First winner for Sky Major

At Oamaru today (Oct. 16) Helium provided harness racing sire Sky Major with his first winner.

The two year old gelding jointly owned by his breeder Trevor Casey and trainer Ken Barron was taken to the front by driver Blair Orange with just over a lap to run.

He was trucking rounding the final bend and went down to the post with his ears pricked to win by three lengths, running the 2000 metre mobile in 2-26.6.

The track record for this age group of 2-25.6 is jointly held by Cantfindabetterman and Watermelon Sugar.

“He’s a beautiful pacer. Being out of a Bettor’s Delight mare he’s got the good gait and he’s also very fast,” Barron said.

HELIUM REPLAY

 Barron said Casey has spent time and energy in launching Sky Major’s stud career including borrowing mares, in order to give the Art Major entire a chance of succeeding in a tough stallion market.

Casey invited Barron to pick a couple of weanlings from the paddock and take them home.

“I went over to his place, and they were all weanlings just off their mothers and he (Helium) was one. He was small and plain but nice in type. There were a couple of big rangy ones. I’d rather go for the smaller ones because if the big ones grow bigger, you’re in trouble.”

So from twenty four weanlings Barron selected two colts.

“I got two of the chunky ones and didn’t know at the time but one was out of a Bettor’s Delight mare and the other out of a Tinted Cloud mare. I didn’t want to know their breeding I just wanted to pick them on type.”

The Sky Major colt out of the Tinted Cloud mare was named Sky Lab and has since been sold to Tim Butt. He’s in Australia but as yet unraced.

Today was Helium’s second start at the races. His first start was at Addington two weeks ago when he ran seventh.

“He actually ran very good sectionals at Addington. Because we don’t get to trial there it tripped him up a bit.”

Happy with Helium’s progress Barron says he will now give the gelding a chance to mature and physically catch up with some of the other two year olds.

“He’s going to go out to the paddock for two months. He looks the type that will progress. We said he’d only have two or three starts and if he won we’d turn him out straight away. He’ll get ready for some of those early three year old races before winter.”

Helium is one of thirty-one two year olds Sky Major has registered, seven of which have qualified.

“I told a guy today if you had a trotting mare and weren’t sure about whether you were going to breed or not, you’d be a mug not to go to Royal Aspirations. If you had a pacing mare and weren’t sure whether you were going to give it a year off or not, you’d be silly not to go to Sky Major.”

Sky Major is owned by Casey and was trained by Barry Purdon. He won fifteen races and $796,486. His major New Zealand wins were in the Two Year Old, Three Year Old and Four Year Old Emeralds and the New Zealand Messenger. He also won the Chariots of Fire in Australia and raced successfully in North America. Sky Major stands at Wai Eyre Farm.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink