The $60,000 ITM/GIB Progressive Championship Final provided a thrilling finale to the Winter Championships raceday at Ruakaka on Saturday, with the fast-finishing Reinstatement (NZ) (Wrote) snatching victory in a tight photo finish.
The Kylie Hoskin-trained Reinstatement went into the race somewhat under the radar despite placing in all of her three previous starts – most recently a 2100m Rating 65 at Ellerslie on June 7. She was sent out as a $15.30 chance among a competitive line-up of emerging talents who had no more than one win to their name on May 5.
The race proved to be as keenly contested on the track as it was on paper, with chances lining up across the track halfway down the straight and less than a length covering the first five horses at the finish line.
Reinstatement launched a withering finish down the extreme outside in the hands of comeback apprentice Elen Nicholas. She swept up alongside the local hope Richie’s Dream (NZ) (Ace High), and the pair hit the finish line locked together. After a lengthy wait, the judge ruled in Reinstatement’s favour.
“That was a great win and a real thrill,” Hoskin said. “I really didn’t know whether we’d got up or not. I was watching the race next to Noel Harris, who told me he thought we’d won it. But then I went out the front and talked to Kenny Rae, who thought his horse (Richie’s Dream) might have got it. He wanted to toss a coin for it! But I was really happy to get the win.”
Bred and part-owned by Tony Gavigan, Reinstatement is a six-year-old daughter of Wrote and the Iffraaj mare Everything (NZ). Her 19-race career has produced two wins, five placings and $63,475 in stakes.
“She’s a pretty promising mare who’s starting to put things together nicely now,” Hoskin said. “We’ve just taken a while to figure out her racing style, but it seems that riding her really cold works best. It’s a bit of a nerve-racking way to do it, but she’s shown that she can really fly home. That’s what she did today.”