Waisake was one of the most successful stayers in the Central Districts in recent times, and these days, he is bringing his talent to the show ring. 

A son of Zed, Waisake won eight races and more than $367,000 on the racetrack for New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock, with highlights including victories in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m), Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m) and Listed NZ St Leger (2600m), among a host of stakes-level placings. 

Waisake aged like fine wine and performed up to the top level to his final start in March, where he earned a deserved retirement as a rising 10-year-old. 

Throughout his career, fellow Taranaki resident Paige Hirini had always kept an eye out for the gelding and when he entered Dana Sutton’s Jump Start Thoroughbred Rehoming and Retraining programme, she was swift in showing her interest, eventually taking him to his forever home. 

“I saw him for the first time as a youngster, as while I was working for the Auret’s, we had a horse that was often in the same races as him as they stepped up through the grades,” Hirini said. 

“I had been talking to Dana at JumpStart for quite a while waiting for the right horse to come along, and when I saw the picture of the truck leaving Sharrock’s on Facebook, I knew it would be him. I was straight on the phone to Dana and said that I thought he was the one, and she agreed. It all just fell into place. 

“I got him at the end of April and he went for a big holiday straight away, I put him in the paddock and let him chill out for a while. After about three months, we’ve slowly brought him on and he’s done three in-hand shows now. 

“He’s done very well, we’re so happy with him. He’s not perfect yet and has his moments, but that’s racehorses, and he’s doing a great job. We can do a lot more earlier on with him due to his age, he’s really impressed us. 

“We want to do the show horse thing with him first because we feel that he can excel in that role, then we can have a go jumping because we’ve been told he can do that too, which is exciting. 

“Our aim is for him to be an accomplished all-rounder, he’ll be in our family forever and once I’ve done everything I hope to with him, my mum will take him on and do some dressage and things. 

“He’ll retire in our paddocks, he’ll be stuck with us forever.” 

Hirini has been involved in the racing industry for most of her adult life, leading her to transitioning several thoroughbreds off the track into sporthorses, something that has given her a great deal of satisfaction. 

“I’ve been around horses my whole life and I started working for Nigel and Hamish Auret as soon as I left school,” she said. “I was a stablehand for them for years, about six or seven, and I took a lot of the horses to Cup Week in Wellington and all of that sort of thing. 

“I took a step back from racing for a little while and now I’m back working for Hamish as a stable hand. I really enjoy the trackwork and racing side, putting the work in right from when they are babies to getting to raceday. You get such a thrill when they do well. 

“All of the racing people are great, especially at the track in the mornings. You all joke around and get along well, it’s a bit like a big family. It’s a nice industry to be in when you know the people around you. 

“Budget-wise, you can pick up thoroughbreds a lot easier than your cross-breeds, and having worked alongside them for so long, that was the type of horse I was looking for. 

“The last horse I got, he turned into exactly what we wanted, and I really liked the idea of doing all of the work yourself. I don’t buy ready-made horses, I like being able to achieve the goals and spending the time. When they go well or win, it’s your work you’ve put into them. 

“I like something that can do a bit of everything, and a lot of the thoroughbreds have a bit of spunk and sass about them, which I think all of the best horses do.”