Kisses completes special day for brothers

Cambridge trainers Mark Fraser-Campin and Chris Campin went close to achieving perfection at Saturday’s Hawera meeting.

The brothers were represented by three runners and collected the main prize on the card with Kisses while Satay beat the Rating 85 milers after Sarookh had finished runner-up in the opening event.

The undoubted star of the show was Kisses, who followed up her resuming win at Ruakaka last month with a defeat of the favourite Recite in the Gr.3 Rich Hill Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes.

“She’s a lovely mare and when she came back from Australia for her last preparation she had some very unlucky runs and now she’s put two together,” Fraser-Campin said.

Kisses won the Listed NZB Air Freight Stakes as a thee-year-old before unrewarded Sydney stints with Bjorn Baker and Gerald Ryan.

Since her return, she has added the Listed Easter Cup to her record as well as placings in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile and the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap.

Kisses settled three back on the fence for regular rider Trudy Thornton at Hawera and when the field fanned out on straightening they drove between runners to down Recite by a long neck with Miss Foxwood a solid third.

Stablemate Satay had earlier provided the brothers with a bonus victory in the Johnny Neil Building Handicap.

The mare, who had finished third when resuming at Ruakaka at her previous start, was also ridden by Thornton and the result was of special significance.

“She raced very consistently last preparation and she was very good first-up at Ruakaka where she drew wide,” Fraser-Campin said. “We expected her to go well and she’s in foal to Battle Paint.”

Battle Paint is their resident stallion at Chequers Stud with recent purchase Il Cavallo to join him next season at the completion of his racing career.