A gear alteration had Password (NZ) (Zed) flying back to winning form at Hawera on Sunday, running away with the PCL Wineera Brothers Ltd “Maurice Campbell” Steeplechase (3400m).
The nine-year-old had run well below the best of his ability at Te Rapa earlier this month, being pulled up for the first time in a jumping career comprising of a win and four minor placings.
Password’s trainer Harvey Wilson put the performance behind him and set to prepare for Sunday’s meeting, where the application of a tongue tie had the gelding back on his game, jumping boldly near the tail through the opening lap.
Torque Time and Call Me Jack slipped away from the remainder of the field heading down the back straight for the final time, and jockey Kylan Wiles soon made his move aboard Password, beginning to chase down the leading pair.
The gelding hit the front jumping the second-to-last fence with Kevin Myers’ trio of Call Me Jack, Interllectus and $2.60 race-favourite Afterallthistime in close quarters, but Password had the race won as he pulled away by two lengths to score in the open contest.
Wilson was thrilled to see the gear change prove successful, and praised the ride of Wiles.
“We were very disappointed with his run up at Te Rapa, he ran very ordinarily there and we think he probably may have pulled his tongue up or swallowed it in the run,” he said.
“We put the tongue tie on today, and it seemed to do the trick because he ran well which was good to see.
“Kylan has ridden him a couple of times, on the flat in the high weights and then over the fences, and he’s ridden him really well.
“He listens to instructions and we were lucky to have him on today, he did a good job.”
Wilson intends to run Password on the back-up in next Sunday’s Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m) at the rescheduled venue of Woodville.
“If all goes to plan, we’ll go to Woodville next Sunday for the Manawatu Steeples, and then we’ll just keep ticking along,” he said.
“He’s a horse that likes the good ground, Te Rapa out in the middle suits him so he’ll tell us where he wants to go next.”
Out of an Al Akbar mare in Baltis, Password is a full brother to Group Three performing mare Our Jumala, and was purchased by Wilson and his wife Ann at the 2016 National Yearling Sales for $15,000.
He has earned over $91,000 for the Waverley couple and part-owner, racing journalist Michael Guerin.
A three-time Olympian, Wilson has claimed several of New Zealand’s top jumping crowns in his training career including the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) of 2019 with It’s A Wonder, and he currently has a pair of jumpers in his care.
“We started off with three jumpers but unfortunately one bled at Wanganui, so we’re back to a couple now. We’re always on the lookout for more horses, and we really enjoy the jumpers,” he said.
“They were good races today, I think it was probably disappointing we didn’t have proper steeplechase fences, they were really just hurdles. I think that would be something we’d like to see.
“I thought the fields were pretty good, and it was a good day overall.”
Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed also sired the victor of the Norwood Hawera ‘Jim Walker’ Hurdles (2800m) in Verry Flash (NZ) (Zed), the full-brother to Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) heroine Verry Elleegant justifying his $2.10 favouritism to score for Dean Parker and Myers, who quinellaed the race with Lochwinnoch.
Verry Flash’s success came two days after another full sibling, Affluential, won his fourth straight race across the Tasman at Werribee in a 2753m Highweight, reverting back to the flat after two convincing wins over hurdles this campaign.
