Royden Williams
Cambridge trainer Tim Hall had reserved expectations with 18-start maiden Sarabi heading into Manawatu Raceway’s dual meeting last week, but he was pleasantly surprised when the four-year-old mare recorded a perfect result over the two days.
Hall said the daughter of Gotta Go Cullect had been luckless in her previous starts and was delighted with the two victories.
“We were hoping rather than anything (heading into Wednesday),” Hall said. “She hasn’t been racing badly, but hasn’t had any luck either.
“She got a bit of luck down there. She got a good trip the first day and the second day she surprised me because she led, got attacked early and had to fight on.
“She’s going in the right direction, I’m absolutely rapt.”
While it has taken Sarabi 18 starts to record her maiden victory, Hall is hoping that she has finally hit her straps and is looking forward to returning to the Palmerston North track in a couple of weeks to see if his charge can continue her winning ways.
“You win two in a row like that and they have got to keep on improving a bit,” Hall said.
“The next grade up now gets harder. Because she was a lowly rated maiden, she went up to 47 and now she’s rated 55, which is getting up there a bit, but it’s still not impossible (to win with that rating).
“It will be interesting, sometimes they win two in a row and they get a little better.
“I have got to hunt around now to fit her into the right races. At this stage we’ll go back to Manawatu in a couple of weeks and then maybe Cambridge or Hawera.”
Hall wasn’t able to be on track for the two wins due to commitments with his farrier business, but was delighted with the result and said he is enjoying the diversity of his two income streams.
“I have seven in work at the moment,” Hall said. “It’s half and half at the moment in terms of my time (between training and shoeing).
“I like to have about four or five (in work), with a view to have quality over quantity. Shoeing is a good earn and I enjoy doing it. It’s a good mixture too, you are not doing one thing all day, every day.
“I trim mares at Brighthill (Farm), but a lot of my work is on track at Cambridge, which is good.”
Hall, who trained multiple Group One winner Keystone Del earlier in his career, said he has got a handful of exciting horses in his barn, including Keystone Comet, an Andover Hall half-brother to Keystone Del.
“I have got a nice bunch of horses in the stable,” he said. “A qualified three-year-old called Patagonian Princess, I like her but she’s pretty green.
“I have got a couple of nice unqualified three-year-old trotters, including a nice Andover Hall and Lucky Chucky.
“The two older horses, Comedy Act and Sarabi, have won now. They are not going to be superstars either of them, but I have always thought a lot of the three-year-olds.” – Cambridge Raceway
