Nikki Hurdle had the ride of her life with Group One performer Express Yourself, and just six months after her retirement, the Palmerston North horsewoman looks to have her hands on another exciting sprinter.
Express Yourself recorded six wins and eight placings from 22 starts, highlighted by her runner-up performance in last year’s Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m), where she was piloted by Hurdle’s jockey son, Ryan Hurdle.
Her syndicate of owners offered her on gavelhouse.com earlier this year, where she was purchased by Wairarapa thoroughbred nursery Little Avondale Stud for $102,500.
“Express Yourself is now in-foal to Per Incanto. Little Avondale bought her off us and we are very excited, she is going to leave great foals,” Hurdle said.
While Wairarapa is Express Yourself’s new home, it was also the home of former stablemate Falcrests Belle’s eye-catching 7-1/2 length maiden win over 1000m on Wednesday.
The four-year-old mare had shown Hurdle plenty of promise at home, but she had yet to show that same talent on raceday, finishing last on debut at Tauherenikau in January before resuming this spring with placings at New Plymouth and Tauherenikau.
It was at her last-start placing that proved to be the turning point for Falcrests Belle, with senior hoop Kate Hercock partnering her for the first time and coming back to Hurdle post-race with some crucial feedback.
“I thought she would win on debut, she really disappointed us, and she went two good races after that but still a bit below what we were expecting,” Hurdle said.
“After her last start Kate came in and said, ‘we have to change her gear, she is not breathing properly, she is rolling her tongue back’.
“It made sense because that is exactly how she was racing, she was running out of puff.”
Hurdle took that feedback onboard and made the advised gear adjustments, and the daughter of Darci Brahma duly romped home to victory at Tauherenikau following a dominant front-running display.
“It was huge, we were pretty thrilled with how she went. I always thought she had it in her,” Hurdle said.
“Yesterday was probably the turning point for us, I was just thrilled with the way she jumped out and settled and kicked at the turn. When Kate came back she reported that her breathing was perfect and said she hardly blew.”
Hurdle is excited to have another promising sprinter on her hands, especially so soon after Express Yourself, and said she owes her association with the mare down to her pedigree and good friend Margaret Cartwright.
“I was a bit lucky to get this horse, she is beautifully bred,” Hurdle said.
“Centre Crest was a fantastic sprinter, he was a Group One winner and won 16 races. This mare is out of his half-sister (Falcrest) and as soon as I heard that I said to Margaret Cartwright, who had her on her farm, ‘how do I get this horse to train? I would love to have her’.
“She was unbroken and she (Cartwright) made it all happen for us. Margaret kept a share, Evan (Foreman), who bred her, kept a share, and then most of the Express Yourself syndicate moved in as well.
“I only do one horse at a time, so it has to be something I really like. I just saw this horse and I loved her.”
While rapt with Falcrests Belle’s maiden win, Hurdle isn’t getting carried away and said she will take a patient approach with the mare.
“I am not going to ask too much of her this time in,” she said. “I want to build her confidence and ringcraft. I think next year she is going to be so much better. She is like Express Yourself, she will hit her straps at five.
“I might look at Boxing Day (at Otaki), there is a rating 65 there. Then I might back off her and look at her again in the autumn.
“If everything goes like I think it will, we will get a little more adventurous in her next campaign.
“The future looks good for her.”