NZ HARNESS NEWS
Gore Harness Racing Club president Kenny Baynes had a day to remember at his local meeting on Wednesday.
Baynes won the first two trotting events when promising types in Too Cool and War Admiral won stylishly and very easily, and later had the satisfaction of presenting the Gore Cup to himself when Royal Bengal continued his good form in holding out the late charge from rank outsider Gotta Del.
Baynes, a son of the late Colin Baynes, had actually been reasonably confident of winning four races but his other starter War Machine, the favourite from the back mark of 40m for the feature trot, made an uncharacteristic break.
“I can recall dad winning four races in one day at a Gore meeting,” said Baynes. “That would have been a pretty hard act to follow but we did fancy our chances.”
Too Cool and Royal Bengal are raced by Baynes Racing Ltd, which is Baynes and his sister-in-law Penny. The latter is married to John Baynes and like Kenny, she runs a major dairy operation.
War Admiral and War Machine are raced by Kenny and his wife Jo, a licence holder who has trained Envious to win three races this season. Kenny and Jo raise and pre-train the horses before they’re dispatched to various trainers, including Brent Lilley and Lance Justice in Victoria. Kenny is at the centre of pretty major racing operation as well with 60-plus horses on the books including broodmares and foals.
“I’ve got seven trainers on the payroll and we’re working through a dozen two-year-olds including five trotters.
“We’re having a pretty good run this season with 10 winners so far I think – it’s a bit hard to keep track of them all.”
Baynes’ winners on Wednesday will all be winning a lot more races while War Machine has already won seven and has pretty much won his way out of the classes in Southland.
Too Cool, a four-year-old mare by Majestic Son, is not very big but she is big on ability and won untouched in the hands of Brent Barclay for trainer Brett Gray. She was resuming after winning at Winton at her second start in the autumn. Too Cool was bred by Colin but acquired by Kenny when he bought all of his father’s remaining interests in horses a few years ago.
She is a half-sister to Cool Cobber, who won nine races trotting and $109,000 for Kenny, and also John Of Arc.
The latter was a pacer by Courage Under Fire who was sold as a maiden to the Halls in Western Australia, where he has won 19 races and $315,000. He is now based in Victoria.
Too Cool’s third dam is Cool Cat, a fine trotting mare by Johnny Gee for Colin winning 10 races, the last of them at a Gore meeting in 1980 when she came off 80m to down Our One (70m).
“With her speed we’re pretty keen to breed from her one day but Brett thinks she can be a pretty good racehorse first.”
The same can be said of the Skyvalley three-year-old War Admiral with trainer Tony Stratford considering a tilt at age group features starting with the Hambletonian at Ashburton.
With Dexter Dunn driving on Wednesday, in his second run back after galloping in the first, War Admiral proved too strong in the maiden trot for the Phil Williamson-trained three-year-olds Kenny’s Dream and Our Gracie, the former a filly by Dream Vacation from One Under Kenny.
“He’s a lovely big horse although he’s still pretty green.”
Baynes bred War Admiral from Lilly’s Moment, a big Sundon mare closely related to Stig and Take A Moment.
Royal Bengal would have won his last three races but for running into Tiger Thompson at Addington recently when he led and went a 1.54 mile rate. Royal Bengal is another one that was acquired from Colin and he traces to the splendid broodmare Brahmaputra, who produced 11 winners.
Robin Swain trained Royal Bengal to win a maiden at the same Gore meeting a year ago and then win at Roxburgh before a virus wrecked his summer campaign and he’s been with Ken and Tony Barron this time in.
“I ran into Tony at the Jewels and he asked me when I was going to send him a horse.
“I told him I’d send a pony but I sent Royal Bengal because he was the easiest one to catch.”
Royal Bengal will now target the Country Cups circuit in Southland but ultimately Baynes is considering racing him in Perth from the Hall stable.
“He’d be very good around the small track there. He’s got great gate speed and he just keeps going.”
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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