Retirement looms for Te Rapa winner

[Wandering Eyes]

Le Sablier is in the twilight of her racing career and she made the most of one of her few remaining opportunities when she trounced her open handicap rivals at Te Rapa on Friday.

The daughter of Tavistock relished the Heavy 8 conditions in the Skycity Hamilton Waikato Cup Day 10 December Handicap (1600m) for an upset, but timely sixth career victory.

The eight-year-old may just have two more runs for her current connections before she is sold as a breeding proposition.

“It will be the Matamata Cup next (Listed, 1600m), as long as it’s wet,” said trainer, part-owner and co-breeder Karen Fursdon.

“We would love to get some black type with her, that’s what we really want so it will be the Cup and then the Staphanos Classic (Listed, 1950m).

“She will go to stud this year, but not for us, she is on the market.”

Fursdon races Le Sablier with her co-breeders, husband Kevin and Peter Stanaway, and three sons Jason, Ben and Nicholas.

“The boys are pretty chuffed about having a small share in her. They didn’t race the other ones, Kevin, Peter and I did and Murray and Shirley Vincent were partners in the broodmare as well,” she said.

Le Sablier is a daughter of the Volksraad mare Phillipa Glass, who is a sister to the former Champion Two-Year-Old and Gr.1 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes (1200m) and Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner One Under.

Philippa Glass was successful on two occasions and all eight of her foals have been winners, including I’ll’ava’half, whose 11 successes numbered six on the flat and the Crisp Steeplechase (3900m).

Le Sablier was allowed to go out at Te Rapa at better than 40-1, but her victory came as no surprise to Fursdon following the mare’s previous effort for fifth in the Interprovincial Championship (1800m) at New Plymouth.

“She just got bogged down on the fence and got held up around the corner, she’s just doesn’t like puggy tracks and a shower on the day would have helped us out no end,” she said.

“Rain kept it loose here and rider Masa (Hashizume) did a wonderful job. She has been tardy out of the gates lately so I said just concentrate on getting her 3l closer to them and he did, it was really exciting.”

Le Sablier was in behind the leader pack before cruising up wide on the turn and she strode clear in the run home to easily account for the Central Districts visitor He’s A Doozy and Perfect Scenario.

“She is a really neat mare and been a favourite of ours, she’s pretty special,” Fursdon said.

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