Plenty of screen time for the Edmonds

Craig Edmonds and his wife Donna are having a great run at the moment with stable star Radha (Always B Miki) trained by Craig and their daughter Aimee creating a big impression on the track and Mister Smartee, (Always B Miki) a horse they sold, recently becoming a millionaire in Western Australia.

Edmonds purchased Mister Smartee at the NZB Standardbred Sale for $32,500.

“I had a syndicate that was interested in one. He came into the ring and I was sitting with John Dunn. He looked quite a nice type. Just a plain bay with black pointed legs. I quite like them when they’re like that. John goes round and looks at all the yearlings and he’d given this one a tick. I ended up buying him. I was sitting there at the right time I suppose,” Craig said.

As a yearling, Mister Smartee had a few tricks.

“You’d go to long rein him and he’d just start kicking. It would be both barrels and he’d be off round the yard. He came right and was pretty good in the cart in the end.”

And according to Edmonds he wasn’t a natural two year old.

“He could always run a bit but he could get himself a little bit worked up so we didn’t really push him much.”

Mister Smartee had two starts as a two year old, running an unlucky second to Da Vinci on debut before winning on Cup Day in 2022.

His time that day for the1980 metres of 2-19.2 is still a New Zealand record.

He was then sold to clients of West Australian trainer Gary Hall snr.

“It was just too gooda money to turn down. I worked for Doug Grantham for a few years and he said to me ‘photos on the wall are good son, but cheques in the bank are better.’ They’re getting a lot of fun out of him and I still enjoy watching him.”

Mister Smartee was bred by Dancingonmoonlight and is out of their Stonebridge Regal mare Luna Daza. Her dam Lento won fifteen races including two Premier Mares Championship, two New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes and a Junior FFA.

At stud Luna Daza has also left Sonofmistery (Sweet Lou) which won this year’s Kindergarten Stakes.

Mister Smartee has now won seventeen of his twenty one starts including the Four Year Old Golden Nugget, $1.2 million The Nullabor and the $300,000 Fremantle Cup.

He has now won $1.2 million.

Buoyed by the success of Mister Smartee, Edmonds went back to the sales and bought another son of Always B Miki, paying just $26,000 for Radha.

“He was really tall but he was quite a nice type. We had his half brother Rishi. When Radha came in I decided to buy him. I thought he was on the cheaper side really. He’d had a bone chip taken out of his hock. Whether people were put off by that…”

As a three year old Radha had only two starts before he had an injury.

“He had a mark on his leg. It went down and there was a wee bump there. We got a vet out to check it. When he got him to trot up he was sound, but when he went to pick up his leg to flex ithe jumped around. So we got him x rayed. He actually had a broken splint bone. We gave him a good spell and it healed. He had about four months out and in hindsight it was the best thing for him.”

Radha won on debut at Rangiora in May last year and since then has won a further three races and been placed three times in just ten starts.

Craig said the trip to the Nelson/Marlborough circuit has been the making of the giant gelding.

“We brought him in on the first day and he was looking around and was a wee bit nervy. On the second day he came in, he went to sleep and by the time he got to Blenheim he was really good.”

At the moment Radha races with a bit of gear, including a fixed hood.

“I could have put a removable hood on him last week but I didn’t bother. I just thought we’d keep him quiet for a bit. I think he’s better coming from behind and Tim (Williams), Blair (Orange) and John (Dunn) have all said for a big horse he’s got high speed. A lot of big horses just wind into it but he can come out and has just got quick speed.”

At his last start at Addington Radha ran second to the smart Arthur Selby. He was beaten by a neck and both looked like Cup horses.

“Yeah hopefully. You don’t know until they keep stepping up. He’s got a good attitude and a big motor. When you work him he goes way pass the finish and takes a bit of pulling up. I don’t think I’ve ever worked him and he’s been flat. Rishi was the same. He just attacked the line. I think when he strengthens up he could be (a Cup horse).”

Radha is owned by Donna Edmonds, Suzanne Williams, Brian and Jan Scully, Ivan McNichol and the Untouchaballz Syndicate.

He was bred by Paul and Pauline Renwick and is out of their Christian Cullen mare Reklaw.

Reklaw’s progeny have won over $850,000. Her last foal Rahasi, a two year old colt by Bettor’s Delight, was recently purchased by Southland Stags Rugby coach and former harness racing trainer Matt Saunders.

Meanwhile Edmond’s two good trotters Four Wise Woman (Majestic Son) and A Fine Patrick (Father Patrick) are back in work.

Four Wise Woman has won three of her eight starts and last raced in November.

“She had a problem with her back leg so we turned her out. She’s done six weeks jogging and is now doing strong work.”

A Fine Patrick won three of his eleven starts and last raced in the Hambletonian at Ashburton in October.

“He’s just grew at the wrong time. In the Hambletonian he didn’t go as good as he should and was probably just a bit weak. He’s been back at the trials once, but he’s had a couple of wee niggly things. They both should win a few races this season.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink