"It is one of those iconic races on the calendar and one I have always wanted to win," she said.
That she achieved it thanks to a son of the prolific Exploding Prospect mare
Regelle made it even more special.The Cambridge trainer currently has six horses in work and three of them - Seventh Up, Close Up and Next Up are all sons of Shinko King and Regelle. They are raced by Hale with her co-breeders Robin Stent and the Noel and Alison Johnstone Family Trust.
"Stu Dromgool was training Regelle and thought she had ability, but she just hadn't really produced it. He thought she could benefit from jumping so she came here. At the time I had broken my back so I was hobbling around, but we gave her one start and she came out and won," Hale said.
While she won four races Hale believed Regelle's destiny was preordained.
"She was born to be a broodmare, she just always looked like a broodmare," she said.
Regelle's first foal was Son Of A King by Kingdom Bay, who won two races and after missing the following year to Shinko King, she left Thumbs Up, the first of six colts to the son of Fairy King, five of which have been winners so far.
Following three wins and a Group placing, Thumbs Up was sold to Hong Kong where he won at Group One level.
Multiple winner Two Up was next along and then Regelle left Sum Up, who won six races and was Group placed.
The mare subsequently produced Straight Up, a son of Handsome Ransom, whose four New Zealand starts resulted in four minor placings.
"He went to Laurie Laxon in Singapore and ran second at his first start over there before winning his next start which was exciting, but then he did a tendon," Hale said.
Regelle missed to Golan in 2008 before she returned to Shinko King and the resulting progeny was Close Up, who has won seven races. She then foaled Seventh Up and after missing the following year the last of her Shinko King is Next Up.
After a run of colts, the prayers of Hale and her partners were answered in 2015 when she produced a filly to Tavistock and last year she produced a colt by Burgundy. – NZ Racing Desk.
