Problem child shows his worth for Hanrahan at local meeting

Ashburton local, Lawrence Hanrahan, didn’t have far to travel to get to this afternoon’s harness racing meeting in the heart of mid-Canterbury.

Probably a good thing given he had cause to celebrate with the breakthrough success of his three-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight, Kalasa.

Kalasa was ultra-impressive in winning today’s third race on the Ashburton card by a bruising margin of five and a half lengths.

His regular pilot Ricky May had Kalasa away well from barrier six before forging on to the lead heading into the first bend. From there, the pair dictated the tempo well and proved far too strong for the opposition in the run to the judge.

“I’ve been waiting for that sort of performance for a while,” laughed Hanrahan.

“He’s sort of being racing well without any luck, and if there was any trouble to find in a race, he was finding it. Then he drew 19 in a 16-horse field which just summed up how things were going for him, it just hasn’t been going his way,” he said.

Kalasa’s maiden breakthrough came at just his sixth start and as alluded too by Hanrahan, the stipes comments post-race for this horse makes for some colourful reading. Breaking at the start, locking wheels, and even breaking a hopple at his last start which was found to be in good condition is the long and short of it.

The fact that Kalasa has twice raced his stablemate and now two-win pacer, Woodbine Rocks (A Rocknroll Dance), and on both occasions been sent out the punters elect gives you some idea that those associated with the horse have had a good opinion of him.

Kalasa is the second foal from the talented Christian Cullen mare, Kashana. As a juvenile, Kashana was good enough to run second in the rich 2YO Sales Series Final behind Northern Velocity (Mach Three) in 2016 and is in turn a half or full sister to seven other winners including Sire Artsplace (Artsplace), G2 winner, Luksam (Christian Cullen) and G1 placegetter, Belletti (Badlands Hanover).

Hanrahan selected the now gelding out of the 2022 NZB National Yearling Sale, staving off the competition with a winning bid of $50,000 securing him out of the draft of Paul & Pauline Renwick.

“He was a bit touchy early on, but I’m slowly starting to wear that down. He was very placid at the yearling sales, but he was a different horse when I got home and started working him, that’s for sure.

“I think he is the sort of horse who will go on with it a little bit, he is a Bettor’s Delight that will probably just keep improving as he gets more experience on race day. Fingers crossed, I want him too, put it that way,” said Hanrahan.

The winning time of 3:01.7 for the 2400m journey is only three seconds outside the national record for three-year-olds from a stand. Kalasa ripped home in 57.4 for his last half giving little hope for those hoping to make ground, and in the process secured the first winning owners photo for Margaret and Craig Ingold, the mother and son co-owners of Kalasa.

“Margaret has been a stable client of mine for quite a few years now, she was in a syndicate to start with, then unfortunately her husband Don passed away, and this horse is the first purchase she has made on her own and it’s great that she gets to share in a win like this with her son, Craig,” he said.

KALASA REPLAY

Hanrahan also picked up minor spoils in the eighth on the card with the five-year-old son of Art Major in Janarty.

Also piloted by R T May, the pair sat three the pegs after starting one the second line for the majority of the 1700m sprint, angling out on the turn and sprinting well to be taking ground off the leaders in a 1:56.6-mile rate.

“He’s just an honest horse, that’s his grade,” said Hanrahan.

“He went 56 when he won there that day, so that’s about him I’d say.”

Tomorrow night Hanrahan heads up State Highway One to Addington Raceway with the only other two members of his race team at present.

Followers of the stable will have to wait until the penultimate of the ten-race programme to see the first of them go with the lightly tried last start winner, Woodbine Rocks, jumping up in grade in what looks to be a good litmus test of his ability.

WOODBINE ROCKS REPLAY

Despite boasting two wins and three second placings from just five starts, Woodbine Rocks meets some hardened campaigners such as the 11-win Artatac, and the now Regan Todd trained former All-Stars runner in First Class.

“He’s got to step up tomorrow night,” said Hanrahan.

“If he runs in the top four tomorrow night, I’ll be wrapped with him.

“He’s probably the find out of the four of mine really, he just has such a great attitude.

“Nothing worries, he just hops on the float and goes to the races. He gets there and goes to sleep. Goes out on the track and does his job and when he comes home, he eats up and licks the bowl. As far as perfect horses go, he’s pretty good in that way.

“How much ability he’s got, we will find out as we keep racing. I think next year with the way he has gone on those grass tracks, long term I would like to think I could target him for those country cup type races,” he said.

In the get out stakes, Hanrahan lines up his six-win pacer, Last Of The Mohicans (Auckland Reactor) who will be looking to put a difficult patch of form behind him in the second highest assessed pace on the programme.

“I’m hoping for a much-improved run compared to last week,” said Hanrahan.

“We just found a bit of a blood issue with him, and I thought he was pretty right, but until you go and play that game of rugby, you don’t really know how you’re feeling do you? He was just down a cog or two, but he seems back to it now on his work at home,” he said.

He takes on the unbeaten All Stars runner in Lumen Caeli as well as the talented race mare and G3 winner, Life’s A Beach.

“Fingers crossed we can run in the money with him too. I think he is just that horse who is just the notch or two below the better ones. I think he will end up winning a race and have to work his way back and so on,” he said.

While most trainers around the country will be flat stick with the summer circuit of racing around the country over the holiday period, Hanrahan will be flat stick making sure our horses are well cared for should anything unfortunate happen to eventuate.

“All four are going out in the paddock because I am flat out with the horse ambulance for the next month, they are going to have a couple of weeks out and then I have someone who will start jogging them up again.

“I’ll do all the West Coast meetings and the Blenheim and Nelson meetings. In between time I will come back and do Rangiora on New Years Day and Ricky Donnelly will do a couple for me,” he said.

For complete Ashburton race results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink