Former Kiwi galloper Edit will be racing for A$1.3 million in his next start when he competes in The Kosciuszko (1200m) at Randwick on October 16.
Edit was formerly trained by Shaun and Emma Clotworthy in New Zealand for whom he won two and placed in two of his six races for owner-breeder Gerry Harvey.
The son of Swiss Ace was subsequently sold to Australian Bloodstock who entrusted him to the care of Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan earlier this year.
He trialled up well over winter for the country trainer before winning his Australian debut in the Spring Cup (1200m) at Tamworth on Monday, with an eye-catching turn of foot to go from last to first in the closing stages of the race.
“He went brilliant yesterday and we are looking forward to the next three weeks towards The Kosciuszko,” Morgan said.
“It’s a race worth more than a million dollars, which is life-changing.”
Despite only having one start in Australia, Edit is eligible for the world’s richest race for country-trained horses because of the length of time he has been with Morgan.
“The horse has to be with a country trainer for at least nine months and he was in my care prior to the cut-off date,” Morgan said.
“There can be a really decent horse from Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne that can be transferred to a country trainer.
“Each year they have made the rules tighter, so if a horse goes to a country trainer it has to stay with that country trainer for the following 12 months, so it just can’t pop back up in a city stable.”
Similar to the A$15 million The Everest, a start in The Kosciuszko is gained via negotiation with a slot-holder and connections of a selected horse.
$5 tickets in the Kosciuszko sweepstakes are sold through the New South Wales TAB, with Garry Algie, who lives in a mobile home on a friend’s property at Canyonleigh, in the Southern Highlands, the lucky sweepstakes winner that nominated Edit.
Morgan was pleasantly surprised to see Edit’s turn of foot on Monday, however, he was encouraged by the horse’s ability to close when ridden off the pace in New Zealand.
“He leaves his best for raceday. I didn’t see that in any of his track work,” Morgan said.
“Watching his replays in New Zealand, I think one day when he went to win a maiden, he went bang and then they came back and beat him on the line. Whenever he was held up, he was explosive.”
While pleased with his efforts so far, Morgan admitted he doesn’t know what Edit’s true potential is yet.
“We don’t know what he is yet. He got here, has trialled up and won a race at Tamworth. I don’t know his limit,” he said.
“Koby Jennings (jockey) has ridden a lot of good horses and regularly rides for Team Hawkes and he told me that he doesn’t know what he is, he could be a Listed or Group Three horse.
“Next start is worth a million dollars, so we will start with that and he will tell us what he is.”
Country racing in Australia hasn’t been forgotten in the recent boom of prizemoney offered across the Tasman, and Morgan said he will be keeping a close eye on the New Zealand tried horse market for another Edit.
“We are racing for just great prizemoney over here,” he said.
“We race for $100,000 every Saturday (Highway races), we race for over $1 million every October in The Kosciuszko, and $500,000 in the country championships in April. It’s a boom at the moment.
“There have been so many country trainers who have been the beneficiary of this.
“I know Mitch Beer has got a lot of horses from New Zealand and he has been successful with them.
“New Zealand is somewhere I will be looking and Luke Murrell from Australian Bloodstock is always looking in New Zealand.” – NZ Racing Desk
