New Plymouth trainer Tawhiti Hina saddled back-to-back winners on his home track on Saturday with full-sisters Za Spirit (NZ) (Charm Spirit) and Charm Zafarm (NZ) (Charm Spirit).
Hina has seven horses in training and had won nine races in his career before Saturday’s dream afternoon. He had trained two winners in a day once before, with Side Piece (NZ) (Jon Snow) and Summer Breeze (NZ) (Zed) combining for a pair of victories in $17,000 maiden races at Waverley on April 21. But Saturday’s heroics in races worth $50,000 and $40,000 were on a whole new level.
“I’m really, really happy,” Hina said. “The season has been going well, and this is my second double. I’m just absolutely grateful to everyone that’s backed me and given me a horse to train.”
Za Spirit was the first cab off the rank in the $50,000 Sandfords Rural Carriers (1200m). Overlooked as a $22 outsider in a field dominated by $1.80 favourite Ma Te Wa (NZ) (Time Test), the five-year-old mare was pushed forward by jockey Kavish Chowdhoory and found the front after a keen early battle for the lead.
Chowdhoory was able to give the mare a breather coming down the side of the track, then began to crank her up again before the home turn.
Za Spirit’s efforts began to take their toll in the straight, with Ma Te Wa eating into the margin with big strides late in the piece, but Za Spirit clung on to win by a half-head.
“That was a really nice effort,” Hina said. “She’s such a cool horse who just loves racing and tries really hard.
“She’s owned locally by a bunch of family members. They were the first people to give me a horse to train, and she was my very first winner, so it’s awesome. Now I’ve got five horses for them. I’m really grateful for their support.
“The plan was to go to the front. She hates wet tracks, so we were just hoping she could hold on as long as she could.”
Za Spirit is by Charm Spirit out of the Savabeel mare Zafrenzy. From 23 starts, Za Spirit has recorded three wins, three seconds and seven thirds. She has earned $101,590.
Around 40 minutes later, the spotlight shifted to Za Spirit’s younger sister Charm Zafarm. The four-year-old was more prominent in the betting market at $5.10, and she romped to a runaway win in the $40,000 Delaval Coastal Agri (1400m).
Apprentice jockey Elle Sole also adopted front-running tactics, taking up the lead within the first 100m of the race. It was a one-horse race from there as she powered clear down the back of the track.
Charm Zafarm never slowed down and the chasers never had a look in. The local mare charged down the straight and crossed the finish line seven and a quarter lengths ahead of the runner-up Jaeger (NZ) (Time Test).
“When Elle got so far out in front, I briefly thought, ‘Oh, slow down a bit,’ but she’s a horse that needs to roll along,” Hina said. “When I saw how well she was travelling, I started to think we might be able to win it.
“I think that’s how you have to ride this track today – get out in front and hope you can hang on.”
Charm Zafarm has had 19 starts for two wins, four seconds, three thirds and $66,480 in stakes.
“She’s had a few niggles along the way,” Hina said. “She ran a really good race for me on debut as a two-year-old, then went up north and was trained up there for a while. She came back to me and we’ve had a few issues with her. We’ve pieced everything together now and fixed the problems. Hopefully we’re on the right track.”
Sole is forming a highly successful partnership with the stable. She has had 17 rides on Hina-trained runners for four wins and four placings.
“He’s been very good to me,” Sole said. “He helps me out a lot and I’m super grateful to him.
“This mate can be a bit naughty in the gates, so the plan was just to hope she jumped well and then try to run them ragged. That’s what she did. I was very relieved when she jumped cleanly. I was like, ‘Oh, thank goodness.’
“She just travelled super from there, so I thought I might as well try to get a bit of a kick on them. I couldn’t hear anything coming in the straight.”