Racing: Louise O'Reilly's first horse a winner

Louise O'Reilly and Jason Laking after their win with La Capiche at Oamaru yesterday. Photo by...
Louise O'Reilly and Jason Laking after their win with La Capiche at Oamaru yesterday. Photo by Tayler Strong.
Louise O'Reilly trained a winner at Oamaru yesterday with the first horse she has had to the races.

The Ashburton-based O'Reilly (24) won with La Capiche, ridden by her partner, Jason Laking.

La Capiche is owned by Bruce Laking (father of Jason) and his partner Ann-Marie Flynn, of Invercargill.

La Capiche had not raced for 12 months and she was at odds of 56-to-one.

She won at Cromwell in March last year when trained by Bruce Laking.

La Capiche also won at Riccarton in August 2005 when trained by Barry Taggart.

O'Reilly took over the training of the 7yr-old mare five months ago.

She is the fifth horse tried by O'Reilly, who was granted a training licence 12 months ago.

She trains out of the Huntingdon stable of her father, Patrick O'Reilly, a successful harness racing trainer.

Louise works part-time for Ashburton thoroughbred trainer Jan Hay.

She spent two and a-half years with Victorian trainer Lee Freedman and 12 months with Jim Houlahan, the former prominent jumps trainer in Victoria.

• Urban Gossip, who was bought as a hack by Julie Langford, won a maiden race yesterday.

Miss Langford, a Timaru school secretary, loaned the 6yr-old to her father, Dick, of Waimate, to help him with a recalcitrant track worker.

Urban Gossip had one start for another trainer three years earlier.

"I had a horse in work who was too green to go around the track so I borrowed Urban Gossip to help out," Dick Langford recalled.

"He [Urban Gossip] then went to the trials and finished second and first."

Urban Gossip has now raced nine times for Miss Langford and also gained five minor placings.

Dick Langford (76) has been riding track work but he decided to step down from Urban Gossip a fortnight ago when dislodged by the horse.

Langford has had a lengthy involvement with horse racing.

He served an apprenticeship as a jockey with Jack Langford at Invercargill and later Bob Heasley at Wingatui.

He had his first win in a hurdles race on Knight Crusader at Orari in October 1948. He has also ridden the pacer Merry Morning to win in saddle.

He has trained and driven pacers and trotters to win, with a Waikouaiti Cup (Loyal Onedin) among his successes.

• Jarrod Todd, the Christchurch jockey, was suspended until midnight this Friday for careless riding at Trentham on Saturday.

He admitted shifting out sharply at the 250m when riding Monet Spinna in race five, causing a check to Leaveittome.

 

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