By Mac Henry
On a 12 race programme at Winton on Sunday, seven of the races were mobile 2400 metre contests and all were run in faster than three minutes. Quickest was Bonnie Jean in 2:53.8 then Delight My Soul 2:55.1, Major Hippie 2:55.3, Steiger 2:56.4, Boom Time 2:56.8, Comic Book Hero 2:57.1 and Gabby’s Delight 2:58.2.
Other highlights of the under-card included:
* After breaking for more than 50 metres in the final 200 at Invercargill and being disqualified, Bets Commando never put a foot wrong on Sunday. Leading all the way she took the Winton Workouts Committee Trot for non-winners.
* When you’re hot you’re hot and after starting in April with just three wins for the season, trainer Alan Paisley has doubled his tally. He got two last week at Invercargill and Gabby’s Delight in the Advance Agriculture Ltd up to M46 Mobile Pace at Winton.
* More than 57 years after driving his first winner, Winterloch on the big grass track at Invercargill in October 1959, and 10 years since his previous, Village Lord at Invercargill in March 2007, Gary McEwan’s win meter ticked again on Sunday when Our Budd took out the Cox Family Trot for up to R52 trotters. Included in his wins is one at Sacramento in California on a New Zealand horse Sholtz End. The 75-year-old McEwan also trains Our Budd and had a second runner in the race, Eyre’s Rag Doll driven by Hamish Hunter, who finished seventh. This was a reverse of the situation at Invercargill last November when Eyre’s Rag Doll with Hunter aboard won – to credit McEwan with his first training success since Summit Invasion in 2005 – while Our Budd and McEwan finished seventh.
* Woodlands trainer Steve Baucke dedicated the win of Delight My Soul in the SBS Bank Mobile for R52 to R54 pacers to the memory of his brother Darrin, who passed away in Hamilton on Thursday from prostate cancer, aged 51. With four racehorses, two joggers and one breaker in work, Baucke said he has more on the go than ever. Three wins, courtesy of Delight My Soul (two) and I’m Jimmy James, put him on target to beat his best from the 2011/12 term when Citylight won four. Citylight and I’m Jimmy James are half-sister and brother.
* Boom Time’s win in the PGG Wrightson Mobile for MR47 to MR52 pacers added to the southern success of the Butterworth Racing Syndicate who won last week with Jimmy Mack. A Gotta Go Cullect three-year-old, he was bred by Robin and Mandy Swain with Robin also the trainer and driver. Boom Time qualified in December and changed hands the same week.
* Comic Hero won the Lamb & Cattle Graziers Mobile for up to R44 pacers for his Tauranga-based owner and breeder Graham Cooney and local trainer Hamish Hunter. It was Hunter’s eighth win of the season, four have been with horses bred and owned by the RIB board member alone and the other four with horses he has bred and owns in partnership.
* From a 20 metre handicap in the Murray Gray Memorial R52 and faster Trot, Spotlight the Valley created a new all-comers track record for 2400 metres of 3:02.1. The record was previously held by Santorini Sunset of 3:02.8 set in March 2015. It was the five-year-old Skyvalley mare’s third win since Christmas, all with Blair Orange in the sulky. She is trained at Balfour by Robert Wilson who is enjoying his best season, having won also with Another Delight (2), Eagle Galleon, Major Vibes and Machie Mach.
* A second line draw didn’t stop Steiger and driver Kirk Larsen early and they soon had the one-one in the Gallagher Animal Management R46 to R51 Mobile Pace. Three-back from the 900 meant they had work to do turning in though but wove a path through to get up by three quarters of a length. It was Larsen’s second win from 10 drives on the son of Bettor’s Delight who was bred and is raced by Jim and Alistair Veint and Warren Tuckey and trained by Lindsay Veint at West Plains.
* All Stars first-starter Major Hippie dominated the New World Winton Mobile Pace in the day’s fastest time for non-winners over 2400 metres from behind the mobile. The three-year-old is raced by Trevor Casey, Neil Pilcher, Jim Gibbs and Cheryl Rasmussen.
* Bonnie Jean made it five from eight, and two from two for her dam Wave Runner when winning the Drainage & Excavation Services for R55 to R70 pacers and three-year-olds up R75. Bred by Julie Davie and Peter and Dan Cummings of Tuapeka Lodge, Bonnie Jean is a younger half-sister to Southern Belle Speed Series winner Break Dance.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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