By Mac Henry
Waikiki Beach, Chicago Bull and Swap Over have won 40 races between them since clashing in the 2015 New Zealand Kindergarten Stakes at Wyndham. Chicago Bull was already a winner then, Waikiki Beach and Swap Over were on debut.
No prizes for guesssing Swap Over has been the least successful of the trio, finally breaking through for his first win in the Balfour Tavern Mobile at the Northern Southland Club’s fixture at Ascot Park on Thursday. It was a C0 race for horses unplaced in their previous three starts.
Swap Over was driven by Matt Anderson for trainer Brent Shirley who was relieved the $21,000 yearling sales purchase had finally made good, after a career of bad luck, doing things wrong, and a virus earlier this season. The son of Changeover and Jenna Franco, raced by Shirley’s wife Raewyn, Ross Anderson and Donna Proudman, is a full brother to My Wee Man, a winner at Rangiora on Sunday.
More satisfaction for Shirley came later in the day when stable star Costa Del Magnifico overcame his 50 metre handicap to claim the House of Travel Lakers Summer Cup. The Mach Three five year old began smartly in the hands of driver Nathan Williamson who had the confidence mid-race to loop the field and take control. In front 1250 metres out, Costa said goodbye on the turn.
It was the result Shirley and Williamson had been waiting for and the entire was barely puffing on his return to the tie-up chains.
“He blew after Omakau but got over it, this is an improvement, the driver’s smiling,” said Shirley, who plans only more run for Costa Del Magnifico before he defends his crown in the $32,000 group three Invercargill Cup on 28 January.
“He’ll have one workout, just sit last and run home,” said Shirley.
The win was Williamson’s second for the day and continued his good year, both on and off the track. Before 2017 was much more than a day old, Williamson had plenty to celebrate with the birth of his and Katie’s daughter Milly May at 12:15am on 2 January.
On the seventh day of the new year, his first driving win was at Cromwell on Astral Ruler, trained by his father Phil. The win was a milestone for Phil, his 500th training win with squaregaiters.
On Thursday, Nathan picked up his first training win for the year when Sundons Wish took out the Shane Matheson Crutching/Mark Jones Racing Stables Trot on debut. He also drove the five year old, bred by stable client Neville Cleaver from the family of Sun Watch, Aleana and Musgrove, and developed by Ian Jamieson.
“I got him four to five weeks ago so he could be worked in company,” Williamson said.
Frowns often accompany a trotter winning at its first outing but Williamson is not worried.
“He’s a five year old, has had a bit of experience and tripping around with no major problems. He’s a handy trotter and if you are going to win first up, this is the right time of the year, there are more C1 trotters around so you don’t have to race five winners straight off.”
The other multiple winners on Thursday were driver Dexter Dunn with three and trainer Cran Dalgety who provided two of them. Significant for Dunn was his three victories carried him back to the top of the premiership, although only joint equal with Blair Orange.
Dunn and Dalgety struck first with Bonnie Joan, who made it three from six in the Mossdale Three Year Old Fillies Mobile, scooting from the outside of the front line and leading throughout. In the Northern Tavern/Southland S.B.A. Mobile 1700, they scored with the Cavalla Bloodstock bred and owned Runaway Star in 2:03.0, mile rate 1:56.4. Tony Stratford provided Dunn’s third winner, Magicol Delight in the Omalass-The New Dried Molasses Mobile 2200.
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