Friday Flash – 9th December 2022

Headline News;

Fortuna Annual Owners Day 4^th December – A big success

Paul Goggin named “Fortuna Owner Of The Year”

Donna Logan reflects on her 1^st year at the helm of the Te Akau Singapore Racing Stable

Fortuna has two runners today at Tauranga

HAYATE contests the R60 1300 – Race 10 @ 6.31pm – Niranjan Parmar to ride – a Maiden winner on debut at Matamata in May, she has fallen into a bit of a hole in her form this season although was a dominant trial winners at Matamata in November – her last start at New Plymouth, finishing 4^th had some merit. Back to R60 grade here with a nice draw and an in form claiming apprentice, she can feature 1^st three here.

ANGEL’S WINGS makes her race day debut in the Maiden 1200 – Race 7 at 4.44, Sam Weatherley to ride from a nice gate. This 3yo daughter of Heroic Valour has had a patient preparation, has trialed nicely, has been showing the team a lot in her work and is ready for a bold showing on debut – represents a top 4 chance in this.

Fortuna Track work – Matamata

Tuesday 6^th December

No timed Fortuna trackwork today

Fortuna Track work – Singapore

No timed Singapore trackwork this week

Other News

Fortuna Annual Owners Day 4^th December – A big success

110 attendees, a warm sunny day, 12 Fortuna horses parading in great order, a special guest in Mark Walker, lots of convivial company – yes it was a great day, particularly after the last two years which saw attendee numbers down on previous years.

Attendees were able to relive the highlights of the 2022 year (via a video compilation of the closing stages of each win) which saw 38 wins (to the 4^th December) For Fortuna Racing in NZ, Aus and Singapore, surpassing the 30 wins achieved in 2021.

Click HERE to see that compilation

Paul Goggin named “Fortuna Owner Of The Year”

Paul, who is based in Queensland, was named our Owner of the Year – this off the back of 15 individual winners producing 28 wins in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore

Paul approaches Syndication in the right way – he takes small shares in almost every syndicate – his winners in 2022 were Dancarina (2), Entertainer (2), Trident (2), Hayate (1), Elliot Ness (1), Navalha (1), King Arthur (7), Malborough Bay (1), Ragamuffin (2), Mohawk Brave (2), Deception (2), Rocky (1), No Envy (1), Olympia (1) and Inca Belle (2)

Paul joined us on one of our Singapore trips in 2022 and was also an attendee at all three days of the Riccarton carnival in November and clearly loves his racing – well done Paul.

Donna Logan reflects on her 1^st year at the helm  the Te Akau Singapore Racing Stable

In her first season as trainer for Te Akau Racing in Singapore, Donna Logan finished second on the Trainer’s Premiership.

With a season running the calendar year, and now finished until recommencing on 7 January, Donna Logan took over from Mark Walker in January 2022 and made a great fist of her new appointment to produce 59 winners, finishing in 2nd place behind winner Tim Fitzsimmons who had 65.  Walker had returned to New Zealand to return to the helm of the Te Akau Matamata operation.

Highlights for Donna included: training four winners during a meeting in August to arrest the Premiership lead; having three wins at one race meeting on three occasions; finishing second in the $1 million Singapore Gold Cup (Gr. 1, 2000m) with Super Impact (Real Impact), ridden by visiting jockey Michael Dee and training King Arthur for Fortuna Racing to win seven times during 2022, lifting him from a 61 rating to a 106 rating in the process. Donna was also the Master of Singapore’s Champion apprentice for 2022 in Fadzli Yusoff who topped the Apprentice riders table with 22 wins

In 2021, Donna, when training on her own account, had trained $1 million Kranji Mile (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Minister (Street Sense).

Mark Walker had been Champion Trainer four times in Singapore, including setting a new Singapore training record with 87 wins in 2017, after completing his first stint as Te Akau trainer (1997 – 2010) at Matamata, where he recorded 858 wins, of which 88 were stakes’ level, while winning the Trainers’ Premiership five times. Reinstated at the helm since April in Matamata, Walker has set a torrid pace with over 100 wins, including 18 stakes’ wins, and has a clear hold on the Premiership title this season with 73 victories.

Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM was recently in Singapore, and made his intentions clear of ongoing support, and when Logan was home for the recent New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, the Te Akau team bought nine horses of which three are earmarked for Te Akau’s Kranji stable.

Donna had also attended the Inglis Ready 2 Race Sale in early October where she picked out her “buy of the sale” – the Charm Spirit – Thurlow 2yo Gelding for Fortuna Racing. Now given the stable name “Rhett” he is on his way to Singapore 12^th December. Still a few shares available – see details HERE

Training since 2018 in Singapore, Donna Logan was previously a highly regarded trainer at Ruakaka in New Zealand, where she prepared 873 winners including 61 stakes winners. Among her stable stars were quadruple Group One winner Volkstok’n’barrell (Tavistock), Habibi (Ekraar), Rising Romance (Ekraar), Valley Girl (Mastercraftsman), and Vapour Trail (Jetball).

Donna is buoyed by her first year with Te Akau, taking the time to reflect on the season, while also outlining increased incentives for owners, twice the number of feature races (stakes $110,000 – $1 million), and is already gearing up for 2023.

“It was a mammoth first season,” she said. “I think my best ever in New Zealand was 62 wins, with more meetings, so to get 59 here with an average of 48 horses in work was great.
“We also had 65 seconds and 66 thirds, with some very narrow margins, so we were a bit unlucky, really, not to get more wins.
“We are busy planning the races to start off again in January, while horses are having a holiday to freshen-up.  We’ve got new horses arriving in December and again in January, which is really encouraging.
“The staff worked hard and really applied themselves and we’ve got a great bunch of loyal owners that support us.
“Our apprentice, Fadzli Yusoff, won Champion Apprentice, and Jerlyn Seow, the only female jockey in Singapore, finished third.
“Fortuna Racing, run by John Galvin, finished third in the owners’ list with 18 wins and just under S$800k in prizemoney –  we had a great time hosting John and his wonderful group of Owners when they came over in June and August.”

“Trainers and owners, and everyone involved in racing here, have really grown in confidence with what Dayle Brown (Chief Racing Officer of the Singapore Turf Club) has put in place. He’s very on to racing and had a lot of experience and knowledge. It’s a big advantage.
“His working with our President and Chief Executive, Irene Lim, has really improved everything here at the Turf Club.
“Although not out in the press, there is going to be an increase to the owner’s incentive of $600 each time the horse races, for horses finishing second to eighth.
“Also the owners have no transportation costs, no horse covers, and subsidised vets because they are employed by the turf club and veterinary products at virtually cost price.”

Guest Selector – Tom Waterhouse

Tom’s selection last week finished out of the money:

Tom says this week

“Dear John and Team – Ascot 8-5 ALASKAN GOD: On the quick backup after a terrific run in much stronger class last week”

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