Taketheplunge extends Winter Rose’s record

The win at Addington last night by Taketheplunge (Downbytheseaside) extended the fabulous record of harness racing broodmare gem Winter Rose.

Bred by Jim and Susan Wakefield, Winter Rose as a racehorse, had nine starts for Cran Dalgety before she was retired.

Arden Lodge at Tapanui owned Winter Rose for all of her breeding career.

“Peter Ryder rang Mum (Noreen Stiven) out of the blue one day and said she was available. Mum rang me and I told her that she’d be too expensive. Long story short we found out we could do it. It was a master stroke from Mum really. That was the year Bettor’s Delight arrived so we sent her off there. We didn’t know what we were doing in those days but we got it right, because out came Bettor’s Strike. The Wakefields bought him at the sales,” John Stiven of Arden Lodge said.

Winter Rose has now left eleven winners from fourteen foals and they’ve collectively won seventy nine races, the biggest earner being Bettor’s Strike which won $890,201.

“He won the Victoria Cup and Cranbourne Cup and ran second in the New Zealand Cup,” John said.

Winter Rose was named 2012 Southland Broodmare of the Year and won the 2014/2015 New Zealand Broodmare Excellence Award.

John and Judy Stiven are still breeding from three of Winter Rose’s daughters – Southwind Arden, Rocknroll Arden and Arden’s Choice.

“And we’re breeding from one of her granddaughters too, in Arden’s Rose. We have one of her foals in the sales. He’s by Vincent and to me he’s the sort of yearling I’d like to take (to the sales). He’s faultless, he’s a corker.”

John says their Downbytheseaside colt out of Tosca’s Arden is the pick of Arden Lodge’s draft.

Unfortunately the Stivens had to withdraw Set Sail Arden (Captaintreacherous– Arden’s Choice) because of an injury. He potentially would have been their sale topper.

Taketheplunge which is the last foal out of Winter Rose, was purchased at the 2022 NZB Standardbred Sales for $35,000 by John Curtin.

In last night’s race driver Blair Orange took Taketheplunge who was the $1.60 favourite to the lead early and he dominated the race from the top. The gelding went down to the line to win easily by a length and three quarters from Rockingood.

TAKETHEPLUNGE REPLAY

The four year old gelding it trained by Steven Reid from his Rangiora base.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink