Black launches smart three year old

Bruce Stewart Journalist

“I’ve had a few sleepless nights over the last ten days, getting up at all hours of the night, but we got there,” trainer Alister Black said after Cruise Maguire (Always B Miki) impressively won on debut at Ascot Park today.

The three year old created plenty of chat after he won a workout in 2-43.8 for 2200 metres and winning by twelve lengths, and Black was confident he would perform well.

In the race today, driver Brad Williamson let the horse run out of the gate under his own steam and took him straight to the front. He was seriously challenged by Stumblin In inside the last 800 and these two came away from the field inside the last 600.

Running to the finish line Cruise Maguire showed plenty of fight, holding off Stumblin In by three quarters of a length with Franco Lennon six and a half lengths back in third.

“He’s the sort of horse that you don’t know whether you want to fight him yet and come back off the gate, because he just wants to run. Sometimes you’re better off not fighting them and letting them get upset.”

The winning time was 2-42.4 with the last 800 run in a smart 55.3.

“He’s got a high cruising speed. Unbelievable really.”

Cruise Maguire was offered by Dave Heffernan at the 2024 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sale but was passed in for $16,000. He was initially trained by Oamaru horsemen Brad Williamson who qualified him in early January at Ascot Park.

“I shod most of Brad’s at Christmas time because his blacksmith got hurt. Every horse, he’d tell me what they were and I just liked the look of him (Cruise Maguire) that day. Brad said he was looking at turning him over. I saw him the day he qualified and I really liked him then. Elaine (owner) offered Brad an amount and he accepted it.”

Black said he was stunned with the horse’s raw talent after he first sat behind him.

“Brad dropped him off at my place after he trialed to get him vetted and I worked him on the back track here (Ascot Park). I thought I’d work him 3-20 and he worked 3-12.”

Owner Elaine Carnie has been a stable client of Blacks for a number of years and raced Idealism with a group of other owners. In eighteen starts he won four and was placed another eight times. He ran third in the 2021 Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes.

“She’s a very good owner. Just happy go lucky and leaves it all up to me.”

But Elaine’s ownership of pacers goes further back. She had success in the 1980s with La Valaise (6) trained by Bryce Buchanan and Proud Princess (6) and Tenente, (4) both trained by Ali Malcolmson.

“He’ll race next at the Wyndham meeting on the 29^th then we’ll give him four or five days off. We’ll probably give him one more start before the Supremacy Final. After that if everything is looking good we’ll go to the Sires Stakes heat on the 15^th May and the final if he qualifies.”