By Mac Henry
The run of Southland feature-race wins continued on Sunday for Canterbury trainer Nigel McGrath and North Island owners, Grant and Colin Eynon of Tauranga and Mark McKinnon of Auckland.
Their latest winner was Aloka in the $38,000 group three Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic. A colt by Bettor’s Delight, Aloka was driven by Blair Orange who in January won the Invercargill Cup aboard Classie Brigade for the same connections. He said Aloka was doing what he had to and keeps improving, suggesting he will have a bit of a future. McGrath also had the third placed Star Commander in the race, was pleased with both of them and said a place in the Jewels for the pair is the aim.
Aloka cut out the trip in a Southland record 2:43.7 for those of his age. It’s just the fourth year of the Two Year Old Classic and the third at 2200 metres with the winner going progressively faster each time. Lazarus took 2:47.0 when winning in 2015 and Mongolian Hero 2:43.8 last year.
Orange had been aboard Mongolian Hero last year to give him two Diamond Creeks in a row. He was back on the three year old on Sunday when he won the Transport Engineering Southland Mobile 2200 in a blistering 2:39.6, a new all-comers record for Ascot Park
Dark Horse was also in record setting mode, winning the Plumbing World Handicap Trot in 3:26.7, a Southland 2700 metres stand-start record for a trotting mare. Her trainer and driver Nathan Williamson said Dark Horse was trotting better than ever on Sunday and when she’s right is “just a good horse”.
The Jewels is the next aim for Dark Horse and he will let her tell him if she needs another run before hand. However, he feels she is needing more racing as she gets older and sees a mobile start race at Winton on 13 May as an appropriate option.
Trainer driver Kirk Larsen had some worrying moments before Bettor Ops was declared winner of the bMAC Sheetmetal Southern Country Cups Final by a head over Glenferrie Classic. Sent out favourite and trailling the second favourite Glenferrie Classic to the turn, Bettor Ops took the passing lane, went to a clear lead, but just lasted.
“He’s a bugger for knocking off and he wasn’t going to get going again,” Larsen said.
The win was Larsen’s first in the Country Cups Final since Howard Bromac in 2004 and like the former top-liner, Bettor Ops has Australian connections.
“He’s owned by Reg Turner and his son David from Sydney, we bought him at the sales, I’ve had a couple for them,” Larsen said. “He’s a big horse and took a bit of organising but is hitting his straps now. We’ll keep him going, he’s in the Jewels, that might be a bit rich for him, and there’s that new $40,000 Sires Stakes race in June.”
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