Justa Charlie, gold colours
Race Images Palmerston North
Justa Charlie pressed his claims for upcoming prestige jumping events when he maintained his unbeaten record at Trentham.
Trained by former New Zealand Olympic equestrian representative Harvey Wilson, the Waverley jumper earned major honours in the Confetti Designer Events Hurdle under Will Gordon.
Justa Charlie, who was a winner at this meeting last year in his only other visit to the capital city course, had two hurdle outings leading in to his Wellington assignment and Wilson said the horse hadn't enjoyed the rub of the green in either assignment.
"At Hawke's Bay, they sprinted from the 1000 and he was back in the field so that didn't suit and then at Hawera he got a bump 800 metres out."
At Wellington, Justa Charlie kept the leaders within his sights before making a move across the top and he took control two flights from home.
The Shinko King gelding skipped over the final fence and he had enough in reserve to hold out the late charge of Kipkeino.
Justa Charlie has now won four times over hurdles, having been successful twice on the flat when prepared by part-owner John Boon.
In the opening event on the card, Hastings horseman Paul Nelson was happy to be proved wrong when The Shackler beat the favourite Kiddo by a wide margin in the Hiremaster Hurdle.
Nelson had expected stablemate Perry Mason to be the horse to beat, but he finished nearly 30 lengths adrift of the winner in third spot.
The Shackler was successful eight times on the flat for Te Aroha trainer Michael Dromgool before a lengthy break and his subsequent transfer to Nelson's Hastings operation. – NZ Racing Desk.
Trained by former New Zealand Olympic equestrian representative Harvey Wilson, the Waverley jumper earned major honours in the Confetti Designer Events Hurdle under Will Gordon.
Justa Charlie, who was a winner at this meeting last year in his only other visit to the capital city course, had two hurdle outings leading in to his Wellington assignment and Wilson said the horse hadn't enjoyed the rub of the green in either assignment.
"At Hawke's Bay, they sprinted from the 1000 and he was back in the field so that didn't suit and then at Hawera he got a bump 800 metres out."
At Wellington, Justa Charlie kept the leaders within his sights before making a move across the top and he took control two flights from home.
The Shinko King gelding skipped over the final fence and he had enough in reserve to hold out the late charge of Kipkeino.
Justa Charlie has now won four times over hurdles, having been successful twice on the flat when prepared by part-owner John Boon.
In the opening event on the card, Hastings horseman Paul Nelson was happy to be proved wrong when The Shackler beat the favourite Kiddo by a wide margin in the Hiremaster Hurdle.
Nelson had expected stablemate Perry Mason to be the horse to beat, but he finished nearly 30 lengths adrift of the winner in third spot.
The Shackler was successful eight times on the flat for Te Aroha trainer Michael Dromgool before a lengthy break and his subsequent transfer to Nelson's Hastings operation. – NZ Racing Desk.