Nelson happy to claim a Great Northern consolation
Dennis Ryan - Raceform • September 18th, 2025 10:49 AM
The only feature steeplechase missing off Paul Nelson’s CV is the Great Northern, and while history dictates that can never change, victory in Sunday’s inaugural Ben & Ryan Foote Great New Zealand Steeplechase would be a quite acceptable substitute.
Since making his first headline with Storm in the 1987 Wellington Steeplechase, Nelson has regularly ticked off majors over subsequent decades. Last month he claimed his fifth Grand National Hurdle with Suliman, and three weeks ago he equalled that tally in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup when his former star hurdler Nedwin won the key lead-up to Sunday’s $200,000, 6200-metre jumping classic.
While Nedwin will be the stable’s sole runner in the big one, two days earlier Nelson and his training partner of the past seven years, Corrina McDougal, will line up three starters in the $150,000 J Swap Great New Zealand Hurdle. Their trio is headed by Grand National Hurdle winner Suliman, along with recent revelation The Bambino and proven performer Taika.
Nelson underwent knee replacement surgery a month ago and has opted to leave raceday duties to McDougal across the two-day carnival, but still has good reason to fancy his chances in both features.
And while he has trained six winners of the Great Northern Hurdle, he has had nothing like the same good fortune in the Steeples, hence his desire to address that anomaly as best he can.
“The Great Northern eluded us and nothing will change that,” Nelson told RaceForm earlier this week. “For whatever reason we never had a lot of starters in the race and the best we could manage was a handful of placings.”
The 2017 edition of the great race still rankles with the Hawke’s Bay horseman, when Amanood Lad lost his rider Aaron Kuru on the final descent of the Ellerslie hill. The big gelding had won the 2014 Great Northern when trained by his part-owner Ben Foote, but was with Nelson for his final two preparations and won the 2017 Pakuranga Hunt Cup in his final lead-up.
“That was the one that eluded us,” Nelson reflects on the 2017 Great Northern. “He was right in it and travelling well, but he got shoved into the second fence on top of the hill, Aaron lost an iron and he just couldn’t stay on.”
Other Nelson runners in the Great Northern include his recently retired champion The Cossack, who won the 2023 Pakuranga Hunt Cup before finishing third in the big one, and No Tip, who also won the previous year’s Hunt Cup before finishing fifth in the Northern.
To Nelson, statistics of that nature are more academic than applicable. More significant is Nedwin’s form since being turned to steeplechasing after winning seven of his 15 starts over brush, headed by the 2023 Great Northern, 2022 and 2024 Wellington, 2022 Pakuranga Hunt and 2023 Waikato Hurdles.
“He was going so well over hurdles that we kept him at them, and he’s taken to steeplechasing well,” he says in reference to Nedwin’s two wins, two thirds and one fourth in his five starts over country.
“He ran the 5500 metres out well when third in the Grand National and he coped well with the Te Aroha fences in his Hunt Cup win, so I think it’s far to say he’s right in it.”
Hamish McNeill will continue his association with Nedwin as well as Suliman in the Great New Zealand Hurdle, having ridden him to victory in the Grand National and when finishing third in the main hurdle on the Pakuranga Hunt programme. Emily Farr will be seeking a hat-trick on The Bambino and Mathew Gillies is engaged for Taika.
“The extra distance will suit Suliman and he handles bad ground well. The Bambino has really blossomed this year and that shows in his form. As for Taika, at his best he would be a definite chance and that was a better run finishing fourth to The Bambino at Woodville.”
