Bruce Wallbank describes Midnight Edition as his one-in-a-million horse and the exciting three-year-old gave the Pukekohe horseman plenty to cheer about on his home track on Sunday.
Midnight Edition showed early promise and defeated subsequent Group Three winner Checkmate when breaking maidens back in September. He lost no admirers when finishing fifth in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), before coming desperately close to pulling off an big upset in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m), losing the dead-heat in an enquiry.
Midnight Edition winning the Horizon By SkyCity (1200m) at Pukekohe on Sunday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Wallbank opted to test his charge over the middle distance in the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m), but after he failed to see out the trip, a change in tactics had him placed back in the sprinting role in the Horizon By SkyCity (1200m).
Midnight Edition was initially set to be ridden by Matt Cartwright, who was unwell, meaning the country’s leading jockey in Craig Grylls took the reins and allowed the gelding to stride forward in his usual pattern early.
The race-favourite Age Of Discovery did the opposite, settling last and gave Midnight Edition a decent head-start as they turned for home. Showing a decent kick on straightening, Midnight Edition was going to take a lot of chasing and his rivals couldn’t catch him, holding off I’m All In to win by three-quarters of a length with a further two lengths back to Flash Effect.
“He’s a very, very good horse,” Wallbank said.
“In his last two starts, we know why he didn’t run well and that was a trainer error. Nigel Tiley has been assisting me over the last couple of weeks with the horse, so I put this win down to him.”
Wallbank has received a number of high-priced offers for Midnight Edition, but at 78 years of age, he is not interested in selling the adored gelding, instead looking ahead his next Group assignment on March 22.
“We’ve been offered big money for him, but we’re not interested selling him,” he said. “Money doesn’t mean a hell of a lot to us at my age, you want to be enjoying what you’re doing.
“He’s got good legs, he’s very clean-winded and eats anything, he’s just one in a million. He’s a really cool dude, he’s home in the paddock and eating flat out already tonight.
“I used to work for a farmer down in Woodville who won plenty of good races, so I’m training him a little bit in the same way. As I said, Nigel has given me a lot of help as well and he’ll probably go into his stable in the spring as he knows what he’s doing a lot more than I do, but we’ll see what happens.
“We’ll definitely be going to the Wellington Guineas (Gr.2, 1400m) and then we’ve got the option of going to Aussie with one of our other trainers.
“Craig Grylls was very, very impressed with him today, I hope he’ll be able to ride him in the Guineas.”
Bred by Aston Racing, Midnight Edition is a son of Highview sire Wrote and out of the Wallbank’s two-win mare Midnight Gossip, who finished fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). Of her three foals to race, Midnight Gossip has produced six-race winner Midnight Mass, who placed at Listed level in Australia, and Midnight Scandal, a winner of three for trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander.
Wallbank has more of the family coming through, with a yearling full-sister to Midnight Mass by Proisir at Haunui Farm, and the mare currently in foal to Ace High.
“He (Midnight Edition) was effectively bred by us, we own a share in Wrote and have 15 acres here in Pukekohe,” Wallbank said.
“We get plenty of advice from good trainers, including Katrina Alexander who trains his half-sister Midnight Scandal, who she thinks very highly of. We’ve still got the mare, Midnight Gossip, she’s in foal to Ace High, and we’ve got a beautiful Proisir filly out at Haunui with Mark Chitty.
“We normally work with Mark, he’s a very good family friend of ours and has been very good to us over the years. The Proisir filly was a really tough weanling and I couldn’t handle her, so the boys from Haunui came and picked her up and weaned her out there. We did a deal with Mark and she was going to head to the sales, but then he came back to me and said we’re not selling her Bruce, we’re going to race her.
“It’s a bit of a good treat.”
Wallbank owns Midnight Edition alongside his wife Raelyn and son Mark, who have enjoyed success over the years with horses including Group Two performer Brighton and four-race winner Establishment. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
