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Kiwi owner Harding puts faith in Canberra trainer Dale

Sebring filly Meg a possible first stakes runner in Winx Guineas for growing partnership

New Zealand owner Gary Harding hopes promising filly Meg (Sebring), a three-year-old he held back from the recent broodmare sales, can solidify the burgeoning relationship between he and talented Canberra trainer Matthew Dale.

Meg, one of four horses Harding has sent to Dale, is a winner of her past two starts and carries an entry for Saturday’s Winx Guineas (Gr 3, 1600m) on the Sunshine Coast as well as a benchmark race in Sydney.

Harding, who sold Group 1-winning filly Bonham (Per Incanto) for $1.6 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale in May, was yesterday unsure of the final decision on Meg’s destination this week but believes the well-bred filly is capable of achieving stakes success at some point in her race career.

Meg was sent to Australia in April by Harding after eight starts for Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard in New Zealand. Since joining Dale’s stable, she was runner-up at Kembla Grange, produced an impressive finish to win comfortably at Wagga, before successfully stepping up to Sydney metropolitan grade with a victory at Rosehill on June 26.

“She had a light weight the other day, but it is still city racing. We were pretty pleased with the way she did it,” Harding said from New Zealand. 

“It was her first city win and we’ve been thrilled with the way things have been going. As you’re aware, we’ve just started with Matt. We sent over four horses and we’re very pleased with the way things are going over there at the moment.”

Meg was sourced by Harding from the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale where he paid $440,000 from the Segenhoe Stud draft. Out of six-time winner Martilago (Encosta De Lago), a half-sister to New Zealand Group 1 winner Charmont (High Chaparral), Meg’s half-brother by So You Think (High Chaparral) sold to Warwick Farm trainer Bryce Heys at this year’s Easter sale for $1 million.

“For various reasons, she was late starting and … she never really got a chance in the three-year-old races until the very end and that’s why we’ve kept her,” he said. 

“She showed us a bit over here – enough to be interested – and that is why she was sent over to Australia to race. I think there’s more upside in her.”

Harding’s racing business model is to sell his fillies at the end of their three-year-old career and this season’s Levin Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Bonham is a prime example of that, while Meg could now be sold next year as a four-year-old through Willow Park Stud.

“We might even sell her beforehand if there is some real interest in her, but in all likelihood she will end up back at the sale,” he said. 

“She will win races over there, but if I was honest, I don’t know how good she is or how bad she is, although I know she’s better than average. 

“It would be nice to get some black type for her over there.”

It is Harding’s relationship with Scone-based Willow Park Stud principal Glenn Burrows which led to the owner sending four horses to Dale. 

“We race our horses and then generally sell them at the end of their three-year-old career and we send them to Glenn to put them through the sales for us,” he said. 

“Glenn sold Bonham for us this year and in the past he’s sold Bounding (for $1.9 million) and he’s done a very good job. 

“He has spoken very highly of Matt for a long time and we thought we’d give it a go. We sent one over there, we liked his style, so we sent a couple more over to him and we will be sending more over again.

“Hopefully this Covid (outbreak) ends and we can come and visit and enjoy your great racing over there.” 

Harding also has rising three-year-old colt Titled (Exceed And Excel), a NZ$500,000 Karaka yearling purchase in 2020, who raced three times in New Zealand, and an unraced three-year-old filly named Twig (Shooting To Win), who is out of a half-sister to Star Of The Seas (Ocean Park) and Spieth (Thorn Park) in winning mare Thrill (Flying Spur).

The owner also sent Key (Exceed And Excel), a last-start third at Rosehill on June 26, to Dale but subsequently sold her to Normandy Racing in a deal brokered by agent James Harron.

Meanwhile, some pundits were caught by surprise when Bonham fetched $1.6 million at the Magic Millions, knocked down to agent Sheamus Mills, but the figure was not a shock for Harding.

“I had two offers prior to her going over there at $1.4 million,” he said. 

“Initially, I was going to send her over there and race her myself because I think she’s got a lot of upside, but I’ve got a heap of young ones coming through over here in New Zealand.

“I thought I’d stick with the plan. It has worked well for me, so I thought, ‘I’ve had two offers, I may as well put her in the sale’.”

On the future of Bonham, who was runner-up to Need I Say More (No Nay Never) at her last start in the Wellington Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) in March, Harding said: “She is with the right people and she is a very, very good filly and she’s a nice type, too, with a good temperament and you’ve got to have a bit of that with the good horses. 

“She’s only had six races, won four of them and the two times she didn’t win, she was second in a Group 2, and the other time was an absolute disaster. It wasn’t her fault.”

For most industry participants it would be tempting to retain some of the high-class fillies Harding has raced, particularly one of the calibre of Bonham, but, at least for now, he will be steering clear of the breeding caper.

“I love three-year-old racing – I just love it – and it works for me. I buy them and sell them and I have been lucky enough to have pretty good horses,” he said.

“I suppose if you’re having success at it, you are always reluctant to change. Next time when you’re talking to me and they’re all going badly, I’ll say to you, ‘hell, that wasn’t such a good idea’ and I’ll be breeding horses again. 

“It’s all going pretty well for me at the moment and it has done for a number of years. 

He added: “The disappointing thing about it is, we haven’t been able to get across to the sales over there in Australia. 

“I used to go to the Easter sale. I love that Easter sale because the fillies have got the pedigrees and I’ve had a lot of luck out of it.

“I haven’t been able to come for two years but hopefully we’ll be there next year.”

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