Elated McDougal focussing on next goal

[Wandering Eyes]

Corrina McDougal is still getting her voice back after cheering home Suliman (NZ) (Redwood) to win last Saturday’s Grand National Hurdles (4200m), but it is straight back to business this week for the Hastings horsewoman.

McDougal was watching from home as Suliman toughed out a gruelling edition of the National, her second victory in the Riccarton feature after she and co-trainer Paul Nelson took out the 2021 edition with The Cossack.

“I don’t have a cold at the moment, I’ve just lost my voice from screaming at the TV,” she said. “It was pretty exciting and I haven’t seen such a big smile on Paul’s face in a long time.

“Hamish (McNeill, jockey) had been talking about doing a rain dance during the week, and on Saturday morning, he rang me and said ‘do you hear that Corrina, it’s raining!’. He had a fair bit of faith in the horse, so it was very cool to get that result. He gave him the perfect ride, as he did at Wellington when he rode him there.

“He (Suliman) bled down there two years ago, so to go out and win this year, it was really neat and satisfying.”

The win came at the perfect time for the stable, after their Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) winner and pre-post National favourite Dictation (NZ) (Tavistock) was scratched on Wednesday afternoon.

“To be quite honest, that was really gutting,” McDougal said.

“He had a bit of an injury pop up earlier in the season, but had come through that, so to go down, win very well (in the Sydenham) and have a different injury come up was tough.”

She was also very proud of the efforts of Nedwin (NZ) (Niagara), a relatively inexperienced steeplechaser who stepped up to finish third in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) behind Captains Run and Jesko.

“Nedwin was really good, especially looking forward,” she said. “He would’ve taken a lot of learning out of that, mileage-wise and the experience would’ve done him the world of good.

“I feel that he’s still jumping a little big, I’d love to see him come down a bit lower and be more economical, but that’ll come and he gutsed it out really well on Saturday.

“He’ll only improve from here, and next year, I think we’ll see quite a nice chaser.”

The trio, alongside stablemate Skaw Valley (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), are still in the South Island, with inclement weather halting their ferry crossing over the last couple of days.

“The ferry was delayed again, and at the moment, they’ll head over at 2pm (Tuesday),” McDougal said. “Hopefully that will happen, but it’s still sounding a little sketchy.

“They’ve found a paddock in Blenheim, so they’ll have a bit of time out and some grass which is quite nice.”

With the Grand National features run and won, the jumping fraternity turn their attention towards the newly instated Great New Zealand Jumps Carnival, run at Te Aroha in mid-September.

The stable opted to bypass Christchurch with The Cossack (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) this year, and off the back of a fourth-placed effort in the Wellington Steeplechase (4900m), McDougal has dialled up his trackwork ahead of a tilt at the Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4200m) on August 31.

“He’s been ticking over at home, he’s had a couple of nice gallops recently,” she said. “I might’ve been a bit soft on him in trackwork this time in, I probably got a bit tripped up because we’re used to him doing things so easily.

“We had a different preparation with him having been on a treadmill, so he might’ve been a bit underdone. We’ve got a bit more fitness into him now and he’s galloping well.”

The 12-year-old will step out on the flat on Wednesday at Rotorua, where Ellie Callwood will provide three kilograms of weight relief in the Seeka Growing Futures HWT (2200m).

“His flat race at Wanganui (in May) was quite nice, he ran home well there, but he was a bit detached early,” she said. “I’d like to see him put himself amongst the field a bit more and continue to finish it off.”

Joining The Cossack in the highweight event will be Taika (NZ) (Mettre En Jeu), a Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) placegetter searching for his best form after recent efforts.

“He’s been a bit of a headscratcher in his last couple of runs, but we’ve had Tommy Behrns (equine chiropractor) looking at him and he had been quite sore,” McDougal said. “Hopefully that will help.

“He seems to be quite smart, he thinks he’s pretty clever, so I hope that’s a good sign.

“We’re looking at the Pakuranga Hurdle and the Great New Zealand Hurdle for him.”

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