Flat assignments for headline jumpers

[Wandering Eyes]

Paul Nelson and Corrina McChief Stipeal’s star jumpers Nedwin and The Cossack will line-up over the weekend, but they won’t feature over the fences.

Nedwin featured prominently in the prestige hurdles last year, taking out the Waikato Hurdle (3200m) and Great Northern Hurdle (4200m).

He resumed with an unplaced run over 2060m at Wanganui earlier this month and will have another flat run at Trentham on Saturday in the John Cryan 2200 to ready for his upcoming jumps season.

“He needs a run and we were waiting for a wet track,” Nelson said. “It’s only his second run, but we will just take it as it is.”

While Nedwin has added six hurdle wins to his six flat triumphs, he has yet to be tested over the bigger fences, something that will change in the coming months.

“He will start somewhere along the line and then we will think about a chase,” Nelson said. “He would be the top-rated hurdler (96 rating), so that weight starts to catch up with you at some time.”

A day later at Woodville, the stable’s champion jumper The Cossack will feature on the same card as his archrival West Coast, but the pair won’t meet just yet, with The Cossack kicking off his preparation on the flat in the Property Brokers Woodville-Pahiatua Cup (2100m).

Last year The Cossack was victorious in the Waikato Steeplechase (3900m) and Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4800m) but was bettered by West Coast in the Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) and Great Northern Steeplechase (6500m).

Nelson and McChief Stipeal are looking forward to kicking off his campaign and readying for a reunion with the West Coast this jumping season.

“He will enjoy a heavy track,” Nelson said.

“Getting stopped in his (The Cossack) tracks at Wellington, we didn’t get a fair go at him (West Coast), the northern we might have been a bit over the top, and he might not get to 6500m.”

While The Cossack won’t meet West Coast on Sunday, stablemate Raucous will in the LJ Hooker Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m).

“Raucous is raucous,” Nelson quipped. “He gallops around and does what he wants.”

Nelson will also line-up Taika in the Manawatu ITM Awapuni Hurdle (3000m) on Sunday, while Foxalot is a doubtful starter in the Braeside Farm Hurdle (3000m).

“Hopefully we are somewhere near it with him (Taika),” Nelson said. “He ran a pretty nice race the other day on the flat.

“It depends on how the track is, Foxalot might not handle a really heavy track. We needed to give her another start somewhere.”

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