Ottley joins 500 club
Sam Ottley has become just the second female driver to record 500 wins in this country. The Teal Pants ambassador went into today’s races at Oamaru on 498 wins, only to win race 2 with Mayhem in Malibu ($10.80/$2.40) and then Race 4 with favourite Deceptive Lee ($2.30 and $1.30). The first to reach the milestone was Nicky Chilcott who’s currently on 648. Ottley’s been in fine form this season, and now has 45 winners for the season and looks set to eclipse her previous season’s best of 68 wins in 2020. Ottley is one of two South island ambassadors for Teal Pants, the annual campaign to raise awareness about and raise funds for ovarian cancer.
Spirit of St Louis heads north
Spirit of St Louis has moved from his Otago base to South Auckland. The four-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou has gone from Graeme Anderson and Mike Love to Joshua Dickie at Clevedon. With eight wins in 16 starts, his last effort was a fifth in the Group 3 Southern Supremacy Stakes final in Invercargill behind Burnham Boy. Four race winner Yankee Party has also changed stables, moving from Katrina and John Price to the stables of his regular driver Nathan Williamson.
Dance Craze retired after 24 wins
Prolific-winning trotter Dance Craze has been retired. Trained by Anton Golino and expat Kiwi Jack MacKinnon at their Ballarat stables in Victoria, the daughter of Muscle Hill recently pulled up sore. Golino : “It’s not really a bad injury. Any other horse you could probably give her a little break, come back and be fine. But she’s seven now, made half a million and she’s done her job.” She had 24 wins from 50 starts, including the 2017 Breeders Crown series, the 2019 Great Southern Star, and the 2020 Australian Trotting Grand Prix. Dance Craze raced once in this country, a third in the Ruby 4YO trot at the Jewels in Cambridge in 2018. Now she’ll become a mum.
Four-for for Dexter Dunn
Kiwi star Dexter Dunn has had a four win night at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and is currently the second highest-earning driver in the U.S. for the year. Recently named Driver of the Year for the second consecutive time the 31 year old won with Forevernalways, Rockin The Aces, Whittaker N and Somebeach Baron at the Big M to now have 56 wins for 2021. His earnings of $USA566,249 are second to Trace Terick ($US594,895).
Riverton turns 60.
The Riverton Trotting Club is throwing a party for the public of Southland when it celebrates 60 years of racing at its annual Cup Day meeting at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill on Saturday 13 February.On course the day will see feature events including the 31st running of the $15,000 DT King’s Transport Ltd Riverton Cup, the Neville Cleaver Fishing Aparima Trot and the Bill Keast Memorial Gold Chip Trotting Final.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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