Terry Kennedy had a successful outing at his home track of Wingatui on Sunday, winning the last three races in the track’s final meeting of the season.
Kennedy picked up an early placing with Anticipate (NZ) (Ghibellines) in the Rating 80 contest, and his winning roll commenced with three-year-old filly Sacred Mist (NZ) (Sacred Falls) collecting her maiden over 1400m in a rails-hugging ride by Dan Subramaniam.
While the field fanned out across the straight, the daughter of Sacred Falls saved ground through the inside and pulled away from Perfect California to score by 1-½ lengths.
“She actually went through the ground well and won with a wee bit in hand,” Kennedy said.
“She’ll probably go to Oamaru on the 20th, then go out for a spell and come back to be ready after Christmas.”
Sacred Mist was a $25,000 purchase by Kennedy out of Waikato Stud at the 2022 Karaka Yearling Sales, and was out of an eight-time winning race mare Galaxy Miss (NZ) (Tavistock).
Kennedy’s race-to-race double was completed by Hakaharry (NZ), a son of Highly Recommended who had been knocking on the door for his breakthrough success with eight placings from 18 starts.
Partnered by local apprentice Ruvanesh Muniandy, who picked up a treble of his own at the meeting, Hakaharry settled back in the field early before being set alight nearing the home turn and couldn’t be run down.
“He’s always promised to win a race and did it alright on Sunday, hopefully he can carry on now and win another couple,” Kennedy said.
“He’ll probably just have another one or two runs before going out.”
Kennedy and Subramaniam combined in the last to salute with Miss Belle (NZ), the Belardo mare thriving in the heavy conditions to storm over the top of Mininjagirl, who hung late under pressure which proved detrimental to her chances.
After starting her career with Roydon Bergerson in Awapuni, Miss Belle was purchased by Mosgiel residents Syd and Shona Brown for $6,000, the pair also having been successfully involved in the standardbred industry.
Kennedy applauded the efforts of Subramaniam, who posted his two first winners since returning to Wingatui this season.
“He rides trackwork for me most mornings, and when the jockeys ride work you put them on,” Kennedy said.
“It was good to see him kick home a couple of winners because he tries hard, he’s fit and he’s a quite a good rider.”
With racing completed at his home course this term, Kennedy will be keeping a small team of runners while following his daughter and in-form apprentice jockey Jaylah closely from across the Tasman.
“I may have one or two going to Christchurch over National week, but we don’t race a lot over winter,” he said.
“It gets pretty hard to train with the frosts, if you want to gallop you sometimes can’t until about 11 o’clock in the morning. Plus, travel to Christchurch is quite expensive so you have to have the right sort of horse to take them up there.
“Jaylah’s riding gives us something to watch, she’s got a big following in New Zealand which is good and she’s doing exceptionally well. She’s got a ride tomorrow and five or six at Sandown on Wednesday after having an eight-day suspension.
“I think she’s five behind Celine Gaudray in the Victorian apprentice premiership, so we’re hoping she can get a few more winners in the next month and possibly get the win. We’ll be heading over to the awards on the 10th of August.”
