In the world of horse racing, the grey gelding known as Chattahoochee has earned a special place in the heart of trainer Debbie Sweeney.
With an impressive record, he's quickly becoming the star of Sweeney's stable.
According to Sweeney, “It was very impressive considering he drew barrier 12 and he was three-wide the whole way. It was a tough effort.”
Chattahoochee is more than just a racehorse; he's a beloved member of the stable. Sweeney describes him as, “like the stable pet. He is just a lovely, quiet and relaxed horse – everyone loves him. He is very spoilt, and that was even before he was fast.”
His recent performance has been outstanding, winning four out of his last five races. Sweeney praised his adaptability and potential.
“He has been very adaptable, and I think he is a horse that has a lot of ability. Hopefully he can carry on with it.”
Chattahoochee is now due for a well-deserved break before aiming for more significant targets in the upcoming autumn races.
“We are going to turn him out for four to six weeks now and then get him back up and going around early March.
“We'll possibly look at the Easter Handicap (Group 3, 1600m) and there are some nice races over the Carnival at Ellerslie, so we will try and target some bigger races.”
Meanwhile, Sweeney is not resting on her laurels and is focusing on her upcoming races.
“I have got a couple at Tauranga on Wednesday – Kiwi Man and Mr Nice,” and has high hopes for Kiwi Man, a staying horse.
“He is going over a mile on Wednesday, and once he gets over ground, I think he will be a horse to keep an eye on.”
Furthermore, Clever Ruds, another contender from Sweeney's stable, is set to race at Te Rapa on Saturday.
“She is very honest and tries really hard. She ran second last time at Hastings. Hopefully, we can get some black-type with her this time around. She has shown enough.”