By Mac Henry
With two wins and 21 points, Zac Butcher was the star performer in the American Ideal Trans Tasman Drivers Challenge at Ascot Park on Sunday and helped carry the North Island to a decisive win in the team series.
Points in the four race series were awarded on the basis of 10, seven, five, three and one for first to fifth and the North, consisting of Zac and David Butcher, Maurice McKendry and Peter Ferguson scored 49. The South Island team consisting of
Dexter Dunn, Blair Orange, Ricky May and Nathan Williamson scored 29 and Australia, made up of John Caldow, Lisa Miles, Lance Justice and Kerryn Manning gained 20 points.
Orange and Manning were the only drivers to miss out on points while the others, after Zac Butcher were Ferguson – 15, Dunn – 12, McKendry – 11, Justice, Miles and May – 10, Williamson – seven, Caldow – six, and David Butcher – two.
Springbank Eden and McKendry took the first with trainer Phil Williamson telling his driver he was never going to outsprint them so drive to his strengths and make them work. In front from the 1400, Springbank Eden didn’t have Poppymalda toworry about after the hot-pot broke turning in, and won by four and three quarter lengths.
Zac Butcher and Bailey’s Wish took a half-head decision over Peter Ferguson on Lite Platinum in the second. A winner on the track in March when trained by Nigel McGrath, Baileys Wish has since changed hands and joined Brent Shirley on a permanent basis. She is out of the 12-race winner Black Eyed Bailey, a half sister to the $1.2million winner Baileys Dream. Murray and Sandra Allen, the new owners of Baileys Wish also race to talented Costa Del Magnifico from the Shirley barn.
Butcher said he had a cosy enough run but had to go three-wide well out because the parked horse had done a bit of work, and this added merit to the win. His second success came in the next aboard Beau Cishlom, crediting Lorneville trainer
Aaron Swain with his first training success. Swain is a son of trainer Murray Swain and concentrates on breaking in, pre-training and a bit of commercial fishing. Beau Cishlom is the first horse he has prepared for racing and was having just his fourth start for him.
“The sprint he showed at the end surprised me, he had been tending to knock off,” Swain said.
“He was good off the gate, got a good run and when I pulled the blinds he found another gear,” Butcher said.
In the final race, Butcher was the only North Islander to score, thanks to his fifth on In The Kitty. The battle for the wooden spoon was left to the South, who had both hands on it all series, and the Ausis. A quinella, with All Jokes Aside and Ricky May winning from Sammy The Bull and Nathan Williamson, saw the South Island release its grip at the death and relegate Australia to last.
All Jokes Aside is trained by Clark Barron, was fresh-up for the term and has now won two from four.
“He’s a good stayer and loves the distance races,” said Barron who also had success on the supporting card when he trained and drove the Cambridge owned and bred I’m Full Of Excuses to win the John Devlin Memorial Handicap.
“Like them all this year he was slow to come up but he’s back pretty good now,” Barron said of the group two Southern Supremacy Stakes winner, “he’ll race in the Country Cups over Christmas, he’s a good stayer.”
After a debut second at Wyndham, Galactic Star scored on Sunday at his second start. He is raced by the Test Syndicate, of which trainer Des Baynes is a member, and follows Poacher and Bettor Buy It as winners for them. Bettor Buy It, seventh in
Lochaburn’s derby, suffered a tendon injury in the Southern Supremacy Stakes a fortnight later. He is due to return to work this week.
Galactic Star is out of multiple winner Petra’s Star, a descendant of broodmare gem Sakuntala, and cost the syndicate $16,000 at the 2014 premier sale. Syndicate head the late John South said to Baynes if you see something that takes your eye and is the right price you can buy it.
“I did and it was,” said Baynes. “He qualified as a two year old colt but was a bit weak. He’s a gelding now.”
Soapbox, trained by Murray Brown and driven by Andrew Armour, won at his third start for the Tricode Syndicate number two. Invercargill Club committee member Peter Kett is the organiser of the syndicates and said that was the first harness winner for the number two group. Two greyhounds had won for them, no gallopers but Tinka Tinka contributed with a third at Cromwell, also on Sunday.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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