New Plymouth trainer Tawhiti Hina took a quarter of his current eight-horse team to Waverley on Easter Monday and walked away with a pair of impressive winners.
Hina, who is only in his third year of training, was hoping the persistent rain on the day, which resulted in the track moving from a Soft6 to a Heavy9 after just three races, would play in favour of the maiden gallopers, and that was how it played out as both Summer Breeze and Side Piece relished the underfoot conditions in their respective assignments.
First up was Summer Breeze, a four-year-old daughter of Zed who is out of the 2004 Gr.2 Queen Elizabeth Handicap (2400m) winner Mistrale, who was sent straight to the front by apprentice Elle Sole and never gave her rivals a chance, skipping clear to win by more than five lengths in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1650m).
“She is a very promising mare who was just having her third start and I had been hoping for some rain as I knew she would really appreciate it,” Hina said.
“She is a half-sister to a very good jumper in Shamal, who thrives in the wet, so I was just waiting for the tracks to soften for her.
“The way she won today I think she could be in for a very nice winter.”
Hina and Sole were at it again 30 minutes later with four-year-old Jon Snow gelding Side Piece, who has taken time to grow into his massive 17 hand frame.
Sole provided an instant replay of her ride aboard Summer Breeze as she had Side Piece travelling sweetly in front in the maiden 2100m event before cutting him loose on the home bend to race clear by just over four lengths at the finish.
“He (Side Piece) is really just a big goof who knows nothing and needs more time to grow into his huge frame,” Hina said.
“He has taken a long time to strengthen up and he is far from being the finished product, so we might give him a break now as he can go to the paddock on a winning note.” Summer Breeze is raced by her breeder Darren Goodin while Side Piece is owned by a syndicate of four, including Hina, after being gifted the horse by Clearview Park Stud owner Aaron Tapper after he was passed in during the Book 2 sale at Karaka in 2022.