3 minute read

Rudy Liefting has an ambitious plan in mind for his freshman jumper Danza Lad.

The Pukekohe trainer produced the stakes winning flat performer for an impressive first-up success over the small fences at Te Aroha recently and he’s not going to be afraid to pitch him in at the deep end.

“I’ve been mulling it over and he’ll probably have his next jumping start in the Grand National Hurdles if I can get him in the field,” Liefting said.

In the meantime, Danza Lad will head south to Hastings on Saturday for an open 2100 metre handicap.

“He can be a little bit dishonest on the flat, but only when he gets cluttered up in his races and he needs to be out in the open,” Liefting said.

“He’s a very good horse and he’s won 10 races on the flat, including three stakes races.”

Danza Lad’s CV includes victories in the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap, the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup and the Listed Merial Ancare Metric Mile.

The stable will also be represented on Saturday by Just Got Home in the Te Whangai Rommeys Hawke’s Bay Hurdles.

“He’s well and we’ll see what the weather does after this, but I’m not ruling Trentham out,” Liefting said.

A past winner of the Wellington Hurdles, Just Got Home made ground strongly for third in his last jumping start in the K. S. Browne Hurdles.

Success at the Hawke’s Bay meeting would be welcomed by the stable, who had the misfortune to lose their talented mare A Tad Leica following an incident in the tie up stalls at Awapuni.

“She got her back under the side rail and got trapped,” Liefting said. “We tried to save her, but in the end we had to have her put down – we’re absolutely devastated.”