USA
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Europe
UK / IRE
After a string of injuries over an extended period of time, talented pacer Warrior Chief (Sweet Lou) was back winning at Addington on Thursday night.
WARRIOR CHIEF REPLAY
Warrior Chief has had two lengthy periods away from racing – from October 2022 to December 2023 and May 2024 to April 2025.
He had one win as a two year old and was unbeaten in one start at three. As a four year old, from twelve starts he won three times and was placed in seven.
The win on Thursday night was his first since May 2024.
“As a two year old when he won his race he broke his back leg. He came back from that and he strung a few victories together. He was favourite for the Kurow Cup (August 2024), and we had to scratch him. He went sore in his front leg and had a little bit of heat in his foot,” trainer Jamie Gameson said.
A myriad of tests were done with no clear results.
“I was there one day and I said to the vet that I wasn’t going to leave until we found out what was wrong. I said ‘let’s just start at a point and go right over him.’ Luckily we started at the head. He was sore in the C6 and C7 vertebrae in his neck.”
After returning to work he then sore again, this time in the hind end.
“We tried another vet and she did a lot of work with his sacroiliac. She’s done a lot of work on cattle horses in Australia. A lot of them would do the same thing that happened to him.”
The sacroiliac joint in a horse is a critical load-bearing junction connecting the spine to the pelvis. It acts as a stabilizer for transferring power from the hindquarters.
“We ended up injecting his sacroiliac and other spots of his hind quarters. With a big spell and good rehab we finally got him back to the racetrack.”
Gameson says the time away has done Warrior Chief a world of good.
“A lot of vets have learned a lot off him. It’s been a real learning curve. Natalie trained him like a dressage horse for three or four months to try and strengthen him up. The water walker has helped to.”
Gameson says the gelding has been an excellent patient.
“It made it a lot easier. We knew he would be a good patient because he stood in a box when he fractured his leg. It was just about getting through the rehab, doing all the little things along the way, before we could really start putting him in the cart and doing fast work.”
This campaign, Warrior Chief had three starts at Addington for an 8th, 4th and 11th followed by a 7th at Rangiora. He started on both days at Marlborough before running 10th at Addington at the end of last month.
“We were pretty disappointed last week with the way he gave it away. Craig and I talked and we agreed that we just had to get some of his confidence back and drive him cold. We hoped they’d go hard, he’d follow them and come over the top and that’s the way it worked out.”
In Thursday’s race Warrior Chief settled at the rear on a hot pace and powered home to beat Captain Kobe by a head.
“He can just follow speed all day and he just loves the 2600 metres.”
Warrior Chief is owned by Graeme Trist, Robbie and Linda Pankhurst, Georgie Bolton, her partner Joe Moody, Georgie ‘s grandfather Rex Montgomery, Gary Lee and Jamie and Natalie Gameson.
“Robbie and Linda are our neighbours down the road. They’ve never owned a horse before. They’re crop farmers and very social. Rex is from Kaikoura and so am I. I’ve known him all my life. I was doing my butchers apprenticeship and slipped one day and cut the main artery in my leg. His wife was one of the nurses that saved my life. Rex might be eighty six and he’s got a real kick out of it. Georgie works with Nat (at HRNZ). Gary takes a share in every horse we have. They’re a good crew who are there most of the time. We’ve had some pretty cool nights at the races.”
Warrior Chief is out of Trist’s good race mare Here We Go Again that won eleven races, including the Listed Caduceus Club of Southland Two Year Old Classic and the G2 Ladyship Stakes.
Here We Go Again gave both Jamie and driver Tim William their first Group success.
“Graeme has been an owner of ours for just about twenty five years. He’s a very loyal man and one of those great old owners who just lets you do what you need to do. He just loves them racing.”
As he heads into his fifth season of racing, Gameson says “I’m pretty hopeful he’ll keep chugging away if we look after him.”
For complete race results, click here.
by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink
