By Mac Henry
Sheeza Shark set a new mare’s mobile 2200 metre track record of 2:41.9 when beating Pulp Fiction at Gore on Saturday.
Trainer Austin Stack had borrowed Phil Williamson’s Invercargill-made Gazelle sulky for the race. It was involved in about a dozen records last season and is making its presence felt again this term.
Stack had expected Sheeza Shark to need a race before being able to achieve what she did but noted that with age she had got stronger and more professional.
His mare went into the race as a C6 and was only eligible because she was driven by Canterbury ‘concession’ junior Matt Anderson.
She has a C7 rating now and that poses problems for him. “The are not a lot of options,” he said, suggesting the Tuapeka Cup was one and a $40,000 listed race for mares at 1950 metres on Show Day a definite prospect.
Next year, Stack likes the thought of the Invercargill Cup, a race he has already won twice with Prince Rashad.
Branxholme owners Lindsay and Ian Thomson went to the 2013 premier sale and bought three lots, trainer Alister Back took all three to Gore on Saturday and came away with two wins and a third.
Pulling The Strings won a C0 pace at his second start, Ossessione a C0 pace on debut, and Abraham Jones was third in the C0 trot at her second start.
They paid $43,000 in total and the common comment of Ian Thomson when discussing each of the purchases was that the brothers are not put off lots by sires with no stock on the track.
“He was worth a punt,” he said of Pulling The Strings from the first New Zealand crop of Shadow Pay, acquired for $10,000 after failing to meet the reserve.
“We bought him on type, he was nice and compact and looked a picture at sale time,” Thomson said, adding that being by a first season sire didn’t concern them because he was out a good mare.
Pulling the Strings is the seventh foal of Holm’s Spirit and fifth winner. Ossessione from the second crop of Santanna Blue Chip is a half brother to the ill-fated group-race-placed Major Obsession and went for $15,000.
Thomson said they were initially attracted to his photo in pre-sales publicity. “He looked just like the photo, a strong upstanding individual,” he said.
Trotter Abraham Jones, by Southwind Vernon from the three-win mare Jani Franco, cost $18,000. His sire raced in Scandinavia and Europe and his dam is a half sister to Jumanji Franco, Jacanti Franco and Jag’s Invasion.
Envious, part-owned by Kenny Baynes, came up a length short in the Farewell Colin Baynes fillies and mares pace with victory going to El Cartel, owned by Roger and Helen Price.
It was their second winner in two meetings with El Cartel successful at her third start, trumping an earlier second and third. She probably cost herself a winning chance when second at Invercargill last week by not running straight and looked like doing the same at Gore before picking herself up within the shadows of the post.
El Cartel drew eight and Roger Price said her dam Midday Reign also drew eight when winning at this Gore meeting 12 years ago. “She never won another,”
Price said. El Cartel is out of the good mare Fuel Queen who won one in the south when trained by Price before winning four in the north with Geoff Small.
Super Queen, Presidential Reign, Cullen’s Consort and King Caractacus are other good winners from Fuel Queen. El Cartel by Elsu is the first winner from Midday Reign and Price said he liked the out-cross provided by Elsu.
Driving doubles went to Brad Williamson – Ossessione and Heard The Whisper, Matt Anderson – Zen Warrior and Sheeza Shark, and Jonny Cox – Run To Hide and That Cat, and they were all in back to back races.
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