No matter what breed of horse racing you look at, it’s the star equine that tend to get all the media attention. The stakes winners, the world record holders, and the hot horses get the headlines, and for a reason. That being said, you don’t usually hear of Standardbreds that are 450-1 shots getting feature stories about them. Well, stop the press!
The horse that has attracted the attention is Lewy Risk, who has been installed as a triple-digit longshot to win the NZ Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 8.
As a story by stuff.co.nz explains, Lewy Risk will need two horses to scratch from the event in order for him to even race.
With the situation what it is, why does Lewy Risk merit media attention? Writer Jack Fletcher opted to shine the light on one of the smaller stables in advance of NZ Trotting Cup.
The big players still get their media attention heading into the big race, no doubt. Although, in focusing on Lewy Risk, racing fans get to take a look at some of the smaller operations in the industry as opposed to the high-end racing outfits.
"I've got a couple of guys who help, but they are pretty much volunteers, either retired or have outside jobs," said Lewy Risk’s trainer, Brent Borcoskie, who conditions eight horses on his family’s farm north of Christchurch.
Borcoskie said that Lewy Risk will race Tuesday, in the NZ Trotting Cup or in a much lesser class. The trainer would most likely want to have his charge take his shot in the big dance, but Borcoskie isn’t in the game primarily for the massive purses or the grand stages, although, they surely have their appeal.
"I can't speak for what other people want,” said Borcoskie, “but I certainly don't do it for the money. Their success is having nice cars and a nice table – those things don't drive me the same, so I suppose that's the difference."
(With files from stuff.co.nz)