High Forty retired
High Forty, winner of the 2015 New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase and 10 other races for the White Robe Lodge stable, has been retired from racing.
"He has not been happy on wet tracks and carrying about 74kg for the past two years he has lost the will to win,'' said co-trainer Shane Anderton of the 11-year-old, who finished ninth in the GN at Riccarton last Saturday.
High Forty was bred by Brian (the other co-trainer) and Lorraine Anderton, who raced the Danzighill - Rubiette gelding with Terry Burke, of Tamworth.
High Forty had his last win in the National when he carried 69.5kg with Michael Mitchell the rider. The Danzighill - Rubiette gelding had won the Koral Steeplechase a week earlier under 70kg. High Forty also won the Great Western (at Riverton) and Otago Steeplechase (at Wingatui) that winter when he won six successive races over country. He gave Brian Anderton his fourth GN Steeple win, joining Bymai (1984), Lord Venture (1988) and Noble Express (1994).
High Forty won a maiden 1600m flat race at Washdyke in July, 2010 at his fifth start. His other flat win was on the same track. He was switched to hurdling in May, 2012 and won at Wingatui in his second start in that role. High Forty won his first start over the bigger fences at Washdyke in May, 2013.
He won twice on the flat, twice over hurdles and eight steeplechases from a total of 82 starts, amassing $200,765 in stakes.
The Andertons and Burke are now in the ownership of Londonderry Air, a half-brother by Raise The Flag to High Forty. Londonderry Air has won three races on the flat since he began racing from the WRL stable in October, 2016.
New Years Jay, the well performed pacing mare co-owned by Brian Anderton, resumes racing in the Kurow Cup at Oamaru on Sunday after coming out of retirement. New Years Jay, now trained by Graeme Anderson, the top strike rate trainer for New Zealand last season, won a trial at Oamaru on Wednesday.
Anderson, who trains on the beach at Westwood (south of Dunedin), had a strike rate of 0.4708. His team won 34 races from 102 starts.
The 10yr-old New Years Jay has not raced since July last year when she won at Alexandra Park in two starts from the Clevedon stable of Barry Purdon. New Years Jay was served by Bettor's Delight in the spring but she failed to conceive.
New Years Jay has won eight races from 26 starts and taken a mile record of 1.54.6 at Ashburton. She has a rating of 95 and is off a 30m handicap in the Kurow Cup.
New Years Jay is back in the stable block at Westwood from where she was trained by Amber Hoffman and Jonny Cox for her other seven wins. Hoffman shifted to Waikouaiti in June last year. Cox, who drove New Years Jay in those wins, has the drive in the Kurow Cup.
New Years Jay did not begin racing until a late 4yr-old.