Cheeky Boy
Trish Dunell
Progressive stayer Cheeky Boy justified his stable's confidence that a bold performance was on the cards when he dug deep to score a gritty win in the Dunstan Feeds Championship Final at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
Trainer Bruce Wallace has always considered the race a tough one to win and admitted he did have some reservations about his charge's chances once he saw the quality of the field leading into the race. Those fears were assuaged by stable foreman Allan Peard who was confident they had Cheeky Boy in the right shape to mount a serious challenge for title honours.
"It's a very tough race to win as it always attracts some of the best up and coming staying talent each year," noted Wallace.
"I wasn't that sure about our hopes when I saw the field but Allan was very confident we could win it and to his credit that's how it worked out.
"The horse had been a little unlucky in his last couple of runs however he got the breaks he needed this time and got the job done.
"It's a great thrill to win a race like this and I'm delighted for the guys who race him as they have been a fantastic bunch right from day one."
Expertly handled by rider Mark Hills, Cheeky Boy settled nicely in midfield before being brought into a challenging position approaching the home turn. The five-year-old gelding quickly mastered pacemaker El Pistola and shot to a clear advantage as race favourites Sacred Master and Snow Secret mounted their challenges wider on the track. Just as that pair began to weaken on their runs Brampton Loco appeared on the scene with a powerful burst however Cheeky Boy had enough in reserve to hold out that runner by a bare nose as they finished locked together at the winning post.
The victory was the third in a 26 start career for Cheeky Boy who has also added a further eight placings to that record.
"He has shown a lot of promise but has been quite weak and has taken time to mature fully," said Wallace.
"There's not a lot of him but I think that now he has strengthened up there is more in store for him.
"I also think we got the rub of the green this time as the race was run fairly early in the day when the track was holding together okay so he got through it well enough."
Wallace was left rueing the constant rain that badly affected the stable's other runners later in the day.
"All of our other runners were badly affected by the conditions so it would pay to ignore where they finished," he said.
"Fast Dragon couldn't handle it an inch while Dragon Dancer had a mishap that resulted in a badly bruised tongue which clearly affected him. Deane Martin just ran out of puff as he had missed a vital lead-up run so we didn't finish off as well as we would have liked.
"I feel very sorry for the club and all the owners and trainers that supported the day as the fields were magnificent. I know those that got a win will be delighted but I do think the day could have gone to another level if we could have missed the rain we got." – NZ Racing Desk
Trainer Bruce Wallace has always considered the race a tough one to win and admitted he did have some reservations about his charge's chances once he saw the quality of the field leading into the race. Those fears were assuaged by stable foreman Allan Peard who was confident they had Cheeky Boy in the right shape to mount a serious challenge for title honours.
"It's a very tough race to win as it always attracts some of the best up and coming staying talent each year," noted Wallace.
"I wasn't that sure about our hopes when I saw the field but Allan was very confident we could win it and to his credit that's how it worked out.
"The horse had been a little unlucky in his last couple of runs however he got the breaks he needed this time and got the job done.
"It's a great thrill to win a race like this and I'm delighted for the guys who race him as they have been a fantastic bunch right from day one."
Expertly handled by rider Mark Hills, Cheeky Boy settled nicely in midfield before being brought into a challenging position approaching the home turn. The five-year-old gelding quickly mastered pacemaker El Pistola and shot to a clear advantage as race favourites Sacred Master and Snow Secret mounted their challenges wider on the track. Just as that pair began to weaken on their runs Brampton Loco appeared on the scene with a powerful burst however Cheeky Boy had enough in reserve to hold out that runner by a bare nose as they finished locked together at the winning post.
The victory was the third in a 26 start career for Cheeky Boy who has also added a further eight placings to that record.
"He has shown a lot of promise but has been quite weak and has taken time to mature fully," said Wallace.
"There's not a lot of him but I think that now he has strengthened up there is more in store for him.
"I also think we got the rub of the green this time as the race was run fairly early in the day when the track was holding together okay so he got through it well enough."
Wallace was left rueing the constant rain that badly affected the stable's other runners later in the day.
"All of our other runners were badly affected by the conditions so it would pay to ignore where they finished," he said.
"Fast Dragon couldn't handle it an inch while Dragon Dancer had a mishap that resulted in a badly bruised tongue which clearly affected him. Deane Martin just ran out of puff as he had missed a vital lead-up run so we didn't finish off as well as we would have liked.
"I feel very sorry for the club and all the owners and trainers that supported the day as the fields were magnificent. I know those that got a win will be delighted but I do think the day could have gone to another level if we could have missed the rain we got." – NZ Racing Desk