18 June 2024 | Ashleigh Paikos
Last week Four Diamonds Pacing celebrated their 400th training success, but they didn’t sit on 400 wins for long, with Saturday night’s win with Bettor Arcade delivering De Campo win 401.
The Westbred three-year-old by champion sire Bettors Delight is the first living foal out of The Parade NZ and was an earner of in excess of $425,000, with the extremely well performed mare taking out the $125,000 Westral Mares Classic in 2016 for trainer Justin Prentice, driven by Australian legend Chris Alford.
The Parade had just the three starts after that, including a win in the 2017 Empress Stakes, before retiring to the breeding barn.
Speaking with owner Craig Lynn, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time when he got his hands on The Parade NZ.
Kim Prentice was in New Zealand at the time and found the then filly at the sales, and with an incredibly low purchase price of around $17,000/$18,000 (landed) The Parade NZ ended up in WA, becoming Lynn’s highest earner.
“Kim Prentice back in the day went over to New Zealand and she was passed in at the sale and he gave me the option to buy her, and I said yeah we will take her.” Lynn said.
The Parade NZ has just the two foals now, with two-year-old Pipers Parade now currently on spell after having one educational trial at the start of the year with Jocelyn Young.
Lynn is confident both horses have the ability, but like their mum, he’s sure they’re going to be later to bloom.
“The mum didn’t sort of hit her straps until she was three-and-a-half/four, the young ones definitely get a bit of growing pains, and he’s (Bettor Arcade) is only just starting to come good, whereas she is a bit bigger, so she’s same,
“She’s (Pipers Parade) has shown a bit to her, but she’s just not ready,
“I think they both go alright.”
Bettor Arcade has now had just the nine starts for three wins and three placings, including two wins in a row now for his connections.
Lynn has a long association in the industry with a number of different trainers but has had his fair share of success with horses such as Quite A Delight NZ (Justin Prentice), Highroller Joe (Aiden De Campo) and Bettor Reward (Justin Prentice), with Lynn certain they didn’t see the best of him.
“He had a soft palate problem, but ability wise, he could have been anything.”
Lynn’s introduction to harness racing is more of a traditional one, with family involvement piquing his interest, but with work keeping him busy, he doesn’t often get the time to watch his horses in the flesh.
Lynn is a relation to Barry Howlett who also had success on Saturday night, with accidental New Zealand purchase Bortolo NZ breaking through for his maiden win at nine-years-old, at just his fourth attempt.
Trained and driven by Aldo Cortopassi, a few niggling issues saw the now aged pacer spend an extended period in the paddock, but by all past reports, Cortopassi is confident the horse has the ability to go through the country grades.
An accidental purchase by Barry Howlett when he was in New Zealand back in 2016, Howlett never had any intention of buying the then yearling gelding, but with a miscommunication, Brett Mangos somehow made the winning bid, surprising Howlett with the son of Aukland Reactor.
Bortolo NZ is a relation to 2010 Inter Dominion runner Baileys Dream NZ, who went on the earn $1.216million, a winner of 23 races from just 71 starts.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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