inc. (1950m), who will be guided by amateur jockey Lucas Olsen.
“Lucas rides quite nicely so we’re quite excited to have him on, and he knows him a little bit from working at home and riding him,” she said.
McDougal noted the Ghibellines gelding is out of Politic, the dam of two of the stable’s past prominent steeplechasers in Argyll and The Anarchist.
“It’ll be interesting because I don’t know if he’s that used to wet tracks, he had been mostly raced in the summer with Patrick Campbell,” she said.
“He’s a half to Argyll and The Anarchist so you’d think he’d like it.”