By Tayler Strong
Gotta Del emerged as a horse to follow with a first up win at Forbury Park on Thursday night.
The 4-year-old gelding was three wide early over 2200m (mobile), then led over the final 1600m and drew clear by four and a quarter lengths in the final stages.
A son of Gotta Go Cullect – Delamaid, Gotta Del is trained at Makarewa by Tony Barron for Redan (Southland) breeder Ian Hunter.
Gotta Del is a half brother to the winners, Sand Fly, V C Del and One Out Of Four. Sand Fly was sold to Australia after a first up win for Hunter from the Barron stable at Ascot Park in 2008. He added another 22 wins across the Tasman.
Gotta Del qualified at Ascot Park in September.
“We couldn’t keep shoes on him in the spring and had to turn him out and wait for his feet to grow,” said Hunter, a long serving committee member of the Wyndham Harness Racing Club.
He became associated with the family of Gotta Del when he bred the grand-dam, Delivion (Oblivion –Delalee) in 1991.
Hunter won his first race as an owner with the trotter Star Welcome, trained and driven by Jimmy Bond, at Wyndham in 1973. He is also the owner of Splash Cola, the trotter who has won three times from 10 starts. Splash Cola, trained by Nathan Williamson, was sidelined in March last year with a tendon problem.
Greg and Jo Bennett, of Warepa (South Otago) had a dream start as owners when Clifton Tactic won at her second start. They took over the 3-year-old Washington VC – Clifton Flier filly from the estate of Greg’s father, Noel Bennett, who died in November. His widow, Shona did not wish to continue with horses.
Clifton Tactic, who finished third in her other start, is trained by Martin Denton on the property at East Taieri where Noel had done preliminary work with the filly. Denton began training there about 12 months ago when he sold his property at North Taieri and bought land at Momona to develop as a training facility.
Noel raced Starsky’s Dream, winner of nine races when trained by Graeme Anderson. Starsky’s Dream was sold to the United States in September and has been successful there.
Clifton Tactic is the first foal of Clifton Flier, a Live Or Die – Clifton Croupier mare who did not win in 21 starts. Greg and Jo Bennett have also inherited a Lis Mara colt and a Mach Three filly out of Clifton Flier.
Cimarron, winner of the first heat of a claimer series in the hands of Darren Keast, was claimed for $1500 by Christchurch junior driver, Craig Smith. Laughing Cavalier, who weakened to sixth after holding a big lead, was claimed for $7500 by Grant Milne, of Dunedin.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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