Lightning Jack

[Doomed]

Great win for Lightning Jack in Sydney yesterday. Good to see the Tylers have a go and head for the good money. And a brilliant ride by the other Tyler, covered no extra ground. Unbelievable price.

[Chief Stipe]

http://racing.racingnsw.com.au/FreeFields/VideoResult.aspx?MeetDate=2021Dec11&VenueCode=MTQxOTk4NA==&RaceNumber=9&MeetingCategory=Professional&VideoFileType=FullReplay

[Freda]

Very tidy win indeed.

May not be the last to have a trip over, I know Kelvin is pretty disillusioned with the scene here.

[Doomed]

4 minutes ago, Freda said:

Very tidy win indeed.

May not be the last to have a trip over, I know Kelvin is pretty disillusioned with the scene here.

You can hardly blame him. It must be frustrating being a professional in an industry run by amateurs. SI racing would virtually collapse without the Tylers, Parsons and Pitmans. The big players really have to stand up for themselves before it is too late.

It seems extraordinary to me that there is no feature meeting anywhere in Canterbury for 77 days from 13 Nov to 29 Jan. The North just had two such meetings 24 hours apart at Tauranga and Te Rapa. How on earth do trainers retain owners?

 

[curious]

4 minutes ago, Doomed said:

It seems extraordinary to me that there is no feature meeting anywhere in Canterbury for 77 days from 13 Nov to 29 Jan. The North just had two such meetings 24 hours apart at Tauranga and Te Rapa. How on earth do trainers retain owners?

Exactly. And they say that they want tiered racing then don't cater at all for the upper tiers for more than 10 weeks. Same here in the CD. 2 R65 sprints for the upper tiers programmed September through mid November.

[mikeynz]

3 minutes ago, Doomed said:

You can hardly blame him. It must be frustrating being a professional in an industry run by amateurs. SI racing would virtually collapse without the Tylers, Parsons and Pitmans. The big players really have to stand up for themselves before it is too late.

It seems extraordinary to me that there is no feature meeting anywhere in Canterbury for 77 days from 13 Nov to 29 Jan. The North just had two such meetings 24 hours apart at Tauranga and Te Rapa. How on earth do trainers retain owners?

 

Starting to see a trend with a lot of the top harness horses going west too for racing, when is the next big race for cup class pacers,?

Better throw in the Andertons to for the big players list, yestys meeting at Ascot Park only had about 15 or so horses from the Waitaki north but it's the one and two horse trainers that are just as vital as the big players but numbers seem to dwindle after Easter, it's just a short season it seems in Southland.

Lightning Jack won more yesty than he could probably pick up for a whole season of travelling up and down NZ

[Huey]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

You can hardly blame him. It must be frustrating being a professional in an industry run by amateurs. SI racing would virtually collapse without the Tylers, Parsons and Pitmans. The big players really have to stand up for themselves before it is too late.

It seems extraordinary to me that there is no feature meeting anywhere in Canterbury for 77 days from 13 Nov to 29 Jan. The North just had two such meetings 24 hours apart at Tauranga and Te Rapa. How on earth do trainers retain owners?

 

Less is more right .... right??? 

[mikeynz]

Jack starts again today, Randwick race 7

[Chief Stipe]

Lightning Jack set to strike in Summer Cup

Former Kiwi Lightning Jack is out to make it two in a row in Australia in the Summer Cup. Picture: Grant Guy

 

By Ray Thomas
12:37pm • 25 December 2021

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Trainer Annabel Neasham can put an exclamation mark on a stellar year if Lightning Jack wins the Group 3 $160,000 Summer Cup (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Boxing Day.

Neasham has prepared five Group 1 winners during 2021 from stable stars Zaaki (Doomben Cup, Underwood Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes) and Mo’unga (Rosehill Guineas, Winx Stakes).

It’s easy to forget Neasham has only been training for 18 months such has been her impact on the sport.

“You don’t get any time to reflect in racing but it doesn’t feel like it was August last year when we started – it feels like we have been going a lot longer,” Neasham said.

“I have to pinch myself when I think about the success we have had so far but the support we have been given and the quality of horses we have got has made it possible.”

To that end, former New Zealander Lighting Jack is a new stable recruit, scoring impressively on debut for Neasham over the Randwick 1600m course two weeks ago.

Lightning Jack ran unplaced at his only previous attempt at 2000m across The Tasman but Neasham doesn’t believe the Summer Cup distance will be an issue for her gelding.

Trainer Annabel Neasham is confident Lightning Jack will handle the step up to 2000m in the Summer Cup. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t think 2000m will be a worry,” Neasham said.

“He enjoyed being ridden ‘cold’ last time and he was strong through the line.

“I didn’t know what to expect from him last start so I suppose it was a nice surprise that he measured up.

“But (owners) the Tyler family have done such a good job with the horse and the fact they wanted to send him here gave me confidence,

“Although Lightning Jack has drawn out wide in the Summer Cup, I don’t think that will matter. It will be great if we can get a Group win out of him.”

Lightning Jack is on the second line of Summer Cup betting at $5 behind the Joe Pride-trained Stockman at $3.80 favouritism.

Neasham has a strong team entered for the Boxing Day meeting including Holyfield and Southern Lights in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1400m).

Holyfield ($10) indicated an imminent return to form with a good third to Brookspire at Randwick two weeks ago while Southern Lights makes his Australian debut but is an interesting runner as he was considered good enough to contest the English Derby earlier this year, finishing unplaced behind Godolphin’s Adayar.

Holyfield produced a good effort last start and can continue his return to form at Randwick. Picture: AAP

The Neasham-trained juvenile Narnia, a $600,000 Magic Millions Yearling Sale purchase, is at $9.50 for his debut in the Drinkwise Plate (1100m), while stablemate Spaltet is $4.20 favourite for the Midway Handicap (2000m). The beautifully bred Rejoiced – three-year-old colt by super stallion Redoute’s Choice out of Joy Toy, herself a half-sister to champion More Joyous – puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Heineken 3 Handicap (1600m).

Neasham has also entered Rejoiced for an easier race at Newcastle on Sunday and is considering the best option for the promising colt.

Meanwhile, Neasham’s brilliant Wyong Magic Millions winner Soaring Ambition was floated to Brisbane on Thursday to continue her preparation toward the $2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast on January 15.

Neasham said Soaring Ambition will be nominated for a race in Brisbane on New Year’s Day but the filly is not a certain starter.

“I am leaning to trialling her at the Gold Coast on January 4,” Neasham said.

“Soaring Ambition galloped the best I have ever seen her work at Warwick Farm last Tuesday and I’m not sure she needs another race before the Magic Millions.

“She is very professional and although she drew wide at Wyong and had to go back, then came around the field on the bend, got a check and still picked herself up and ran home. It was a very gutsy win.”

Zaaki and Mo’unga return to Annabel Neasham’s stables on Monday to begin their autumn carnival preparations.

Neasham also revealed Zaaki and Mo’unga will return to her Warwick Farm stables on Monday to prepare for the autumn carnival campaigns next year.

“They have been in pre-training and arrive back in the stable (Monday),” she said.

“Zaaki will be set for the All Star Mile and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. We will find something leading in, but I haven’t decided that race yet.

“Mo’unga won the Winx Stakes and ran second in the Makybe Diva Stakes during the spring and I feel they were his two best runs.

“He never runs a bad race but he has proved he can do it over shorter trips so I might keep him sharper and go to the George Ryder Stakes off say the Canterbury Stakes.”