Outside of Yulestar, few Taranaki Standardbrreds Group has won one functions. But that changed on Friday evening when Shezsofast (Vincent) Bred by Phil Fleming, De Caduceus took out two -year -old Fillies Classic in Auckland.
Shezsofast -Herling
The Fleming family is synonymous with harness races in Taranaki and Phil is a third generation Fleming.
His grandfather RJ (Ritchie) Fleming trained horses and owned Ricochet who won nine races for Denis Nyhan, while Phil’s Uncle Laurie Fleming was also a successful trainer. His best two winners were Rosie O’grady (11) and Young Tennessee (11).
Phil’s father Brian also had a lot of success. His best two horses were Wicklow Bay and River Polka.
Phil and his deceased father were originally owned River Polka, but when Brian died, Phil invited three of his brothers, Brendan, Tim and Nick to take up his father’s share.
“At that time, River Polka had not raced for Tony Herlihy, but from all reports it seemed like she would be in order. So they came in and we had a lot of fun with her as a racing horse,” said Phil.
River Polka won eleven races and became second to worship me in the Northern Breeders Stakes 2013 before he went to the Fokpaddock.
“The first pair of foals we have bred together. But they have breeding marry themselves, so I finally rented their half share.”
The breed goes back to a Tuapeka lodge bred mare Happy Hooker who bought Brian in the mid -1980s from the Claudelands Sales. She won once in seventeen before she went to stud.
Her first foal isle from Inishfree (Roydon Glen) won three of her twenty -four starting while her next three foals Wicklow Hill (Vance Hanover), Wicklow Bay (Butlers BG) and Wicklow Way (Holmes Hanover). All well executed and the eleven victories of Wicklow Bay include the Waikato Flying Mile from 1998.
It is from Isle of Inishfree that the recent success of this family comes from. At Stud she left Riverdance, who won five of her new Zeeland, starts before she won another six in Australia, while Christian Cullen Velding River Waltz won nine of his twenty -two starts before he produced his career in Australia.
“It’s nice to make that specific line more topical.”
Isle of Inishfree’s last foal was river polka and her sixth foal is Shezsofast.
Shezsofast was reserved early for the yearling sales and Phil did most of the preparation before she was finished by Graham Brogden.
“I called her that because she quickly shot around the paddock. I thought she would be better quickly or I would look pretty stupid (laughter).”
Mark and Nathan Purdon became her owners and bought her for $ 35,000 from the Karaka sale. At that time they joined her half -sister without you, who had won three races and was in second place to Windelight in the NZB Standardbred Harness Million for two -year -old mares.
“They were the only ones who bought the Vincent’s that year.”
Fifty -five years old Phil is a consultant for dairy farms. He is also a co-owner of a 150-hectare dairy company with his brothers with a 40-hectare drop-off where they milk 420 cows. He runs the horses on his eleven hectare lifestyle block.
He also trained horses and still has a trainer license.
“The business consultancy is almost full -time. I have two daughters and I follow their sport.”
The best horses of Phil are our Wicklow (9), Broadway (6) and Sheikh Yabooty (5).
In addition to two of his own mares, he also breeds in collaboration with Donny Bublitz.
“He has a great block in Howera, which is great for raising horses.”
Fleming is currently breeding from three mares – ideal flybye, river polka and rokinhotcheddar.
“My mares only came to foal at the end of last year for whatever reason and two of them will be quite late (foal), so I will probably give them off for a year. Unfortunately, River Polka had asked twins and it ruined her a bit, so she missed in foal last year. I sent her to Norwegian Park to get her in Foal this year.”
The horses he does not sell are sent to the north to Andre Poutama.
Last year, Fleming went into the Karaka sale two yearlings, including a full brother without you. He was disappointed about the results.
“Tate Hopkins prepared him and I got about 30k with him, but I thought he was worth more than that, so I brought him home. He now has him to train.
So where does the river part of the name come from?
“Dad mentioned them after Riverdance. Les Pettifer who had that rise of that good horse Falcon, went with me in the newest foal of River Polka by Captain Crunch. That’s why we called the River Rise. The name of the Polka came from the South American dance.”
Not someone who misses a chance has also dared Phil in the thoroughbred industry.
“It was about the time that Covid struck and it seemed that there would be no racing on the CD, so I thought I could get it, I might as well get a galloper. So I went to Waikato Stud and bought a horse with good bloodlines. She had bad knees so I breed now.”
She is an O’Reilly mare named Oha Strong. Fleming has a yearling out of her and she is finished this spring to Hilal, a fastnet rock stallion that is in GrangeWilliam Stud in South Taranaki.
“I took the breeding rights on Hilah. It is a bit different the galloping game and, unlike the armor game that you can buy in stallions.”
Although the victory by Shezsofast is not the first group one winner for the Fleming family, it was their first in New Zealand.
Phil’s father Brian Bred Gaius Caesar (Julius Caesar) Who won more than half a million dollars. His thirty -five victories include three group – Die – De Len Smith Mile, Bohemia Crystal FFA and the Cordina Sprint.
“It makes it all worthwhile if you get such a result. It gives you a big buzz.”
Through Bruce StewartFor Harnesslink
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