Loyal stable servant earns his retirement

The connections of Mr Mor have resisted the opportunity to give the well-performed jumper one more outing.

The 13-year-old has been a winter stalwart of Evan and J. J. Rayner’s Wanganui stable for several seasons and his brave last-start fifth in the Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) in testing conditions at Ellerslie closed out his career.

“We brought him home after that and put him out on the hills behind the stable and he’s been bucking and kicking,” Evan Rayner said.

“We could have gone for one more at Te Aroha, but we’d hate to see anything happen to him so he’s retired. He’s been a great old horse.”

Mr Mor won four races on the flat and one hurdle event, but it was over the big fences that the gelding came into his own.

He won two editions of the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m) and a Wellington Steeplechase (5500m). He was twice second in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) and also runner-up in the Waikato Steeplechase (4000m) and the Manawatu Steeplechase (4400m).

Meanwhile, the stable’s immediate focus is on their home meeting on Thursday with Perfect Harmonee an in-form contender for the Moore Stephens Markhams Accountants 1340.

“There’s not much of him, but he’s pretty smart,” Rayner said. “He’s always light in condition so we space his races.”

Perfect Harmonee posted fresh-up victories through the winter at Waverley and at his last appearance at Woodville in August. Lisa Allpress rode him on both occasions and she again takes the reins.