NZ HARNESS NEWS
The Ascot Park win of Ardtoo last week was special for the three-year-old’s Edendale breeders and owners Russell and Susan Ferguson, and their son Craig, who drove the Auckland Reactor gelding.
Ardtoo is trained by Russell, his first winner since October 2007 and first with Craig in the sulky.
“I enjoyed that,” said the project manager for Bmac Sheet Metal, who works his horses at five in the morning or after five at night.
“My father trained and drove, there’s a photo of him winning a three-year-old feature at Wyndham in 1956 with Triple True and Bill Cherry’s commentary of the race on a record; they’re Dad’s colours I use.”
Susan is also from a horse family – three brothers were successful jockeys and are now trainers, P. McKay at Matamata, Russell at Ashburton and John at Gore.
Nephew Shaun and niece Ashley, cousins of Craig, still ride.
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Promising mare Share The Road is heading to Victoria after her sale to Zac Cornell, a former co-owner of recently-retired star mare Arms Of An Angel.
At Winton in May, Share The Road was a debut winner at her sole three-year-old start, a mobile mile for female non-winners cut out in 1:56.6.
She is by Tintin In America from High Tops Hanover, herself the daughter of Holmes Hanover’s half-sister Haps Hanover.
Harness Racing New Zealand board member Murray Swain and wife Wendy raced Share The Road, having picked her up as a foal at the 2014 Christchurch all aged sale.
They paid $700 for a package that included her dam.
Murray Swain said he liked the foal, fellow breeder John Stiven told him the mare would cross well with Net Ten EOM and the resultant two-year old gelding is “coming along well”.
Share The Road recorded two placings from three goes as a four-year-old this season.
“She has speed, they’ll get the best out of her in about six months,” Swain said.
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A couple of weeks back, Westwood Beach trainer Graeme Anderson transferred Titan Banner back to the Purdon-Rasmussen team, so he’s pinning his hopes now on Eamon Maguire to fly the flag for him.
Anderson admits it has been a rocky start for last season’s Southern Supremacy Stakes winner, who three weeks earlier finished third in the New Zealand Derby.
“He kicked off in the Tuapeka Cup and the track and the day was testing; it turned out the wrong race to start him off in,” Anderson said.
The trainer of nearly 500 winners backed off Eamon Maguire, then produced him again at Forbury Park a month-and-a-half later.
“He was ready to win but not driven like that.
“I was very disappointed, it flattened him,” Anderson said.
“I’ll take him back to Forbury on the 21st, then hope he can show his potential in the Free For All at Omakau.”
- NZ Harness News
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