Vale Agua Caliente

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

Former star pacer Agua Caliente is being remembered as a horse who "knew he was good".

The winner of 24 races from 46 starts between 1996 and 2002, the son of Vance Hanover was found dead in his paddock at Waiuku in rural Auckland last week, aged 32.

"He had a great retirement, he was on four acres with another horse who's been his pal for 18 years," says part-owner Donna Woods, "then we found him Friday and he was gone."

Agua Caliente was bought by Woods' father Don Short. He raced him along with his wife Poppy, Woods and her sister Susan Short after he asked the great Peter Wolfenden to pick out some likely candidates at the Yearling Sales.

"Dad had raced a lot of horses but really wanted a good one," says Woods, "He just kept putting up his finger and in the end didn't know how much he'd paid," says Woods.

He secured the colt for $35,000.

"One day he hadn't even been broken in and he was in the paddock and he was chomping on a plastic bag," laughs Woods, "it could have been all over before it started."

He got his name from the Agua Caliente resort in Tijuana Mexico. It was where the great Phar Lap won his last race in 1932, the Agua Caliente Handicap.

"He always knew he was good," says Woods.

"In retirement he knew he was the boss and always thought he was better than everyone else."

Throughout his career Agua Caliente was an enigma. He was explosive with a devastating sprint but he could also be a nightmare from standing starts.

Agua Caliente was trained by the legendary "Wolfie" with son Glen Wolfenden driving him in all but one of his starts.

"Glen was sick one night so Peter took the drive," says Woods, "and of course he won."

That was the Kumeu Stakes at Alexandra Park in 1996.

Of Agua Caliente's 46 starts he only had seven out of Auckland. He won twice at Cambridge including the 1997 Group 2 Cambridge Classic in a new track record. He covered the 2200 metres in 2:40.8, lowering the old record by 1.6 seconds. 

"He was not a good traveller so he never raced in Aussie or anything like that."

As a four-year-old he won seven of nine starts, including the Messenger - Taylor Mile double.

Sadly Don Short died around this time in 1997, meaning he missed many of his horse's greatest performances.  

"Dad only saw four of his wins."

He went on to win the Thames Cup three years in a row, from 1998 - 2000, with one of the victories coming off 50 metres though his biggest victory was the 2000 Free For All at Addington when he downed Yulestar, who'd won the New Zealand Cup just three days earlier.

While Agua Caliente is now gone Donna Woods still gets a daily reminder of the great horse - she has Agua C as her personalised number plate!