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Coniston Bluebird refuses to accept defeat


Report: New Zealand, Sunday
Ellerslie: Telecom New Zealand Derby G1, 1m4f

AUSTRALIAN three-year-old Coniston Bluebird carried off New Zealand's richest race, the Telecom New Zealand Derby, after a titanic home-straight tussle with Down The Road at Ellerslie on Sunday.

The $NZ2.2m (£777,000) blue riband was delayed 24 hours after storms lashed Auckland and the surrounding area.

Coniston Bluebird, trained by Bede Murray at Kembla Grange, New South Wales, has been in New Zealand for three weeks. He ran second to Down The Road in the Championship Stakes a fortnight ago and, aided by a brilliant ride by Australian jockey Scott Seamer, turned the tables on his rival in the race that really mattered.

Both Coniston Bluebird and Down The Road (Michael Coleman) raced in the last half-dozen as The Meista led the way. Seamer allowed his mount to improve with just over 4f to go, and Coleman tracked his every move.

The pair issued their challenges on the point of the home turn and cleared out with just under 2f to run. A ding-dong battle ensued, with Down The Road taking a narrow lead with a furlong left.

But Coniston Bluebird (5.8-1) refused to yield and, under a desperate ride, got up in the deciding stride to win by nose. Tell A Tale ran on gamely to take third, three and a half lengths back, and two and a half lengths clear of dead-heaters Juice and Court Ruler.

The drama was not confined to the track either - as Seamer posed for the photos aboard his mount prior to weighing in, Coniston Bluebird dived forward and the jockey ended up on the tarseal.

He had to be carried to the weigh-in and then to the presentation,on a stretcher. He suffered no more than bruising, though his ego may well have taken a dent!

Seamer said: "I'd like to thank Bede and his team, and I was going to thank the horse until he got rid of me! Seriously though, he showed a ton of heart - he just refused to accept defeat."

It was Seamer's second New Zealand Derby - he partnered Leica Guv to victory in the Ellerslie Classic in 2001. Based these days in Brisbane, he is best known as the rider of champion stayer Ethereal, who did the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.