Sea King (inside of Brer)
Trish Dunell
Top jumper Sea King successfully defended his Waikato Steeplechase crown to complete a super Saturday at Te Rapa for Shaun Fannin.
The nine-year-old had no trouble shouldering 70kg for consecutive victories in the Warren Storm Lifebrokers-sponsored feature in the hands of Fannin, who also partnered Ready Eddie to triumph in the Waikato Hurdles.
"This makes all those early mornings worthwhile," the 20-year-old said.
The Kevin Myers-trained Sea King raced in the body of the field before Fannin urged him to pick up ground on the gelding's front-running stablemate Krase 1000 metres from home.
"I let him jump his way into it down the back straight," he said. "He started to hang out a bit, but he caught the last fence best and that was the winning of it."
They accounted for Brer, who was in receipt of five kilos, by three and a half lengths with Krase third ahead of the outsiders Old Redfeather and Marvon Downs.
Sea King has now won three times over the big fences, including the Mosstrooper Steeplechase at Bendigo last winter, as well as nine wins over the smaller jumps with an Australian Grand National Hurdles success taking pride of place on his CV.
Runner-up Brer gave a strong account of himself after he had finished fifth when sent out a hit favourite on the opening day of the meeting.
"He improved a lot with that run after plenty of long, slow work following a couple of years off," said Jamie Richards, who prepares the seven-year-old with Stephen Autridge.
Brer was side-lined by injury after he won a lower grade steeplechase at the 2014 Grand National carnival at Riccarton. – NZ Racing Desk.
The nine-year-old had no trouble shouldering 70kg for consecutive victories in the Warren Storm Lifebrokers-sponsored feature in the hands of Fannin, who also partnered Ready Eddie to triumph in the Waikato Hurdles.
"This makes all those early mornings worthwhile," the 20-year-old said.
The Kevin Myers-trained Sea King raced in the body of the field before Fannin urged him to pick up ground on the gelding's front-running stablemate Krase 1000 metres from home.
"I let him jump his way into it down the back straight," he said. "He started to hang out a bit, but he caught the last fence best and that was the winning of it."
They accounted for Brer, who was in receipt of five kilos, by three and a half lengths with Krase third ahead of the outsiders Old Redfeather and Marvon Downs.
Sea King has now won three times over the big fences, including the Mosstrooper Steeplechase at Bendigo last winter, as well as nine wins over the smaller jumps with an Australian Grand National Hurdles success taking pride of place on his CV.
Runner-up Brer gave a strong account of himself after he had finished fifth when sent out a hit favourite on the opening day of the meeting.
"He improved a lot with that run after plenty of long, slow work following a couple of years off," said Jamie Richards, who prepares the seven-year-old with Stephen Autridge.
Brer was side-lined by injury after he won a lower grade steeplechase at the 2014 Grand National carnival at Riccarton. – NZ Racing Desk.