14 April 2020 | Paul Courts
SUNDAY may have seen the Easter Bunny deliver chocolates, but it was Bettorhavtime which provided the perfect gift during the weekend.
Spending her birthday at Globe Derby on Saturday night, trainer Heather Stevens celebrated the occasion with a victory as Bettorhavtime overcame his back mark to upstage his opposition.
Stevens turned an undisclosed years old, with the only hint being her 21st “is a distant memory”!
“It was the perfect birthday present,” Stevens said. “It’s hard to top getting a winner on your birthday.
“It made for a great way to enjoy the evening.”
Driven by Wayne Hill, Bettorhavtime began quickly from his 20-metre handicap to settle two-back in the running line as Oh I Am The One led from the front row.
Angled three-wide along the back straight, the gelding sustained a strong sprint to grab the lead in the last stride, scoring by a head from Oh I Am The One, with Alldaybliss a head away third.
Completing a hat-trick, Bettorhavtime rated 2:00.4 for the 2230-metre stand.
“He has been racing well and I knew he was ready to run a good race, but I wasn’t sure about the conditions,” Stevens said.
“Coming off 20 metres over 2230 was always a bit of a concern…if it was 2645 metres I would have been more confident as he’d have more time to make up the handicap.
“Plus he can be dicey from the stand, but got away fine and went well.”
With her plans for the son of Bettors Delight put on hold, Stevens has no specific targets in mind for five-year-old.
“I had planned on taking him over for the Mildura Cup but that has been postponed because of the lockdown and travel restrictions,” Stevens said.
“Now I will just see what is available and poke around until things settles down.
“There is a free-for-all programmed next week so I will nominate him for that and hope the race stands up.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing