Time favours Next Up
Next Up continued his family’s winning ways when victorious in the Waterview 1360m at Avondale on Wednesday.
The Shinko King gelding closed late to win by a nose over the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Codecracker, becoming the eighth winner for broodmare gem Regelle.
The Exploding Prospect mare now has a 100 percent strike rate with her racing progeny to date, with her best performer being Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) winner Close Up.
“I’m just delighted because he’s the only one out of the mare that’s raced who hadn’t won, so that’s awesome,” trainer, part-owner and breeder Shelley Hale said.
The Cambridge trainer has taken her time with the lightly raced five-year-old and believes that has been the key to his development.
“That last prep, he would just pull-up after his races a little sore behind and we had all manner of people look at him and we thought we had fixed him,” she said.
“But I think he’s always been big, he was weak and that is where we are lucky, we have got the luxury of time. If they are not right then we can just give them the time.”
Hale has experienced a golden run with progeny out of Regelle and it could be set to continue, with a two-year-old Tavistock filly and yearling Burgundy colt being set to continue the family’s winning legacy in years to come.