PERISSA HOLDS IN 1:56.4 RATE (2000m)
A minor training setback didn’t stop the strong summer form of Perissa, who came up with a career best run time-wise, to win a C1 pace at Rangiora on December 31, 2014, in the hands of trainer-driver Mark Jones.
The 5YO Art Major-Riwaka Star mare made the most of the conditions at Rangiora to take out the Stevie Golding Sponsored by ‘The Yaldy’ Mobile Pace in a smart 2:24.8 (1:56.4 mile rate) for the mobile 2000m.
Perissa, who paced a Rangiora 2000m track record of 2:24.8, on Wednesday, December 31.
Her time was the fastest recorded of any winner at the Rangiora Raceway.
She lowered the mares mark, formerly held by Lulli Midfrew, at 2:25.2, set in 2013, and was also 0.1 of a second inside the 3YO fillies mark set by Spirit Of Art (also a NZ age group mark for a filly) at Rangiora on April 28, 2013.
Perissa has been a model of consistency in four starts since joining the Overport Lodge stables of Mark Jones, now racking up two wins and two seconds.
She pressed forward from the six gate to the front at the 1300m and kept going strongly to hold by three-quarters of a length from Flying Heather, Donegal Jimmy Dave and favourite Cullen Keefe.
Her overall record now stands at three wins and six placings from 31 starts for $26,646 for breeder-owners, Steve and Maureen O’Brien.
Steve O’Brien had good success himself as a trainer in the late 1980s with a Smooth Fella mare in Cool Charm Girl, who won 11 in NZ and took a 1:53.6 mile mark in North America.
Now retired, he also trained useful mares in recent times in Lets Talk Art (six wins) and her dam Natural Talker (five wins), while he drove Perissa to her maiden win (30-to-one) at Addington in June 2013.
Perissa is the last foal from Riwaka Star, an In The Pocket mare from Tabella Ace, a Splapstick mare who won three from 19 starts for Roy and Barry Purdon in the late 1980s.
Riwaka Star, who recorded five placings from just 10 starts, including a third to Happy Golucky and Impish in the 1999 G2 Nevele R Stud Stakes, is a half-sister to a Group One winning filly in Slaps (2:00.2, Aust, 22 wins & $A142,344 including the 1993 South Australian Oaks).
She is also a sister to Riwaka Rocket (1:56, Aust, 28 wins & $119,227), and a half-sister to another useful Australian winner in Riwaka Vance (1:57.6, Aust, 15 wins & $A114,499), and the NZ winner Kaipara Rocket (four wins).
By Jeff Scott
