Track record for Pulp Fiction

By Mac Henry

Pulp Fiction lowered a Gore track record set last century when winning the local Trotting Cup on Sunday.

Adio Routine was the previous fastest horse over 2700 metres from a stand, clocking 3:24.3 in October 1998. Pulp Fiction went from a 30 metre handicap, looped the field to lead for the final 1500 metres and paced the trip in 3:20.9.

A $22,000 yearling sales purchase, Pulp Fiction is trained at Macca Lodge by Tony Stratford and raced by Stratford’s uncle, Alan Steel, cousin Raymond Steel, and another cousin’s partner Sally McCann. Stratford confirmed the group three Central Otago Cup is next for the four year old son of Art Major and Joys Underworld with the 3200 metre group three Invercargill Cup on 30 January to follow.

Dexter Dunn was the winning driver and also scored with De Vito and Sovereign Banner. De Vito, winner of the maiden trot, is raced by the Balfour Syndicate set up by local identity Robert Wilson, and trained by Billy Heads on the hills of Waimumu. Heads said he has been working on the Sundon four year old for some time but he was a bit weak.

“He’s stronger now, especially in the head,” he remarked.

Sovereign Banner is the same age and his Westwood Beach trainer Graeme Anderson said he was big so he waited on him.

“As the late Ted Winsloe said, ‘if you want to be a good trainer you’ve got to have time and patience’,” Anderson added, referring to the Gore-based premiership winning galloping trainer of the 1960s.

The new name at the top of the Southland Trainers premiership this season is Brett Gray and that continued on Sunday. He ended the day in 13th place on the National table with 13 wins, following the success of Better Go Hurry and Odette Jaccka. Both were driven by Brent Barclay.

Better Go Hurry, Gray’s eighth individual winner for the season, was bred by the late Colin Baynes and purchased by the Butterworth Racing Syndicate. He is Gray’s sixth win for the Butterworths this term following Blackguard’s Corner, Run To Hide (two), Pavarotti and Double Impact.

“That was the first time he hadn’t been unlucky,” Gray said, “I’d love to have a stable full of horses like him, he’s got such a nice temperament.”

Odette Jaccka, raced by Charlie and Ailsa Smaill, has won three this season for Gray while stablemate Jen Jaccka, also raced by the Smaills, has scored twice. Gray, who broke his right leg at the beginning of November, was attending his first meeting since without having to use crutches.

Brad Williamson went to 28 wins for the season when Springbank Eden, owned locally by Alistair and Denise Smith, led for the last 2000 metres to take out the C2 to C4 Trot. His lead over Craig Ferguson in the New Zealand Junior Drivers premiership remained at 13 with Ferguson successful a race earlier on the Wayne Adams-trained Summertime Lizzie.

“She’s a tough horse and the pace on today suited her,” Adams said after the five year old’s win in 2:42.4.

Golden Gate and her Gore trainer John Ryan both had their first starts and first wins for the season when successful in the C1 Trot.

“Because of my work I couldn’t start working her until daylight savings,” Ryan said.

December after Christmas has proved lucrative for the pair whose previous win had been at Winton 12 months and two days earlier. The eight year old was reined by junior driver Rory McIlwrick and sat parked for the entire journey.

“She gave me a real good feeling in the warm-up and has good speed,” McIlwrick said, “when she stepped as good as she did we were in business.”