Day 20, Level 2.5: Early morning trackwork, animals, brunch, cyclists and a lake

Apologies for typos in yesterday's post (corrected now) - the wifi was poor and I couldn't connect on my iPad so had to do the post from my phone which was less than ideal and the first time I've had to do that. Not so easy to type a blog on a phone - but possible.  

This is a rather longer post about a truly fantastic day - hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed the day! It's mostly about horses!

As mentioned, there are three things that will get me up with gusto at a ridiculously early hour - bluebird ski days with fresh snow, getting to the airport to head somewhere fab ... and watching racehorses do trackwork!

Today, I was up at crack of dawn for the latter. And with reasonable liveliness I have to say. Although it could have turned into a bang on my door and "get up, we're going" scenario!

You see, I had set my alarm for 5.25 and when I woke up at 5.24am (after having woken up a least once every hour, as I always do when I have to get up at an ungodly hour) I thought I'd give myself one more minute and wait for the alarm to go off. Uh-oh, dozed off. Woke up again and thought "shit, that alarm should have gone off by now". Very worried. Checked the time, it was 5.31am. Yikes. Checked my phone alarm - I'd set it for 5.25pm. Mistake! Thank goodness it was only a very short doze! Leapt out of bed and got going!

Several of us in the syndicate are not morning people - but once we were up, rugged up in warm clothes and out into the rural morning - we felt full of the joys of life! With a decent dose of anticipation which always makes it easier.

We drove to the stables as a beautiful Cambridge morning dawned with streaks of pink against the water-colour blue sky. No wind, no rain. And not nearly as cold as we'd anticipated. Perfect!

The stables were coming to life as we got there, with music playing and the stable hands going about their business. Horses were being led here and there, the little dog running around amongst it all and ducks and their ducklings all over the show. 

We were very eager to see our boy Ziggy. He was over on the horse walker for his warm-up - tossing his head playfully and even chomping on the metal partition to amuse himself as he went round and round at a slow steady pace. When he saw us come along, he showed off even more! 

Stables with horse walker in background

 

Then he was saddled up by his regular trackwork rider Brendan (from Ireland) and we headed across the road to the training track. Ziggy did a circuit of 1000m; 3/4 pace to start with and then revving up to a full gallop. Frank was very happy with him and his sectional times and Brendan said he felt good. We took our place up in the viewing tower and loved every moment of those couple of minutes watching him in action!

Ziggy's last 400m

 

Beautiful happy kind and talented Ziggy - aka Saintly Way

Ziggy is set to run at the races next Saturday, so this was his final full gallop in preparation. He'll do a bit of fitness work during the week but, after a solid preparation, he has proved to Frank he's ready to run. Nomination, here we come. We just have to hope like hell for a decent draw. Poor Ziggy has been plagued by poor draws which make winning a short race (his style) very difficult. The one time he got a decent draw, he won. 

There's no doubt he's the most adored horse in the stable by all the staff - kind and happy, well behaved and with personality, he's very easy to work with. Many are none of the above! Best of all, he loves his work, wants to run and is proud and pleased to be a racehorse. We love Ziggy (racing name Saintly Way). 

 

Our racing pride and joy!

Once back at the stables, he got a hose-down (cold!) and then was taken to his paddock. Frank had told us about his antics once let loose into his paddock after trackwork, so we were eager to see it for ourselves. The moment Brendan opened that gate and unhooked the leash - he was OFFNGONE! Romping and bucking and full of the joys of life. He ran straight to the far corner and came to a halt under his tree. There were two rather sweet and old-fashioned cows in the same paddock (not usually there apparently). They looked at Ziggy, they looked at us, and, if they were humans, of the older age-group, they would have sighed loudly, shaken their heads and said something like "whatever will that boy do next!" in the most endearing tone!

 

When Ziggy wouldn't come over and see us, even once he'd settled down, Richard went into the paddock and, after some gentle persuasion (it takes time to settle after an energetic morning run like he'd that!) brought him over to the group. We fed him lots of long luscious bright green grass and he gobbled it up hungrily and loved all the attention. Jan had brought some carefully chopped up carrots to feed him - but he didn't want a bar of it. In the next paddock was a lovely chestnut horse who was eyeing us and Ziggy and all the action with a tinge of envy and feeling very left out. She was as close as she could get and, if she was human, she would have begun a conversation in the hope of getting involved in the proceedings! We gave her some carrots and grass and loving pats too!

Time to bid Ziggy farewell and we told him we'd see him at Ellerslie races in a week's time! Hopefully with a good draw!

Then it was back to the stable area for Round 2 - watching our new little 2YO filly in action. Stable name Eliza, this girl has been broken in and is part way through her early education to become a racehorse. Frank said she came with attitude but has settled in nicely and is taking to her work very well. This was apparent - there was no fuss or bother or cantankerous behaviour.

2YO Eliza

She started with time in the walker, and then went to get saddled up. She stood calmly and let us pat her and do some bonding. She's a very nice type who is quickly developing a racehorse mentality and enjoying her primary school days. She's bred to be a stayer, and horses by her sire Redwood do take time. But Frank thinks there's a slight chance she may race as a 2YO - only a handful of horses do, as at this age they're a child and often "green" - aka can run amok. They're just babies without too much of a clue. Still, if a horse shows enough ability and maturity to race as a 2YO, it's great from an education point of view. Not many owners who race a 2YO expect a win, and racing horses too early can be really detrimental both physically and mentally, unless the horse is truly up to it. Few are. Ziggy was set to race as a 2YO after he won a trial in superb fashion - but then a wind (breathing) issue was detected (not that uncommon) and he had to have an operation and his whole career was on the line. To win a trial like he did as a 2YO, with a wind issue, shows true ability. So with Ziggy we have had to be very very patient. And that is often the best virtue in racing. Which is why racing 2YOs is approached with real caution. Ziggy came back from his operation - and then won a race in handsome fashion. Our dream is that he can clock up another win ... next Saturday!?!?!?!?

Ziggy is more a speed horse, big and strong, bred to go the shorter distances, with a burst of power speed, but Eliza is more the sleek, slender, stamina variety - in marathon-runner style. It's so brilliant to have two horses at different stages of their very different careers. The boy a speedster with a win under his belt and definite ability; the girl a potential stayer in the making. One in the prime of his racing career, the other just starting out. Am I in heaven or what!?

Once Eliza was saddled up by her regular rider, a young Indian lad (Ashni), we went back over the road to the smaller track where the 2YOs do their running work. Frank is really fortunate in that his property is directly across the road from the training track - the horses walk over. Most other horses in the area who train here have to be floated in - that's a whole lot more time, expense and pfaff. 

Eliza did her work in tandem with another 2YO - just an easy gallop around the track and that was that. All over in a couple of minutes.

 

Eliza (jockey with orange sleeves) and her mate doing a good workout

It's amazing how much time is involved in the preparation for just a few minutes of action on the track - bring in from the box (where they spend the night), a half-hour warm-up in the walker, prep and saddle up, get to the track ... do the training run ... then back to the stable, unsaddle, hose-down, blanket on, out to the paddock. The whole process is about an hour for each horse.And if owners are there - lots of chat and pats and whatnot! Then later in the afternoon, feed and into the box for the night. 

After that busy morning - it was 8 o'clock by now - we headed back to the motel, showered, changed and checked out. Then headed back to Frank and Colleen's home for a fab full breakfast - fruit salad, eggs on muffins, mushrooms, sausages ... enjoyed out on the sheltered deck.  What a treat. 

Spent time in the trophy room - Frank trained the 1986 Cox Plate (big Australian race) Winner Bonecrusher - it was billed as the Race of the Century - a dingdong battle with another great horse called Waverley Star. Frank's boy won! A game-changer for any trainer and Frank has memorabilia galore and he and Colleen today reflected back on such a great time in their racing lives. You can tell that the euphoria of it all still lives within them. I was living in the UK at the time so wasn't in NZ amongst the hype. But it is a race that is forever etched in history in this part of the world. In anticipation, Colleen had cleaned all the trophies (LOTS of silver to clean, there are MANY trophies!) - so she was thrilled we spent so long poking around in the room. I've been in there on a prior visit, but this time got even more insight. Next time ... even more!

And then it was time to head off to meet up with racehorse trainer friends Brett & Tanya who live in Cambridge. Met them in the sports bar as they were en route to a family birthday celebration. Brett's son is one of the top jockeys in Australasia, and right up there with the best of the best in the world. James was riding in Sydney today so we discussed his rides and Brett was bullish. Alas, he didn't ride a winner today - only two seconds - which is pretty rare. One of his worst days in the office for a while. I think Brett's pocket may be stinging. 

Anyway, we had a lovely catch-up and Tanya's mother turned up too, who I'd never met before - she used to train horses, and lots more besides. Yak yak yak, mostly about horses and racing, but a few other things too! I left feeling like I'd known Tanya's mother forever, such is the racing bond! Her bright pink nails, chic chignon, great bone structure and authenticity had me entranced from the get-go. 

Off I went to have a little explore of Cambridge. This town has the country's main Velodrome (called Avantidrome), where Olympic cyclists train. It's state of the art. I went and had a look, on a sunny Saturday afternoon. There were two cyclists doing some pretty serious training in tandem, yelling to each other planning tactics of the training session as they zoomed round and round (coach and future star?) Plus another guy who was going round and round on his own. It's an impressive building and the only people there were those three cyclists, a woman on an exer-cycle in the gym area, and me. I imagine when there's a cycling comp on, this place buzzes. I'm not a cyclist and watching these guys go round and round and round did my head in a bit - how tedious, I thought to myself! 

But they probably think that watching a horse go round green grass is tedious! And others think that hitting a small white ball along fairways is a right waste of time (that's what Brett's done today, and every Saturday. And often Sunday ...) And others can't fathom what all the fuss is about hitting a red cricket ball with a willow bat, or even what it means. 

 

As they say, it's all about horses for courses! And yes, I'm all for horses on courses! And being there to be part of it!

Next I had a short wander around the local lake, tucked away in the middle of town. Lake Te Koo Utu is a small lake, hidden away amongst the trees - a lovely tranquil spot right in the centre of town. The blossoms and ducks were out, and not too many people, even on a pleasant Saturday afternoon. 

Then I was homeward bound.

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Cambridge ...

It's a pretty town - rural, with a hint of sophistication and old-school restraint. It's a hub of racing, cycling and rowing (Lake Karapiro is just down the road). There are some seriously fabulous boutique shops, wonderful cafes and restaurants, and lovely enclaves of nature. 

In terms of racing - there is a new all-weather synthetic track being put in at the training track which will be a game-changer. NZ weather is fickle and can play havoc with racing - tracks can be too wet, too slippery, too dangerous. Race meeting cancelled. No good for racing. This is the first of three new all-weather tracks - making weather irrelevant! Covid has stymied progress somewhat, but I saw today that they are well on the way to completion. Yay. These all-weather tracks won't replace traditional grass race courses - but they are a back up, and will enable racing in a slightly different and specialised way.

The drive from Auckland is easy. The light is fantastic. It's a Waikato town that can be prone to cold, dank and fog - but not this weekend. I like the place.

 

Blossoms by the lake