By Mac Henry
Eamon Maguire set Invercargill Cup day alight by breaking the mobile 2200 metre three year old track record for males, held jointly by Cup candidates Costa Del Magnifico and Heaven Rocks.
A three year old son of Art Major, Eamon Maguire led from the outset in the opening event the Zilco Products Mobile and paced the trip in 2:40.0, shaving a tenth of a second off the previous record. From the family of Changeover, he was purchased at the 2015 premier sale by his trainer Graeme Anderson and Wendy Muldrew for $34,000.
Anderson has retained a share in Eamon Maguire and races him with Brian Sceats, Ray Chalklin, Stephen Pulley, Tony Gow and Pauline Gillan. The win added another $6600 to the gelding’s earnings putting him well up the qualifiers table for the Southern Supremacy Stakes.
He was the first of two winners for Dexter Dunn whose second was a record-equalling one aboard Betta Go Fernco in the Arden Lodge Robin Dundee Crown Mares Mobile 1700. Sent out from the outside on the front line, Betta Go Fernco was soon in front and despite being pestered by RR Sand Dollar across the top, held firm to the line. She stopped the clock at 2:01.4, matching the previous best by a female, Raksdeal in 2014.
It was the second win in a row for the mare, trained by new-comer Aaron Swan who said a change in regime was helping.
“I was working her a bit much and she was getting tired, I just jog her between races now,” he said. “She recovers so well and has blossomed, having Dexter helps too.”
Swain said 2400 metres is closer to her best distance and a place in the Country Cups final was his aim. However, she has already qualified for the Southern Belle Speed Series and he is likely to look that way as well now.
Foo Fighter on debut was all the rage for the SBS Bank 2700 but his trainer and driver Nathan Williamson said he wasn’t confident after the preliminaries of getting away safely from the stand-start. Williamson had deliberately targetted the big money for his first start and the 2200 metre mobile had been an option.
“The 2700 distance suited and although the stand was a question, the field wasn’t as strong” he said. “I gave him practice before the race and he wasn’t good but he went away ok.”
The American Ideal three year old was initially trained by John Earl who took him to the trialling stage in partnership with wife Juliet and the gelding’s breeders Karen and Ben Calder. Nathan Williamson drove the gelding to qualify for Earl in April and later, some of his good clients bought into him. Juliet Earl and Karen Calder remained and were joined by Williamson’s wife Katie, her mother and grandfather Raewyn and Alan Jones, along with Neville Cleaver, Kevin Strong and Syd Slee.
“The Northern Southland Futurity is his next aim,” Williamson said.
Dark Horse provided Williamson with a second trainer-driver win taking out the Brendan Franks Farrier Trot in emphatic fashion. She is out of Juliana, making her a half sister to Monty Python and Father Christmas who finished second and fourth in the race.
Williamson got a third driving win on the Brett Gray-trained Young Conqueror who is raced by Robert and Sharyn Symon. They owned last year’s Southland Oaks winner Nek Time and hope Young Conqueror is the horse to give them the Supremacy Stakes this year. With three wins from four starts, it is far from a forlorn hope.
Gray produced a second winner when Brent Barclay guided Jimmy Mack from the outside of the second line to win the PGG Wrightson Pace stylishly. A winner on the course in June for trainer Peter Hunter, the Washington VC gelding was subsequently purchased by Butterworth Racing and having his first start since.
Whittaker sat parked for most of the 2200 metres McKnight & Brown mobile and reeled of a last quarter in 26.9 to give trainer Mark Jones and driver Samantha Ottley the first of two wins on the day. The three year old son of Sportswriter was a private purchase last season by Greg Brodie and won on debut. His latest run was in a non-tote four-horse Breeders Crown heat at Addington in which he finished second to Pacing Major.
Second winner for the Jones-Ottley combo was Ariadne Lavra, group-race placed on the track last season at two and a winner at the Riverton meeting there in October. The filly went off 20 metres in the 2700 metre stand-start contest and sat parked for much of the second half of the race.
Ottley said the way the races were run, being parked wasn’t the worst place to be and both were comfortable and relaxed. In addition it said something about the pair that had previously been “a bit unknown”.
“They are both nice horses and we knew they had high speed,” she said, “it showed they’ve got the all round game.”
Gordon Lee took Moment Of Sun, back marker in the 2700 metres Invercargill Workouts Committee Trot to the front early in the race and she looked the winner a long way out. It was an overdue sixth win for the consistent mare, owned by Lee’s wife Betty and Brian Church of Riversdale.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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