By Mac Henry
Clark Barron trained a quinella at Wyndham on Sunday with unbeaten Rakarolla half a length clear of Flight Deck after a genuine battle to the line.
Trapped wide early, Rakarolla in the hands of junior driver Stevie Golding made the lead at the 1600. Flight Deck, driven by his trainer was soon parked outside him.
Barron took the race to Rakarolla across the top and had headed him on the turn but the half brother to the recently retired 2014 Southland Horse of the Year Raksdeal, fought back like the good horse he is.
Rakarolla, bred and raced by Brendan Fahy of Rakauhauka, was starting for the first time since scoring at the Wairio Club’s meeting on 20 December.
A short break followed then a mystery problem, described by Barron as fracture lameness in a hind leg. Nothing showed up on scans or x-rays and nothing has shown up since.
Under the conditions of the race, the win of Rakarolla was penalty free because he hadn’t previously won an exempt drivers race and was driven by a junior.
Barron got a driving and second training win when Frank the Tank broke three minutes for 2400 metres to win on debut.
He likes to run, Barron said of the four year old who is raced by Ricky, Mark, Scott and Earl Gutsell, along with Neil Thwaites. Mark Gutsell works for Macca Lodge, saw the Owen Crooks-bred son of Royal Mattjesty there and arranged to buy him privately.
“He’s a beautiful big horse,” he said.
Last season’s Southland Oaks winner Smoking Bird squared off against Southern Supremacy Stakes victor I’m Full Of Excuses and came off the better, winning from 20 behind while I’m Full Of Excuses went from ten and finished third.
Trainer Kevin Court said her ability to get away from a stand was a key to the success. Nothing immediate had been planned for Smokin Bird, he added, but he intends to look at mares races after Christmas.
Brad Williamson paid $14,000 for Winners Shout at the 2014 premier sale, and got his first collect when he drove him to success at Wyndham in his second start.
He races the three year old with Grant Gray of Invercargill, who had said to the Williamsons at Cromwell a couple of Christmases ago that he would love to have a horse with Phil. Brad was looking for a young horse at the sales and rang Grant after he’d bought Winners Shout.
“He’ll improve on that, he’s inexperienced and very green,” Brad Williamson remarked. “He’s big now but will grow more, he’ll be quite good in time.”
Williamson’s first winner as an owner had been Kylie Castleton, bred by his mother Bev. She won at Invercargill in August 2014 and Forbury Park in July 2015.
Gee Up Neddy, trained by Lauren Pearson for Leonne Jones, won the other trot as a C1.
“He was on the dropback so he’ll handle it back up in grade,” Pearson said. “There’s still some improvement in ringcraft to come but he’s grown up mentally and filled out.”
Extreme Prince was a winner at his second start for his trainer Alan Paisley and wife Gail, along with local shearing identity JJ Cringle.
The trio had bought his dam Nuclear Princess in Christchurch when she was carrying Extreme Prince. He was her 11th foal.
An earlier foal, Princess Delight, was trained by Paisley to win four races for another partnership which also included Cringle.
Paisley said Nuclear Princess has a three year son by Gotta Go Cullect at the workouts stage. She slipped a foal after that and has since died.
Cringle, who has been competing at the Golden Shears in Masterton for nearly 50 years, finished third in the veterans section in March.
Tuapeka Troy, who claims broodmare gem Sakuntala as his fourth dam, was a winner at his third start for trainer Brent Shirley.
A $55,000 purchase at the 2013 premier sale, he’d previously been trained by Tim Butt who retains a share.
Envious gained his second win from six starts for owners Kenny Baynes and Jo Calder and trainer Tony Stratford.
“He’s not a real high speed horse but can sustain a good speed for a long way,” Stratford said.
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