The recent victories of Eun Sogno and Captain Cool, both sons of Captain Crunch, relive memories of one dream that was a constant trap in her era.
Eun Sogno The last foal from one dream was brave in winning his girl in Addington. And Captain Cool, who is from Dreaminthemaking, a non -arranged Christian Cullen Mare from one dream was also as a game when winning his girl during the Kurow meeting.
When it comes to one dream, it was a matter of Jill Smolenski at the right time in the right place.
‘I worked at Wai Eyre as a stud Master. Freeman Holmes had his little mare Nardia there. She had an atomic feeling from Soky whose face was all distorted. It only had one nostril, and it was all turned in the nose. He told me a few hours later and told me a few hours later and was wearing me for a few hours. Could it be if I wanted it. “
Solitaire called, the young marefreulen was now from Jill.
“John Shaw The vet worked twice on the foal and pulled the nose over making a nostril. So she had a little plastic surgery. She was fine and broke in Nice. She would be something, but she did a suspension, so we just got her. We were bred.”
Rated by Jill and trained by Dave and Clare McGowan, one dream in twenty -three Starts was never out of the money and won eighteen races with a win of $ 899,487.
“She just had a great turn of foot on the curves and could leave the field,” said Jill.
After winning debut as two years old, Smolenski was offered $ 200,000 for the young marefreen.
“It was a huge decision for us. She failed the vet’s check, but they still held the offer. But I decided to keep her.”
One dream then won seven races from Group One, including the Nevele R Fillies series and new -Zeelandse Oaks Double. Her other group one wins in the stakes of the Sires’ Fillies Classic, Caduceus Club Fillies Classic and Queen of Hearts. She also won the Group One Breeders Crown and Australian Oaks.
In the New Zealand Oaks, a dream was parked in the hands of Frank Cooney for a short time before he took on the role of the pacemaker and won with a length and a quarter of the run on faith.
“Everyone wants to win a new Zeeland oak. She was not on that day we didn’t know at the time. It was a real difficult effort and a huge sensation.”
Another strong memory was a dream that was in Ballarat in Ballarat in Ballarat in the breeders Kroon.
“She broke in the beginning. I thought oh my god. We have come all the way this way. I couldn’t even watch the race that I was so nervous. We brought some friends and they started screaming ‘watch it look they look, she would win’. I looked up while she pulled the line (Hopple Shorters) had not come.
The only race that Jill and Dennis were not present was when she raced in a heat of the breeders in Kilmore.
“We had a ball that racing her. We felt very happy. You wished everyone could experience that. She was the type of horse you dreamed of.”
After her short racing career, one dream was sent to Stud and he left twelve foals, seven winners. The best have been the only ambition, Montana DJ, Hope and Dreams and Luminesce.
Winner of Friday night Eun Sogno was her last foal.
“She tore with him. She’s okay, but she can’t have foal anymore. He was a nice foal to handle. I still had a captain DJ (renamed Montana DJ), and he was the same. He was not a colty, was a fast student and really well matured. “
Captain DJ was sold for $ 175,000 at the NZB Standardbred turnover of 2020 in Christchurch.
“That was great. I almost fainted in the ring. That was a huge moment and I had never sold anything for so much money. He was named after Dennis and was called Captain DJ. They said they would not change the DJ -bit, they had just put Montana in the front, so that was nice of them to do that.”
Jill has not bred at all since one dream produced Eun Sogno, but is thinking about breeding again this spring from a Captatreacherous daughter of One Dream called Smart N Sassy.
“I was planning to race her as a two -year -old. She is a beautiful marefish and beautiful pacer, but unfortunately as two years old she broke her rear chew.
Smolenski is also considering breeding by making dreams.
“I had a few years off, so it might be time to breed a few.”
Jill has spent her entire life in Harness racing.
Growing up in Southland she worked for Ross Dynes at Ryal Park Stud and also Hamish Hunter. As a junior driver, she displayed a winner – Ryal Avenger in Ascot Park in January 1989.
While in South Jill a scholarship received to go to Marcus Oldem College, a tertiary institute that specializes in Equine Business Management in Geelong Australia.
After she moved to Canterbury, she worked for Steve Little, Max Bowden, Wai Eyre Farm and Studholme Park.
Jill met her future husband Dennis Smolenski when she worked for Max Bowden.
“From there we went to the Noordereiland and worked for Woodlands Stud and helped we set up Stonewall Stud. Dennis and I did that. We were there for about ten years.”
When she returned to Canterbury, Jill took a role as a studmaster at Nevele R Stud, a position she held for seven years.
After his return to Christchurch, Dennis was unfortunately diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
“He had a massive tumor on his rib cage. They took his rib cage out and replaced it through a titanium they made on a 3D computer. He was the first to get one in New Zealand. Unfortunately six months later another tumor had started to grow in his upper chest tongue. It was too aggressive and they were able to do it.”
Dennis died on the 14one October 2018.
“We were just the best friends. We did everything together. It was a pretty difficult time.”
Jill is proud of the seventeen -hectare property that the couple developed at Alston Road in Weedons.
“It was all set up for training and I was not training. It was difficult to leave because Dennis and I put it all on and had exactly how we wanted it. It came on a stage where it was too much to take care of.”
Since then she has moved over the road to a ten -hectare home, close to the South Island etablissement of Stonewall Stud.
“I was able to set it the way I want. I set up the paddocks and got a few boxes. Stonewall Stud is almost a paddock removed.”
Jill says that nowadays she has almost treated herself with a six -week holiday in Europe.
“We ended up in Croatia, which was great, but it became too hot at that stage. The temperature came to the high 1930s and 40s. It was a bit too much for our Kiwis.”
Now she is looking forward to returning to a normal routine and driving on her Appaloosa Quarter -horse that she regularly hack.
“I really enjoy it. I just go out and hack, make treks. It takes me from the farm and I can really relax.”
Jill also runs a dog care company.
“I can do the dogs during the day and come home and drive. I have the feeling that I am coming in a very good space now and that is why I can go on holiday this year.”
Through Bruce StewartFor Harnesslink
#Jills #Dream