Boundtobehonoured made a remarkable comeback at Counties on Thursday when taking out the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race by 2-1/2 lengths. 

 

The Tony Pike-trained mare was involved in a race fall at Ruakaka last year, which resulted in injuries to her rider Shafiq Rusof, and Danielle Johnson, who was riding the trailing horse Tantalising.

 

There were fears that the daughter of Darci Brahma wouldn’t make it back to the track, but after rehabilitation and a couple of trials she was able to make a raceday return. 

 

“It was well deserved (the win),” Pike’s Racing Manager Dean Williams said. “We were a bit worried after that fall at Ruakaka about whether she would come back. 

 

“But she trialled up well the other day, she needed that confidence booster. 

 

“Troy (Harris, jockey) did a nice job that day, he just worked her through a gap and she has worked well since. We have always had a good opinion of her, so it was good to see her do that today.”

 

Harris was onboard for the victory on Thursday and believes Boundtobehonoured will thrive on winter racing after performing so well on the slow7 surface.

 

“Her trial was very good,” he said. “I gave her a quiet one and she performed well today. She got through it (slow7 track) very well, I think these sorts of tracks will suit her.”

 

Boundtobehonoured was bred and is part-owned by Terry and Vicki Pascoe of Club Med Lodge, who take home the lion’s share of the $11,500 Pearl Series bonus. 

 

 

 

Central Districts jockey Leah Hemi will sit out a decent chunk of the winter after she broke her leg at Hastings on Wednesday.

 

Returning to scale after the seventh race, Hemi's mount Eisenhower shied and dislodged her.

 

"It was really innocuous. He's such a quiet horse and I was just too complacent,” Hemi said.

 

“We were on our way back to the birdcage and the horse shied at something and I came off.

 

"I'm probably out for six to eight weeks. I go to the fracture clinic next week. I'm in a moon boot at the moment but I don't think it's too bad. I'm just annoyed I'm going to be out for the next few weeks."

 

 

 

Hawke’s Bay Racing has announced that the winner and runner-up in the Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa will be provided ballot free exemptions into the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in August.

 

Last year’s Foxbridge Plate runner up Julius was withdrawn the week of the race after looking unlikely to get a start in the Tarzino, while in 2017 Foxbridge Plate runner-up Close Up had to escape the Tarzino Trophy ballot on race day morning before going on to score a memorable Group One win.

 

“While we are comfortable with the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) ballot conditions for Group One races, the fact that the Tarzino is so early in the season makes it very hard for horses to improve their order of entry,” Hawke’s Bay Racing chief executive Andrew Castles said.

 

“By allowing the winner and runner-up a ballot exemption, we believe we are fixing an anomaly that saw Close Up and Julius struggle to get runs in the first of our three Group Ones.”

 

Nominations for the three Group One races that make up the Bostock New Zealand Spring Carnival triple crown - Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Livamol Classic (2040m) - will be taken on Tuesday July 16 with the National Racing Bureau.