NZ HARNESS NEWS
Otago trainer Graeme Anderson is unlikely to be tempted by the glamour of the Sires Stakes Series with Ascot Park winner Motu Top Mach.
The three-year-old scored a come from behind win to help Anderson off the roller coaster of emotions he went on during the final event at Invercargill on Sunday.
The victory provided the trainer with some compensation after he watched his short-priced runner Bettor Sensation gallop out of contention after he was checked by Franco Huntington just over a lap out.
Motu Top Mach showed he could be up to the better class three-year-olds when sprinting past a line-up of more seasoned middle grade pacers to win.
Though the horse is clearly going well enough to justify lining up in the Sires Stakes Series, Anderson is not convinced by the idea.
“We have been talking about it, but we are just not sure,” he said.
“We were aiming it if there was a heat in Dunedin, but now that has been changed.
“He is good enough to go, but is it what we should be doing with a horse that is still only two? He wasn’t born until the end of November.
’It is a big call to go, but it is also a big call not to go.’’
Anderson is favouring a patient approach to the early stages of Motu Top Mach’s three-year-old campaign, but could be tempted by bigger targets later in the season.
“In my opinion, the Sires Stakes is for horses that have been racing at the top level the whole way through.
“Eamon Maguire missed those races and there was plenty for him to race in later in the season.”
Should Motu Top Mach not go to an upcoming Sires Stakes heat, he may enjoy a short spell, which would help the horse continue to strengthen.
“He just put in a couple of rough steps on Sunday and he is still growing.”
“If you look closely at the video, he just was hanging a bit before the turn. He is probably better off in the paddock for a month.”
Franco Huntington’s driver, Anthony MacDonald was charged with careless driving after Bettor Sensation’s exit from Sunday’s race.
The JCA imposed a fine of $400 on the visiting North American horseman,
McDonald was also fined $200 for shifting ground in the previous race behind Doubt Me Not.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
