Hurrah - He's Our Hero

Heroic Valour (2 c Fastnet Rock - Myrrh, by Nassipour) not only provided Te Akau with their fifth victory in the $50,000 Reid & Harrison Matamata Slipper (Listed, 1200m) but also notched the 1000^th winner for stable jockey Matt Cameron.

Prepared by current co-trainer Stephen Autridge, and ridden by Lance O'Sullivan, Cosma D'ior (Dieu D'or) scored first in 1995, followed by five time group one winner Darci Brahma (Danehill) in 2005, stallion Minstrel Court (Danehill Dancer) in 2008, and King's Ransom (King's Chapel) in 2009.

David Ellis said: “Matt Cameron has been our stable jockey for four or five years and it's a tremendous thrill to all of us to see Matt gain his thousandth win, in the tangerine, on a prestigious race day, and in a stakes race.

“And the colt was beautifully prepared by Steve (Autridge) and Jamie (Richards).

Ellis purchased Heroic Valour as a yearling for $400,000 at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud, and he proved too good when winning on debut only four days after Ellis had secured his brother for $510,000 at Karaka.

Heroic Valour is owned by the Te Akau 2015 Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM)

“For some of the owners it was their first stakes win, for others their twentieth, but you never get sick of winning stakes' races and Jonathon Bull and his wife Nicola have come from Canada this morning to see this horse race. We have the Langdale-Hunts, owners here from Australia as well and it's very exciting for Karyn and I to see you all here, and this is a colt we are going to have a lot more fun with,” said Ellis.

“And for those of you in the full-brother, you're very lucky because he will be worth a lot more now.

Ellis added: “The track was beautiful for all horses and I would like to thank the staff that prepared it”.

In a field of five, that so often become very tactical affairs, Cameron was positive from the gate aboard Heroic Valour to race under a hold on the outside of the leader. When the sprint went on in the straight, he quickened to find a length over his opponents at the 200m and kept giving to beat the better supported Mongolian Falcon (Fastnet Rock) and Gasoline (Pluck) by a head, and long head, respectively.

Heroic Valour ran the 1200 metres in 1:10.0, last 600m in 34.1, and paid $4.60 & $2.10 on the tote.

“As we've always said, he's got plenty of ability,” said Autridge. “We do know he does things wrong, but he's learning and the best thing about it is that he's good.

“Jamie (Richards) and I are so lucky to have horses like this to train and we've got to thank Dave (Ellis) for buying all these good horses. It makes us look good.

Matt Cameron said of his 1000^th win: “To do it in the tangerine is awesome and a lot of the last couple of hundred wins have been for them, so they give me massive support. 

Thought of by the trainers to be a group one horse, Heroic Valour will next race in the $200,000 Diamond Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) on March 12 at Ellerslie.

Heroic Valour was strapped Teina Walters.

Picture credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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