Cambridge trainers Fred and Lindsay Cornege celebrated a personal milestone in style on Thursday when their game mare Rose ‘N’ Power (NZ) (Power) landed the Listed Courtesy Ford Levin Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.
The four-year-old mare has now won four races in succession and ticked the black-type box, giving further cause for celebration for the Corneges who were celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary.
Noted on-pacer Rose ‘N’ Power wasn’t as quickly away as usual but mustered to sit behind the leaders and dug deep under a vigorous Matt Cameron ride to eventually get the better of Romantic Lady (NZ) (Power), with Stumpy (NZ) (O’Reilly) in third.
“I knew she would be in the money and realistically when you have got a mare, the black-type is more important than the money,” Fred Cornege said.
“I wasn’t surprised that she dug in again halfway down the straight and put her head in front because she just doesn’t lie down.
“She is one of those horses where jockeys ride to beat her rather than trying to run their own race. When they do that, more often than not, they’re out the back door.”
Cornege, who likened the mare’s racing style to recently retired stable star Pop Star Princess (NZ) (Makfi), said he was pleased to see the mare take a trail after beginning only moderately.
“I was quite happy with that because it is easy to turn a horse into a one-dimensional galloper and she doesn’t have to get to the front, but it is just her gate speed that generally gets her to the lead,” he said.
Bred by long-time friend Liz Pollard and Gloria Graydon, the Corneges share in the ownership of the daughter of Power, whose granddam is the Group Three winner Rosetti Bay (NZ) (Pins), who won eight races.
“She came to me from another stable and she had a bit of history,” Cornege said.
“I have got to give Derek Satherley most of the credit for turning her around. There was a time when she didn’t have too many tomorrows. He did most of the work on her at home on the farm and during the first lockdown last year.
“She was very explosive, and she still can be, but this is the first time we have been able to race her outside of the Waikato bubble where we can actually handle her.
“I have a local Waikato Transport company and I do all of Liz’s work and we were hunting mates from 40 or 50 odd years ago. We are on the same wave-length when it comes to horse philosophies and that is how we got involved in the horse.”
Cornege said he and wife Lindsay were going to toast their anniversary with a tiki tour catching up with friends and family in Woodville and Dannevirke.
“We stayed last night and the horse is going home on the transporter,” he said.
“We only have four or five in work and I have put them in the paddock and my daughter is looking after them. It is the first time we have managed to get away in a long time, it has been good.”
The bar will be raised again for Rose ‘N’ Power who holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) on New Year’s Day at Ellerslie.
“With the new whip rules and what have you, it really doesn’t hurt to have a horse that runs on the pace,” Cornege said.
“We won’t run her again now. She is paid up for the Railway and given she ran a tick over 1:08 today, I think she deserves her chance in the Railway.”