Krystal Delight wins for new owners

Co-trainer Greg Hope will be pleased that having owned Krystal Delight (Bettor’s Delight) for just six weeks with co-owner George Hill, she won for them on Wednesday at the Rangiora Harness Racing meeting.

Krystal Delight got back, and inside the last 800 was last and under a hold. Driver Ben Hope had to bring her across sulkies to get a run wide on the track and she let down swiftly to beat Darby by a length and a quarter.

KRYSTAL DELIGHT REPLAY

The nine year old mare was previously owned by Adeline Smith and the Estate of W Smith.

“The estate didn’t want to carry on racing her so George and I bought her. We intend to breed from her this year and race her in foal. We’re tossing up between Sweet Lou and Pebble Beach. She lacked a bit of top end speed so needs a bit of speed put across her,” Hope said.

“She’s a lovely filly that’s consistent and when she goes down in points she becomes competitive. She’s lovely to train but is a bit of a one trick pony and doesn’t like doing too much work. But she tries really hard.”

The Hopes have trained Krystal Delight since she commenced her racing career as a five year old and she’s won every season.

They obtained the filly as part of a package deal when Adeline rang Hope asking if he would train Homebush Lad.

“I looked him up and Davey (David Butt) had won a couple with him and sent him to the Manawatu. He didn’t race that well and wasn’t competitive up there so I thought the horse might have reached it’s mark. In the same breath she said if I took him she’d give me two Bettor’s Delights that were in the paddock.”

The two Bettor’s Delight fillies were Alyssa Delight and Krystal Delight.

“We thought Alyssa Delight was the better one of the two and we won a race with her but she went sore in the tendon.”

From one hundred and twenty nine starts Krystal Delight has now won nine races. She’s been placed a further twenty nine times for stakes of $110,090 – an average of $853 per start.

Ben has driven her in all but one of her wins. Five out of the nine wins have been on the Rangiora track.

Her fifth dam is Colwyn Bay, the mother of the great Cardigan Bay.

“I think she’s really well bred. She’s a Bettor’s out of an Art Major mare, out of a Vance Hanover mare. Three of our top sires are close up.”

It turns out the phonecall from Adeline Smith in 2019 was beneficial to all parties. Homebush Lad has gone on to win another thirteen races for Greg and Nina, including three Reefton Cups. And Krystal Delight has been a great money earner for her owners.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink