Owner and trainer Graeme Anderson and driver Dexter Dunn featured six times in the top two on the nine-race programme at Winton on Sunday.
Anderson scored as a winning owner with Arden’s Concord and a trainer with Match Point. In addition, he produced Motu Moonbeam and Highview Illusion to finish second.
Dunn drove Match Point, Motu Moonbeam and Highview Illusion, as well as the winners Em Ay and Kate Jackson.
Arden’s Concord was purchased by Anderson for $25,000 at the 2013 Addington yearling sales.
He then trained him at Westwood Beach but found the sand disagreeing with his legs. Anderson had connections through rugby with West Plains Invercargill trainer Matt Saunders and approached him to take Arden’s Concord.
“I sent him to Matt and he sent me one of his,” Anderson said.
Arden’s Concord has won two of his four starts for Saunders. Rory McIlwrick, who is temporarily working for Anderson, was the winning driver at Winton.
Dunn’s first winner, three-year-old filly Em Ay, is by the former Canterbury-based sire Rob Roy Mattgregor who died with just two crops on the ground. Em Ay, co-bred, co-owned and trained by Bruce Negus of Burnham, is his only New Zealand winner, She gained her first win at Forbury Park in July.
Kate Jackson was Dunn’s second winner when taking out the claimer for C0 pacers. The mare by Washington VC is raced by Grant Pascoe of Invercargill, as was the fifth placed Carletta, and they are trained at Tisbury by Kirstin Barclay. None of the runners in the race were claimed.
Motu Moonbeam was beaten a length by Warp Power, trained at Westwood Beach by Anderson’s former training partner Amber Hoffman.
Warp Power joined Hoffman after being on the sideline for about 18 months, and was having his fifth start back.
Highview Illusion, who broke briefly after about 900 metres, was beaten half a length by Moondyne Joe.
He had been sidelined for nearly a year with tendon problems and transferred south in April. Moondyne Joe is trained by Brett Gray for Robert and Sharyn Symon of Wianawa south of Winton.
Match Point, owned locally by John and Heather Blakely and Stu and Pauline Gillan extended his unbeaten record on the track to three.
Zenmach impressed driver Matthew Williamson and those on course when he came from last with about 800 metres to go to get up by half a length.
The three year old was purchased late last season by his trainers Geoff and Jude Knight for the Central Courage Syndicate.
There was some sadness attached to the win due to the passing last week of the syndicate’s oldest member, Graham ‘Toby’ Robertson, at the age of 101.
Twenty five years after local trotter Jane’s Song scored her first win at Winton at her 10th start, her final foal quit maidens at her 11th attempt.
A mare by Sundon, Grace O’Malley was bred by the late Bill Keast. She is raced by Go Ziggy Go Limited, the company of Invercargill lawyer Mary-Jane Thomas whose father Curly Thomas trains the seven year old.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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