Former southerner Hidalgo (NZ) (Pure Champion) returned to the mainland to deliver an impressive debut victory over fences at Riccarton Park on Saturday.
The son of Pure Champion started his racing career in the care of Danny Crozier, and over the coming years, would switch been Crozier’s Riccarton stable and John Phillips’ base at Winton, with his last start for the latter coming in mid-May.
In pursuit of a career over jumps, Hidalgo travelled north to join Wanganui horseman Niall Quinn, and within a couple of months, was having his first jumping trial at Cambridge, of which he won over subsequent hurdle winner Roc Up Ralph.
The well-travelled gelding crossed back over the Cook Strait to tackle his first hurdle start, where he started a narrow favourite over Group Three performer Inmyshadow in the Michael ‘Mickey’ Beecroft Memorial Maiden Hurdles (3100m).
In the hands of Ellie Callwood, Hidalgo was full of running early, but was able to slot in a comfortable position in the trail of pacemaker Doctor Iris. Inmyshadow had sat outside the leader throughout and began to tire at the 800m, but Hidalgo was just warming up, striding past the first pair and powering clear in the straight, taking the maiden event under hands and heels by 8 – ½ lengths.
Callwood was full of praise for her mount, who had shown professionalism well beyond his time in the jumping role.
“He was brilliant, he made my job very easy today,” she said. “For his first time out, he jumped very well – I did have my heart in my mouth at the last though to be fair, I sent him.
“I looked around and didn’t realise how far clear he was, he just travelled so easily and when he hit the front, he still wanted to do more.
“You couldn’t ask any more from him.”
The English hoop had been closely involved in the eight-year-old’s preparation, noting how influential that was in guiding his fortunes on Saturday.
“Massively so, especially with this horse,” she said. “The first time he jumped a hurdle, I was on him, and I’ve taken him to his trial.
“He’s quite a tricky horse, he was very keen today but he kept giving. He was a very professional gentleman out there.”
Quinn was rapt with Hidalgo’s performance, crediting Phillips and his extended family for their preparation before he came to the stable.
“I thought he went really well, I was a bit worried about him coming down here for his first jumps race and you never know how they’ll go in a first start, but he jumped really well,” Quinn said.
“I’d like to thank the Phillips family, they sent him up in terrific order and had done a lot of work with the horse before we got him, so a lot of credit has to go to them.
“We’re very excited about him, I think he’ll be a nicer horse next year and he’ll keep getting better with time.”
While the Hospitality NZ Canterbury 135th Grand National Hurdles (4200m) will be staged at the course in seven days’ time, Quinn indicated Hidalgo will remain in the 0-1 hurdle category on the second day of the carnival.
