Jumping has always been Stephen Nickalls’ main passion in racing, and while he is heading to the South Island’s premier jumping carnival on Saturday, flat racing will be his priority.
The Manawatu trainer is heading south with his Group One performer Chase (NZ) (Zed), who will tackle the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 128th Winter Cup (1600m) on the opening day of Riccarton’s Grand National Festival of Racing.
The rising 10-year-old gelding earned his ticket south with a 1-3/4 length victory over a mile at Hawera a fortnight ago and a pleasing exhibition gallop at Waverley last Friday.
“It was a really nice win at Hawera last time out and he has done really well since,” Nickalls said. “He galloped at Waverley last week between races and Amber (Riddell, apprentice jockey) was really happy with him. We can’t fault him.”
It will be the son of Zed’s first start on the mainland, and he will carry a luxury impost of 54.5kg in the mile feature.
“He has got in at a wonderful weight with 54.5kg,” Nickalls said. “The hard thing around here (Central Districts) is that if he goes to a normal handicap, he will probably be about 60 kilos given the rating (90) he has gone to.”
Chase’s presence at Riccarton will be a true family affair, with Nickalls’ daughter Mya being trackside to cheer home their family pet, while his partner Laura Knight keeps everything ticking over on their farm ahead of calving season.
“We have everything sorted at home with the calving for Laura to keep control,” Nickalls said. “My mother is coming down to help out around home, so we can keep everything ticking over. Things fell into place to make it worthwhile going.”
Nickalls is excited to tackle the Winter Cup on Saturday, but being a jumping purist, he is envious of his jumping cohorts.
“It is such a great carnival and there are some fantastic jumping races,” he said. “I am very annoyed that I don’t have a jumper to go with me, but we will live with that and be able to watch some great jumping going on.
“I think I would rather he was in the Koral (Steeplechase) than the Winter Cup, but we have got a runner there and we will enjoy it while we can.
“I am a massive jumping fan at heart, and it is great the jumpers that we have got going down there and good fields for the two Open races, which is great to see.
“The Winter Cup is a good, honest field and he is going to have to be at the top of his game to take something like that out, but he is happy and well.”
While Chase schools fences as part of his training, Nickalls said his future lies purely on the flat.
“We have schooled him a lot, and as much as I want him to go jumping, he will keep going around on the flat,” he said.
It will be a hit-and-run mission for Chase this weekend, with farm duties calling Nickalls back home.
“We are booked to come home on the ferry on Sunday,” he said. “There is a lot going on at home. We are a real family operation, between the horses and dairy sheds, so taking the whole week away was just not going to work.”