Racing: Papa Surf a deserved winner for passionate Hawke’s Bay owner-breeder

Papa Surf’s maiden win at Awapuni last Saturday provided his Hastings part-owner Neville Robertson with a silver lining after receiving some bad news the previous week.

Robertson has bred and raced thoroughbreds for a number
of years with reasonable success.

He is the co-breeder of Papa Surf and races him in partnership with six others, including his Hastings friends Danny and Karen Tobeck and Darryl Morgan.

Robertson is also part-owner and co-breeder of Flying Surf, an older half-sister to Papa Surf and winner of four races.

The Niagara 7-year-old mare looked close to notching another success with two seconds and a third from her last six starts but she suffered a strained suspensory ligament and her racing career is over.

“Saturday’s win by Papa Surf was probably just deserved after losing Flying Surf as a racehorse last week,” Robertson said.

“She was a good mare and hopefully we can now breed from her to keep the family going.”

Papa Surf, a 3-year-old gelding by Dalghar, lined up in a 1300m maiden race at Awapuni last Saturday and his victory followed a second, third and fourth from his previous six starts.

Jockey Johnathan Parkes hunted the gelding out from an inside barrier to dispute the early pace and then had him travelling nicely inside the leader Man Express coming to the home turn.

The two horses entered the straight on terms but Papa Surf edged clear soon after and kept up a strong run to the line to win by three-quarters of a length.

Papa Surf is the third foal produced by the Towkay mare Surf Patrol, who was the winner of seven races and descends from a highly successful family founded by prominent Central Hawke’s Bay owner-breeder Sue Harty.

Surf Patrol is now deceased, with her only other living foal being Son Of Surf, a gelding by Any Suggestion who won three races for Robertson and the horse’s co-breeders.

For Darryl Morgan, last Saturday’s win was his first success as a racehorse owner since Cowboys Don’t Cry won a maiden highweight over 2200m at Te Aroha in September 2018, while the Tobecks have enjoyed success on the racetrack in recent years but mainly in the harness code.

The Tobecks and Robertson were on course at Awapuni to celebrate Papa Surf’s win but Morgan had a family commitment in Hastings.

Papa Surf is trained at Awapuni by Mike Breslin, who told Robertson there are a couple of options for the horse in the coming weeks, the most likely a Rating 65 race at Wanganui on June 3.

“Johnathan Parkes said he is a progressive horse who should get up to 1600m and he has shown he can handle heavy tracks,” Robertson said.

“He is by Dalghar, and they go in the wet, while his mother was a real mudlark.”

Hawke’s Bay pair unlucky in Sydney debuts

Hastings-trained stablemates Wewillrock and Herself both turned in creditable performances when making their Australian debuts at last Saturday’s Rosehill meeting in Sydney.

Wewillrock was run down only in the last few strides when a close second in an A$150,000 Rating 78 race over 1200m, while Herself was unlucky not to finish closer than sixth in another A$150,000 Rating 78 race over 2400m.

Guy Lowry, who was in Sydney to prepare the duo, returned home on Sunday and left them in the care of Randwick trainer John O’Shea.

Lowry said the intention was not to lead with Wewillrock, especially as he had to carry a big weight of 60.5kg. But the big chestnut jumped straight to the front and apprentice jockey Dylan Gibbons let him roll along.

“It wasn’t what we wanted, as he is a horse that has never won when he has tried to lead all the way. He’s better when he can take a sit just behind the pace,” Lowry said.

Herself’s jockey Tom Sherry told Lowry the mare should have at least filled a placing, as he momentarily lost the use of a stirrup iron when the mare jumped awkwardly from the barrier, and she subsequently got back further than intended.

Sherry said he was then blocked behind a wall of tiring horses in the home straight and had to change direction several times before finally getting her into the clear. She was doing her best work at the finish.

Lowry said Wewillrock may start next on June 10, in a Listed A$160,000 race over 1100m, while there are some nice New South Wales staying races in June for Herself and he hasn’t ruled out sending her to Queensland for the A$400,000 Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on June 10.

Extra race day at Hastings

Hastings racegoers will be treated to an extra race day next month, with the meeting scheduled to be run at Te Aroha on Monday, June 5, having to be transferred to another track.

Te Aroha is supposed to be the new home for the Great Northern Steeples and Hurdles, run in September, after the sale and closure of the famed Ellerslie hill.

But after being out of action for 18 months for a track refurbishment, Te Aroha suffered another setback this month when their first trial meeting scheduled for the new surface was called off hours before it was due to start.

Officials galloped 12 horses on the new surface before the trials, and those who galloped against or near the inside rail negotiated it with no issues.

However, a horse who was moved further out to test wider footing slipped. That not only saw the trials abandoned but the relaunch race meeting set for June 5 has now been moved to Hastings.

Vale Garry Newham

Garry Newham, the Australian trainer who brought the superstar galloper Starcraft across the Tasman to race at Hastings, died last Friday on the Gold Coast following a short illness. He was 72.

Regarded as an absolute gentleman and an old-school horseman, Newham endeared himself to all who met him, quietly spoken and with an infectious smile.

The five-time Group 1 champion trainer was based on the Gold Coast for several decades and also spent a period working for New Zealand trainer Graeme Rogerson.

Newham famously paired up with Australian millionaire owner Paul Makin to form a formidable combination with Starcraft, winning the 2004 Chipping Norton Stakes and Australian Derby at Group 1 level in Sydney, before heading to New Zealand for the three-day Hawke’s Bay spring carnival that year.

Starcraft won the Group 1 Mudgway Stakes (1400m) on the first day of the carnival, in the hands of New Zealand jockey Leith Innes, and then took out the Group 2 Stoney Bridge Stakes (1600m) on the second day when ridden by Australian jockey Glen Boss.

He was a hot favourite to become the first horse to complete the Hawke’s Bay ‘Triple Crown’ in the Group 1 Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m) on the third day, but came up short, finishing second to Balmuse.

Starcraft was later found to have suffered a pulled muscle in his shoulder, and it was thought he suffered the injury when he suddenly reared in the birdcage before going to the start of that race.

Starcraft went on to finish a close third in the 2004 Cox Plate (2040m) in Melbourne and would later be transferred to the legendary Luca Cumani, who won Group 1 races with him in France and England.

After giving training away for a time to drive horse transport trucks, Newham was coaxed back by Makin in 2016 after receiving a call out of the blue.

It was a winning move, with the pair winning the 2019 Group 1 Queensland Oaks with $21 chance Winning Ways.

Newham’s last runner was Lyndall in March on the Gold Coast, with the same horse also providing his final winner a year earlier.