Major Cyclone blows them away

The Hayden Cullen trained Major Cyclone (Father Patrick) skipped a harness racing grade last night at Addington when as a three start maiden he took on horses like The Bloss, (the winner of seventeen) and won.

“I thought he could win two or three races easy enough. They’ve got no maiden races carded at Addington for the next month or so. I thought he could win a maiden there but didn’t want to take him there on a Sunday where they only race for $10,000. I thought we’d get a good line on him last night and see where we’re at,” Cullen said.

MAJOR CYCLONE REPLAY

Thanks to an aggressive drive by Bob Butt who took the three year old forward to lead with 1100 metres to run, the gelding proved too good, winning by a length and three quarters from outsider MM Sunshine.

“He moved at the exact right time when they slackened up a bit. He was rapt with him and said he did it very easily. He said the horse was a wee bit floaty late in the piece so we might just have to change his shoeing around a bit but he’s still learning his craft. Adding a bit more weight to him (his shoes) might just help him out.”

Major Cyclone is owned by Greg Bond and the Hayden Cullen Racing Stable and was 9/9 in the betting indicating most punters thought it was too big a task.

“He’s a bit of a no fuss horse and very laid back for a trotter. He’s natural in his gait.”

There are some big money races in front of the talented trotter with a $500,000 Three Year Old Trotting Slot race on Show Day and the $200,000 New Zealand Trotting Derby in early December.

“We’ll go through a programme for him at the weekend. The way he went last night there’s some bigger targets ahead for him I think. He’s still on the way up and not a finished product yet and I’m sure there’s plenty of improvement in him so we’ll find out on the way. I’m sure he’s going to be thereabouts.”

Major Cyclone was sold for $18,000 at the 2023 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in Auckland when offered by his breeders Alabar.

He comes from a long line of ‘Cyclone’ horses, going back to unraced Lordship mare Cyclone Bola. She left a handful of handy pacers including Cold Frost (7), Anakim (7) and Thunder Storm (6).

It wasn’t until one of her daughters Cyclone Betsi was sent to Safety Kept and she produced Cyclone Vance that the trotting side of the family developed. Cyclone Vance was dual gaited and was unplaced in two starts as a pacer before converting to the trotting gait and winning six races.

As a broodmare Cyclone Vance’s best foal was Cyclone U Bolt (Dream Vacation) which won twelve races including the G1 Three Year Old Ruby at Cambridge and the G1 Four Year Old Ruby at Ashburton. Major Cyclone is out of a granddaughter of Cyclone Vance in Cyclone Emily.

Later on in the Addington programme the Cullen trained Perun (Betting Line) reined by Olivia Thornley, also won.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink