Young gun Hopkins a big show of shaking up first Young Guns heat

Group One harness racing heads back to Alexandra Park tonight with the 108th running of the $200,000 Great Northern Derby and the 58th running of the $110,000 Great Northern Oaks which pose to be fantastic affairs underpinning a cracking ten-race programme.

On the undercard are the first two heats of the Young Guns Series for juvenile colts and fillies which presents as one of the first opportunities in which the North Island two-year-olds are able to assert themselves and stamp their authority as the next generation of pacing talent.

Race five will see a cracking field of 12 runners greet the mobile in the male division, with all but two of the runners having had at least one race day start in preparation and as is often the case at this time of year, punters will have to navigate the limited exposed form in identifying the most forward of the bunch.

One who caught the eye after a luckless fifth on debut was the Tate Hopkins trained Cyclone Jordy. The son of Art Major showed great gate speed a fortnight ago to lead from barrier three in his first race day start. He soon became buried away three deep on the markers and was hard held by David Butcher most of the way up the Alexandra Park straight finishing less than two length’s from race winner and rival for tonight’s assignment, Lincoln Lou (Sweet Lou).

“Its a pretty big thrill and the horse has to prove it on the track but he is a juvenile who I have a lot of time for,” said the 32 year old Hopkins.

“David is pretty casual about things and he told me he goes good enough at this stage and is worth pressing on with and hopefully he keeps improving and doing things right. Dont get me wrong, I wouldnt be there if I didnt think he could run in the top three. I wont be giving David any instructions, I will just leave things up to him and I’m sure he will do the best by the horse,” he said.

Cyclone Jordy was a $70,000 yearling sales purchase from Karaka last year and has a fair bit of blood in his pedigree which would have given confidence that he would go early. His Mach Three dam Cyclone Kate was the winner of 21 races which included multiple stakes events at G2 and G3 level. Her full brother, Cyclone Prince was also a winner of the G1 Young Guns Final back in 2013, and with just her third foal and first colt in Cyclone Jordy gets an opportunity to add to that legacy as a brood.

“Derek Balle broke him in for me because at the time I was still working at Woodlands Stud. I turned him out for a month and when he was ready to come back in, I was back training and have done all the work with him ever since. It’s been really rewarding watching him progress, he has always showed me a little bit and is a pretty professional little dude,” he said.

Hopkins is a familiar name in the North Island training ranks having formally trained in partnership with Frank Cooney for nine years between 2013 and 2021 racking up 87 winners and $999,094 in stakes.

After Cooney suffered serious health complications in March last year, Hopkins who is well travelled and been in the industry his whole working life found himself taking the leap in taking over the operation headed up by his mentor and role model, Cooney.

“I started with Frank when I was 13 years old and worked there for a number of years before going and cutting my teeth a bit more with Steven Reid for a few years. I spent 11 months in Australia when Frank had his accident in 2012 before coming back and working in partnership together for eight years before going and doing a stint at Woodlands Stud for 18 months.

“I did the whole breeding side of things which was really good and a nice change of pace. It was great getting to handle the stallions and learning from Tony Grayling who was phenomenal at what he did. It was an awesome job but after Frank’s stroke, I was given the opportunity to take over his barn and felt it was the next step in my career and something I was passionate about having worked so closely with him over such a long period of time,” he said.

Hopkins said he is proud to have inherited the famous blue and gold silks adorned by Cooney for close to 50 years and in doing so, has a fair bit of talent he is now responsible for moulding and shaping into racehorses. The race team is only small at the moment but in coming seasons should expand and Hopkins is liking what he see’s from a number of them.

“I think we are doing about 12 or 13 at the moment which is enough for us. We have quite a few breakers at the moment and a yearling we purchased from the sales by Captain Crunch out of Onlyforyou. I’ve also got a nice three-year-old on the way up called Always Be Mattie (Always B Miki) who had an unfortunate injury so it will be good to get him back to the races as well. We’ve got another two-year-old by Bettor’s Delight that I have a bit of time for but he will probably come along a bit after the young guns I would imagine,” he said.

As to be expected in a juvenile event of this nature, there is plenty of breeding across the male and female divisions of the series with the favourite for tonight’s 2YO colts and geldings affair being the Lincoln Farms trained Sugar Ray Lincoln who is a full brother to double millionaire, Copy That. Further down the page is the first starter, Infamee, with the Stonewall Stud trained colt being the first foal of champion juvenile, Sweet On Me, a Sweet Lou daughter of the indomitable Adore Me.

2YO Colts

1. Sugar Ray Lincoln (American Ideal)
2. Demon Blue (Art Major)
3. It’s Electrifying (Captaintreacherous)
4. Mike Ross (Bettor’s Delight)
5. Cyclone Jordie (Art Major)
6. Franco Salah (Art Major)
7. Great White (Vincent)
8. I Got Chills (Art Major)
9. Lincoln Lou (Sweet Lou)
10. Roy Kent (Captain Crunch)
11. Confederate (Bettor’s Delight)
12. Scratched
13. Infamee (Captaintreacherous)

The fillies event is more boutique in size with just the six runners with all but the Cran & Chrissie Dalgety trained Justyouwait making their race debut. The Canterbury visitor finds herself a $1.85 favourite ahead of the Purdon/Phelan trained Yourtheonethatiwant who is out of a full sister to Dream About Me in Splendid Me.

2YO Fillies

1. Justyouwait (Captaintreacherous)
2. Won And Only (Captaintreacherous)
3. Sweet Dior (Sweet Lou)
4. Im Sandra Dee (Always B Miki)
5. Yourtheonethatiwant (Captaintreacherous)
6. Christies Art (Art Major)