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FWC on Sport Nation guideFormer Hong Kong galloper to make jumping debut
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • June 25th, 2026 2:12 pm
Affordable will make his jumping debut in the Stephanie Murray Mortgages Maiden Hurdles (2500m) at Trentham on Saturday | Photo: Jane Davidson (Race Images)
Globetrotting gelding Affordable will add another string to his bow at Trentham on Saturday when he makes his jumping debut in the Stephanie Murray Mortgages Maiden Hurdles (2500m).
The six-year-old son of Hardham formerly raced in his native Australia before heading to Hong Kong, and he subsequently made his way to New Zealand last year to join Wanganui trainer Jo Rathbone’s barn, with a view to a future career over fences.
“He won three races in Australia and then one in Hong Kong, but I just think he was one of those horses who didn’t really do well in that environment,” Rathbone said.
“I got him through Marcus Corban, he sends us quite a few nice horses. He hadn’t been performing that well over there so he thought a change of scenery and some jumping might be good for him.”
Rathbone said Affordable has shown a natural talent for jumping and she is looking forward to him making his debut this weekend.
“He came here late last year, so we did a bit (jumping) then and then he had a bit of time off,” she said. “We have been schooling him all this prep and he has taken to it quite well, he seems to be quite a good jumper.
“He had his third hurdle trial on Monday and he went well.”
Affordable has had four starts for Rathbone on the flat and won impressively by eight lengths in a high weight last month, with that form being franked last weekend when runner-up Weneedashock won his debut hurdle at Te Aroha.
Affordable was subsequently unplaced in rating 75 company over 2400m at Te Rapa a fortnight ago, but Rathbone said he switched off and she thinks having something to jump will help switch him back on this weekend.
“I am thinking with some jumps in the way he might wake up a bit more,” she said.
Rathbone will also head to Trentham with Billy Boy, who will compete in a small but select field in the Trentham Supporters Group Wellington Hurdles (3200m).
Billy Boy ran third behind Happy Star and So Call Me in the Manawatu Hurdles (2500m) earlier this month and Rathbone believes he will thrive in the Heavy conditions this weekend.
“It is a small field on Saturday, which is a bit of a shame, but I think it is a quality field all the same,” Rathbone said. “He has gone well there before on a very Heavy track, so he is definitely in with a chance.”
Billy Boy won his maiden steeplechase last year and he headed north to Cambridge on Monday where he won an Open Steeplechase trial, and while Rathbone said his future lies over the bigger fences, she has yet to decide when he will make that transition.
“He was good on Monday,” she said. “We were heading up that way so I thought it was good to give him a look at the chase fences. He raced once in a chase last year but we don’t have a lot of live
fences to school over around this area so I thought it was a good opportunity to give him another hit-out and put him over the chase fences, so that was good.
“I haven’t quite made up my mind yet, but it (chasing) is definitely on the cards at some stage, but we will just take it race by race and see how we go.”
