Horse racing riches: The Pukekohe businessman Malcolm Wrigley who turned his wife’s deathbed gift into $600,000 in winnings

Malcolm Wrigley says most of his horses have been mediocre and Jumal is different.

Wrigley, who owns a Pukekohe insurance brokerage, has owned a string of horses over 50 years.

He says while most of them have been mediocre, Jumal is another thing entirely – “an absolute freak” as he puts it.

“I’ve had three or four horses that have won five or six races, but nothing like this. Jumal won six races in a row,” Wrigley said.

Judith gifted her husband $100,000 from her KiwiSaver when she became critically ill.

After she died, Wrigley called his horse trainer, Steve Reid and asked him to find a horse. He said he had $60,000 to spend and the name Jumal ready to go.

Malcolm Wrigley with Jumal’s trainer, Steve Reid and horse selector Bella Storer, who has a 20% share in Jumal.

A few days later, Reid rang back. His partner Bella Storer had found the horse, which was $35,000 over budget.

Wrigley bought it anyway – and hadn’t factored in the GST.

By the time the paperwork was done, Jumal cost him $110,000.

Jumal is a pacer, bred for speed and harness racing.

He was sired by Downbytheseaside and bred by Dave and Dawn Kennedy of Beaudiene Breeding in Otautau, Southland.

The late Judith and Malcolm Wrigley were married for 49 years. Malcolm’s winning horse Jumal’s name is a blend of their names.

Storer, who is Reid’s partner and a horse selector, told the Herald she had a great feeling about Jumal from the start.

“We had a budget and prioritised our top picks. With horses, you can be so wrong. Colts can be full of testosterone and a bit full-on.

“But Jumal was different. Cool, calm and collected. That stuck with me.

“When Steve and I saw him at the first inspection, we fell in love with him,” Storer said.

Bella Storer owns a 20% stake in Jumal. She is pictured with her partner Steve Reid, a horse trainer.

Storer struck a deal with Wrigley.

He would get two years of free training, and she would take a 20% share in Jumal.

“Because we went over budget, Malcolm suggested we take a share in Jumal instead of him paying training fees. There’s a lot of chance and risk with horses.

“We didn’t think Jumal would change our lives, but he has, and he has well and truly paid for himself. We count our lucky stars every day,” Storer says.

So far, he has won 12 of his 14 races. In the other two, he finished third. The increasing pressure, she says, falls hardest on trainers.

“Many in the racing community expect Jumal to perform consistently – not to get sick or injured, and to be driven a certain way. If a horse doesn’t perform, it’s often the trainer who gets the blame,” Storer says.

On race days, she disappears. She hides in a toilet cubicle.

Malcolm Wrigley with Steve Reid and Bella Storer

“It’s the only place where no one can find me or bother me. I hate standing there with other punters screaming in my ear.

“I like to watch the races by myself. The last couple of times Jumal has won, I’ve been shocked and burst into tears.”

In 18 months, the horse they took a chance on has returned more than $600,000 to his owners, trainer and driver.

Co-owner Bella Storer (centre) says she hides in a toilet cubicle to escape the stress when Jumal races.

Last year, Wrigley turned down a $1 million offer for Jumal from Australian buyers.

“It’s not about the money. I mean, it’s nice. But it’s about Judith and me,” he said.

Wrigley was 21 when he met Judith. She was 18 and working as a teller at the National Bank. He was an insurance broker with NZI before going out on his own – he’s been in the industry for 56 years.

“Believe it or not, Judith hunted me down when we were young,” he says. He laughs.

Malcolm Wrigley and his wife Judith on their wedding day.

“She was very kind. A good Catholic, too. She kept us all in line.”

Judith was never what Wrigley calls a “horsey person”. While he spent time with horses and the boys, she preferred the pokies.

Their youngest daughter, Veronica, said her mother wanted Wrigley to have a purpose after her death.

“She organised Dad’s life; he was a bit lost without her. Finding Jumal is a highlight in his twilight.”

Malcolm Wrigley with his children. From left: Jo Foster, Malcolm Wrigley, Veronica Cusack and Jarrod Wrigley. Veronica said their father was lost without Judith. “Finding Jumal has been a highlight in his twilight.”

Jarrod said racing was in the family’s blood.

As an 8-year-old, he’d rugged up in six layers and headed to Alexandra Park with his parents.

“There’d be hot chips and a can of Coke. I thought it was the coolest thing. I’d get a dollar to put on a horse and be allowed to choose my own.”

Malcolm Wrigley’s filly Mal’s Juju – the name is another nod to Malcolm and his late wife Judith.

Wrigley hopes Jumal will one day head to stud and produce more winners.

For now, he is having a spell before his next race at Addington in October.

And one horse was never going to be enough. Six months ago, Wrigley bought a filly and named her Mal’s Juju – another nod to Malcolm and Judith.

All six grandchildren used to call Judith “Juju”.

Malcolm and Judith Wrigley and their children, partners and grandchildren. Malcolm says his family loves racing, and Judith is watching over them.

The family, Wrigley says, is hooked on racing now. They take turns joining him at the track to watch Jumal race.

“I miss Judith not being here. But I think she’d be saying, ‘Malcolm, you’ve done very well with my KiwiSaver’.

“We’ve won more than $300,000 now. My children will be well looked after. I like to think she’s still watching over us, quietly approving, and coming along for the ride.”

Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007 to 2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.