Oamaru treble helps Greg Hope to 1000 training wins

[Wandering Eyes]

By Jonny Turner 

Homebush Lad helped trainer Greg Hope join an elite group to have trained 1000 New Zealand winners with his Temuka Transport Waikouaiti Cup victory at Oamaru yesterday.

Hope brought up the milestone when Torvi took out yesterday’s finale, the McLellan Freight Ltd Trot, to complete a winning treble for the horseman, who trains in partnership with wife, Nina.

The Hopes ended the Oamaru meeting with 892 career victories, with Greg having prepared 108 winners before entering into an official training partnership with Nina.

The couple’s son Ben Hope drove Homebush Lad to win before Torvi took out yesterday’s finale to complete Greg’s 1000-race winning feat. 

Ben Hope was thrilled to help his father reach the milestone.

“It is a career highlight, 1000 is a phenomenal achievement.”

“There hasn’t been many that have done it and if you look through the list of people that have done it they are champions of the sport.”

“And that is what Dad is.”

Nina Hope and co-owner Richard Dellaca will have to find room in Homebush Lad’s already bulging trophy cabinet after he won his second Waikouaiti Cup yesterday.

Ben Hope gave the pacer a soft trip four back on the markers before the 11-year-old veteran charged along the inner to score.  

“He is just an awesome, awesome horse, he tries so hard.”

“I don’t think I have ever had a horse try so hard.”

“He has won about 11 or 12 country cups which is a phenomenal achievement and to be 11-years-old and still winning them is awesome.”

Homebush Lad’s two Waikouaiti Cup wins sit alongside his victories in the Westport, Geraldine, Waimate, and Motukarara Christmas cups, plus his three Reefton Cup victories.

After mixing his distances recently, the 3000m of the Waikouaiti Cup was just what the pacer needed. 

“He is a stayer and suits those long distances and he hasn’t really had them,” Hope said. 

“He got it in the Blenheim Cup and he ran third.”

“He hasn’t really had that suitable race but today he got it and he got a great trip and capitalised on it.”

Yesterday’s Edinburgh Realty Ltd Waikouaiti Trotters Cup was the highlight on a big day for Canterbury owners Bob and Maxine Garters.

The breeder-owners scored with Maryanne Golightly in the Hawksbury Motors/ Custom Construction Mobile Pace before Helloveamoment won yesterday’s trotting feature. 

Driver Samantha Ottley was thrilled to deliver a feature win for the Garters on their Mark Jones trained trotter. 

“They’re big supporters of the (Jones) stable and they’ve had a great day with the maiden winning.”

“They deserve everything they get because they put a lot into the game.

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