By Mac Henry
With her success at Ascot Park on Sunday, exciting filly Seaswift Joy provided the ideal climax to a day Gordon Lee drove three winners, all of them trained in partnership with his brother Colin.
The three year old had performed to perfection ahead of next week’s group two Southland Oaks and now what Lee wants most of all is a good draw in the feature.
He pointed out the talented filly has had to go from the outside of the arm, or near enough to it, in most of the eight mobile start events she has contested since joining them in December. Her success is the main reason, whether by way of preferential barrier draws or in the case of Sires Stakes heats, as a previous heat winner.
Seaswift Joy won her heat at the Hororata meeting, finishing more than seven lengths ahead of Delightful Memphis. She finished third behind Spanish Armada and Delightful Memphis in a heat at Addington and third behind Bonnie Jean and Somejoy at Forbury Park. Delightful Memphis, Bonnie Jean and Somejoy look to be her biggest threats in the Oaks and Lee doesn’t want them to have an advantage at the start.
“Drawing one would suit me,” he said. “She couldn’t have gone better, I hope the race has done what we wanted.”
Seaswift Joy hasn’t raced beyond 2400 metres but has twice tried the trip and won both. It’s a step up to 2700 next weekend but Lee is not worried in the slightest.
The filly was previously trained by Malcolm Shinn, as were the Lee’s other two winners. Art Exhibit was on her second stint with the Wyndham brothers. She scored her first win while with them in March 2015 and her second was on Sunday in an up to R46 2200 metre mobile.
“She’s low in the ratings and while she’s down there she’ll stay competitive,” Lee said, “she’s not done with yet.”
Colin Lee drove Scapa Chip to win the 1988 Southland Oaks but Gordon had to wait until 2014 for his win on Royal Counsel. The now six year old is on her third stint with the Lees, having won three including the Oaks on her first. She won twice on her second stint and got another one on Sunday. It came in the up to R75 mobile 1700 for females and Royal Counsel stopped the clock at 2:02.1.
“They couldn’t get her in foal so she’s only a racing proposition now,” Lee said.
All Stars reps Ashley Locaz and Major Hippie won in the hands of Matt Anderson at each end of the card on Sunday and will be back next week seeking much richer returns.
Bred and raced by the Van Beek family, Ashley Locaz paced the 1700 metres for juveniles in 2:03.3. That equalled the Southland record for two year olds, set up in March 2009 by Kotare Mach who was trained at the time by Mark Purdon and Grant Payne.
A gelding by Bettor’s Delight from the five-race winning Christian Cullen mare Ashley Cullen, Ashley Locaz will have the Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Classic as his mission next week. The stake for the race has been lifted to $38,000 and it will have group three status for the first time.
Three year old Major Hippie, raced by Trevor Casey, Neil Pilcher, Jim Gibbs and Cheryl Rasmussen, had to do it tough in the R52 to R56 mobile 2200. From the outside of the second line, the son of Art Major was four wide for the first 600 metres and kept pressing forward till he found the lead 400 metres further on. Given no peace, Major Hippie looked vulnerable in the straight but dug deep enough to keep his winning record intact. With a quick recovery and easier run in the early stages next week, he remains a hope in the $45,000 group two Southern Supremacy Stakes.
Blair Orange picked up three for the day, beginning with a dramatic victory in the trot for non-winners aboard Moniburns. She was sitting three lengths off the leader King Cassidy with less that 200 metres to travel and poised for a placing at best when King Cassidy galloped in front of her. He checked Clover Lady who was challenging on the outer while the already galloping Pegasus Hanover ‘challenged’ on her inner. A late run from The Power Broker came up three quarters of a length short.
Moniburns is trained at Oreti Beach by Paul Ellis for Paul Hillis who was winning a trotting race for the first time. Hillis is a son in law of the late George Shand. His wife Pauline was for years a valuable member of the local Trackside television crew. Paul Hillis has won races with pacers in the past and had a host of winners as a galloping trainer, including Virtual Reality in the 1997 listed Hazlett Stakes.
The second winner for Orange was Louie, a son of Christian Cullen and Chloe Hanover purchased for $52,000 at the 2014 premier sale by Allan Sloan and raced by him in partnership with his wife Liz and daughters Micaela and Kirsty. Previously trained by Wayne Adams, Louie was having just his second start for Gore trainer and farrier Tony Stratford.
Malik gave Orange his third win in the day’s seventh race. Outright favourites had won the first six but as second favourite they stopped the trend. The Somebeachsomewhere colt, prepared at West Melton by Paul Court, joined the All Stars pair and trotting winner Justamollyarcher as Canterbury winners on Sunday’s 12 race programme.
Nathan Williamson picked up a trainer-driver win in the up to R50 trot with Denn Nee Nose Best. The mare is a recent addition to his stable, purchased earlier this month by Neville Cleaver. It was a change in fortune for Williamson whose good filly Excellent had been affected by a virus and tying-up problems during her northern campaign and beat only one home in the group one on Friday night.
The only win for Williamson’s brother Matthew came aboard Fiery Ferret in the R47 to R52 mobile 2200. The Mister Big four year old is trained for Northern Southland owner Kelvin Reed by Geoff and Jude Knight.
Shane Walkinshaw and Invercargill breeder-owner-trainer Brian Nicol gained their third win of the season when Cast A Shadow scored his first. He is a younger half brother to Likethelook whose two wins this season include the $17,000 Autumn Futurity at the Northern Southland meeting last month.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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