NZ HARNESS NEWS
Canterbury trio head to USA
The better pacing ranks in Canterbury took a hit last week with three talented horses departing for America.
The trio – Tiger Thompson, Cole Porter and Don Domingo – were all Country Cup winners last season and will leave a hole in the ranks that were at times wafer-thin.
They all departed Auckland on Friday morning and arrived in New York, via Sydney, China and Alaska, on Monday afternoon (NZ time).
Tiger Thompson and Cole Porter are both headed to Delaware, the same connections that purchased Tiger Thompson’s stablemate, Delishka, back in May.
Cole Porter won the Nelson Winter Cup in June when just a three-year-old for trainer Geoff Dunn and heads to America with four victories under his belt from just 13 starts.
Tiger Thompson was a highly-regarded three-year-old for Brad Mowbray but couldn’t quite match it with his peers last season.
Even so, the noted speedster managed to win the Central Otago Cup at Omakau and place in the Group 1 Easter Cup behind A G’s White Socks.
Don Domingo won seven races for Ken Barron, including last season’s Cheviot Cup and Oamaru Cup.
First winner for Waterloo Sunset
The win of Gil Favor at Methven on Sunday credited small-time sire Waterloo Sunset with his first winner.
Part-owner and trainer Paul Nairn mixed racing and stallion duties with the son of Sundon back in the spring of 2014, serving four mares with his semen.
Two got in foal, Gil Favor being one and the other a filly out of Nairn’s former handy mare Day Of Reckoning.
Waterloo Sunset also has a two-year-old and two yearlings on the ground, all bred and owned by Nairn.
Let-up for Robyns Playboy
Impressive graduation final winner Robyns Playboy has earned himself a short spell.
The Ross Wilson-trained three-year-old broke his maiden when winning the $12,000 Nugget Final at Winton late last month.
And he did it impressively, reeling off a sizzling 26.8sec last 400m on an easy Winton track.
The victory put the Shadow Play pacer in the early reckoning for this season’s Southern Supremacy Stakes qualifying and earned him a short spell, as well.
“He doesn’t turn three until late November so he is doing a pretty good job.
“I thought I would back off him and give him a wee spell.”
Robyns Playboy has placed in all three of his runs this season and has never finished further back than fourth in five career starts.
War Machine back on track
Canterbury trotter War Machine went some way to getting his spring campaign back on track by winning at the Addington trials on Monday.
The Tony Barron-trained trotter beat fellow fast class square-gaiter, Bordeaux, by a head in a 2600m standing start heat.
War Machine has galloped in his two starts this season, but trotted fluently to the line.
The five-year-old is among the most recent withdrawals from next month’s Gr.1 Dominion.
Glamour trotter, Monbet, and Harness Jewels winner, Habibi Inta, are the only two horses that were guaranteed a start in the race of the 18 that have been withdrawn.
A total of 34 trotters still remain in contention for the 3200m feature and 15 of those will start in the event.
Son of Sweet Lou hits the track
Louie The Horse, a winner at the Cambridge workouts the past two Saturdays, is the first by his sire, Sweet Lou, to be seen in public in New Zealand.
The Andrew and Lynn-Neal-trained juvenile impressed beating the older horses on Saturday and is expected to target the Young Guns series at Alexandra Park in December.
Sweet Lou, who stands at Woodlands Stud, has a first foal crop of 69, including a filly out of former champion race mare Adore Me.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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