Less than a month after winning a maiden hurdle at Te Aroha, Hill Of Kings (NZ) (Time Test) returned to the same venue on Sunday and landed a much bigger prize – the $60,000 Pakuranga Hunt “Vale Lamu” Hurdle.
The son of Time Test was bought for just $600 off Gavelhouse.com in February of 2023. He has won twice from 20 starts on the flat, but has quickly surpassed those achievements in an increasingly impressive hurdling career.
Hill Of Kings was runner-up in two maiden hurdles at Woodville, then romped home by five and three-quarter lengths at Te Aroha on July 27. He returned to Woodville for an open hurdle on August 17, where he finished fourth after mixing his jumping.
Trainer Shaun Phelan and jockey Jay Kozaczek hatched a plan for Sunday’s feature that would help the six-year-old to size up each fence, while also keeping him away from the worst part of the energy-sapping Heavy10 ground.
Kozaczek positioned Hill Of Kings a long way out from the running rail throughout the 3100m journey, settling in sixth spot and much wider on the track than any of his 11 rivals. He got into a smooth rhythm and measured his jumps well throughout the race. In contrast, the front-running favourite Billy Boy had a torrid time with sustained pressure from Odysseus and then Mont Ventoux.
That pressure sapped Billy Boy’s energy and he began to fade out of contention coming down the side of the track. Hill Of Kings, meanwhile, was building into his work with ominous ease.
Mont Ventoux rounded the home turn with a clear lead, but Hill Of Kings swept up alongside him and outfinished him down the straight. He went on to win by two and three-quarter lengths from Squire, with another five lengths back to Suliman and Mont Ventoux.
“Shaun knows better than me,” Kozaczek said. “He wanted me to keep him very wide and away from the worst part of the track. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
Hill Of Kings has now had 25 starts for four wins, four placings and $95,245 in stakes.
Sunday’s win marked a welcome change of fortunes in the Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle for Phelan, who won the race as a jockey with Monarch Chimes (2017) but has had some frustrating experiences as a trainer.
“I was aiming Pacheco at this race last year but he went amiss,” he said. “A few years before that, my father (Craig) and I thought Bay Rocker would be hard to beat and he didn’t get to the race either. But it’s a big thrill with this horse today – he’s a real stable favourite.
“He’s a pretty handy horse, and full credit to Jay. He looked at me like I was an idiot when I gave him those instructions, but it paid off.
“We walked the track and it’s just so wet out there. The outside part is definitely the place to be.
“He also had a bit of an issue in his last start where he was in behind horses and made some mistakes in his jumping. We wanted him to concentrate on his jumping and get him going well.
“He’s a mudlark, so the conditions didn’t bother him today. I was surprised how short he was in the market ($6.80), I thought he’d be closer to $20. But obviously the punters got it right.
”Hill Of Kings is now the $4 favourite for the $150,000 J Swap Great New Zealand Hurdle (4200m) at Te Aroha on September 19. Berry The Cash ($5), Suliman ($5), Lord Spencer ($8), Quid ($8) and Verry Flash ($8) are the others in single figures.