Sand Wave wins Magnificent

Another superb tactical drive by trainer Nathan Williamson ensured bad luck was taken out of the equation as Sand Wave powered towards his second group/listed race win at Addington on 13 May 2022.

The inaugural running of the 3YO C&G Garrard’s Sires’ Stakes Magnifique may have comprised a small field of 5 starters, but the fireworks began early when Sand Wave, from the outside barrier, siezed control of the race within 400m. Nathan had him humming along from thereon and he crossed the line a length clear of Cyrus (Mark Purdon) and Cantfindabettorman (Matthew Williamson). A 1.55.4 mile rate meant the 1980m mobile was run in the smart time of 2.22.1.

Sand Wave heads for a well deserved winter spell 3rd on the money list for 3YO males, behind Akuta and Magic Four; and 13th for all ages and gaits. Not bad for a horse who first stepped foot on a race track at the Mid Canterbury trials 13 months ago. Sand Wave now has lifetime earnings of $103k from 8 wins and 3 placings.

A big thank you to Nigel Armstong for his fantastic work at Harness Racing Unhinged in providing behind the scenes insights into the horse and the ownership group. Also encouraging to see Michael Guerin slowly uping his rating of the horse in this article on the HRNZ website.

Finally, a big shout-out to Caitlin Adlam and Simon Adlam for their outstanding education and training skills in developing Sand Wave into an above average racehorse, which has laid the platform for a very exciting career ahead.