Who Knows has announced herself as a serious staying mare through the winter, and Niall Quinn has a range of options to consider for her after she returns from a well-deserved break.
A daughter of Westbury Stud based Redwood (GB), Who Knows only debuted as a mid-season four-year-old, but over the last 18 months, she’s won four races, and Saturday’s winning performance at Wanganui may just be her best yet.
Coming off a luckless last-start second to McKhan, the mare started a $2 favourite in the Bullocks Whanganui 2040, with Kate Hercock back in the saddle.
In the testing ground, Hercock utilised the long run into the first turn to find cover off the fence in midfield, while McKhan led the field in his customary fashion. He put the pressure on at the 800m, and while temporarily in traffic, Who Knows was swiftly on the scene and once she hit the lead at the top of the straight, it was all over.
Powering down the outside of the track, she put a space her rivals, cruising across the line to score by 6 – ¼ lengths.
Niall Quinn, who prepares the mare out of his base in Wanganui, was rapt with the effort and was quick to give credit to his wife, Emma.
“We’re really happy, she ran well and won very nicely in the end,” he said. “It was a really testing, heavy track, but she’s got the job done.
“She was a bit tricky to start with, but Emma has done a very good job with this horse over the years. She was both physically and mentally quite weak, so Emma’s put a lot of time into her to get to where she is now.
“She’s really starting to put it all together now, so it’s great to see the hard work paying off.”
Regardless of the result, Quinn had intended to give Who Knows some time in the paddock after the Wanganui contest, with better surfaces calling in the spring.
“We might just give her a bit of a freshen-up, we had planned to after Saturday’s race and we’ll probably still do that,” he said. “We’re looking for a bit of improvement in the tracks before she comes back out again.
“I think she could go further, she’s turning into quite a versatile mare and she could come back to a mile as well. We’ve been able to get her to settle more as she’s gotten older, before, we couldn’t ride her in front, but now, we can be handier like she was at Wellington.”
Bred by Harry Parslow, Who Knows is out of Zabeel mare Bello Capello, a daughter of outstanding race mare Cinder Bella. On the track, Cinder Bella was a dual-Group One winner and placed at Group Two level in Australia.
Seemingly a good omen, Who Knows is raced by the Fast Horses Syndicate, who are based across all corners of the country.
“Harry Parslow bred her, then he gave her to John Walsh and a group of his mates who are in a syndicate together,” Quinn said. “They’re a really good group of friends spread out over the North and South Islands, and it’s a way to keep them all involved.
“They’re keen to look at the New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m), but I’d be just as happy with the Greymouth Cup and the Kumara Gold Nuggets next season.
“We’ll see how we go.”
Quinn was rapt to complete a winning double, having won the previous race with Leprakhan. Another late-starter, the five-year-old was having her tenth start in the maiden staying event and was tasked with the extreme outside draw under apprentice Elle Sole.
Opting to head forward, Sole found a good position in the trail of the leaders along the back straight, and after rolling to the top at the 1000m, she couldn’t be caught, holding off race-favourite Kwanza to win by 1 – ¾ lengths.
“We were so pleased with her, she’s got a great group of owners that have been very patient,” Quinn said. “She’s a big mare that has taken a long time to mature into her frame and they’ve been fantastic to work with.
“It was great to see them rewarded.”
Purchased for just $200 through the Rider Horse NZ Dispersal Sale, the daughter of Mongolian Khan has also been learning the ropes of jumping, which could be in her future.
“She has been doing a little bit of jumping for a while, but she’s still a while away from having a jumps race,” Quinn said.
“She just really enjoys her work and I think the owners will have a bit of fun with her.”
The stable came close to a treble over the weekend, with consistent gelding Mr Fahrenheit going down by a narrow margin in the maiden hurdle at Te Rapa.
“I thought he went really well, we’re happy with him and Will (Featherstone, jockey) did a great job, he’s improving all the time,” Quinn said. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
