Aussie jumps rider Jordan Hart to accompany Squire in Waikato Hurdle quest

Emerging top hurdler Squire will bid for his first prestige jumping crown at Te Rapa on Saturday as the gelding takes on the Waikato Hurdle (3200m).

The Peter and Jessica Brosnan-trained gelding won the maiden hurdle at the same meeting 12 months ago and went on to finish that season with a second in the Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle (3100m) and fourth in the Great New Zealand Hurdle (4200m).

Picking up where he left off in 2025, the five-year-old won over 2400m on the flat before defeating the promising Roc Up Ralph over fences at Te Rapa last start, the pair now set to face off again in a quality field for Saturday’s $60,000 feature.

His Matamata-based trainers were pleased to tick off their first target early in the new season at the Waikato course, where the gelding has won four of his five starts.

“We were pretty rapt with him, these are the two races we were targeting, that race and the Waikato Hurdles,” Brosnan said.

“It has been business as usual for him over the past three weeks, a similar build-up to his last race.”

Australian hoop Jordan Hart will be back in New Zealand to ride Squire and stablemate Jakama Krystal, the latter lining up in the Signature Homes Waikato Steeplechase (3900m).

“It’s pretty good to have Jordan over to ride him, he knows this horse well now and has had a ride around Te Rapa,” Brosnan said. “The rider is in form, as is the horse, so it’s a big plus.”