NZ HARNESS NEWS
A Bettor Act smashes track record in 2YO Classic
He’s no Lazarus, but stablemate A Bettor Act ran the 2200 metres of the Group 3 $45,000 Diamond Creek Farm Juvenile Classic at Ascot Park today nearly over six seconds faster than the champion did to win the same race in 2015.
A Bettor Act stopped the clock in a two-year-old track record of 2:40.6 and driver Tim Williams admitted to being a bit surprised.
“I didn’t think we were going that fast, it paid keeping out of the early burn,” he said.
From six off the gate, Williams settled one off in midfield before taking the only colt in the field to the front 1200 metres from home.
The race became a procession soon after but despite the ease of the victory, the successful reinsman pointed out comparing the effort to that of Lazarus was unfair.
“It was blowing a gale that day,” he said.
First run in 2014 for $12,000, the race has enjoyed a rapid rise in stature.
The distance increased from 1700 metres the first year and has been run at 2200 metres each year since while the stake has gone up progressively to the $45,000 on offer today.
Not surprisingly, the All Stars have the best record in the race, winning the first with Kept Under Wraps and the second with Lazarus.
Fellow Canterbury visitor Memphis Tennessee stuck on well for second while Escalera and trainer/driver Gavin Smith made it a trifecta for the out-of-towners.
Swimming meet lands Seebeck an Oaks winner
A chance meeting at a school swimming day just over two years ago is paying dividends for Christchurch’s Ray Seebeck.
Seebeck, a co-owner of Sunday’s Nevele R Stud/Macca Lodge Group 2 $45,000 Southland Oaks winner Dibaba, reckons the 2016 Southbridge school swimming sports were their best ever.
They were on during the premier yearling sale at Christchurch and Seebeck was at the sports supporting his grand-daughter.
Glenys Chmiel was also there, watching her and husband Terry’s daughter compete.
During a conversation between the two, Seebeck asked her if the Chmiels had bought anything at the sales.
“She said they’d bought a couple and were going to look at another one on Saturday,” explained Seebeck who races Dibaba with Colin Tennant.
“I said that if they thought it was okay we’d be interested.”
Dibaba, by Shadow Play from Imprint, had been offered at the sales by Legends Bloodstock and was passed in at $15,000.
When the Chmiels inspected her after the sales, they were impressed enough to recommend her to Seebeck and Tennant and business was transacted.
Dibaba is a half-sister to the winners Carbon Zero, Opulent (18 wins and approx. $300,000), Idolise, Idealindiamonds and Imola.
A two-year-old Well Said filly, a yearling A Rocknroll Dance colt and a full brother to Dibaba at foot were her subsequent offerings. Tennant and Seebeck have owned the dam since October.
For the Chmiels, the win was a repeat of their Oaks win two years ago with Nek Time although Dexter Dunn was in the sulky that day while Terry himself was in charge today.
Drawn 12 in the 2700-metre contest, Chmiel won the race when he took the favourite to the front two laps out and dictated terms from then on.
In the meantime, Dunn on the second favourite Betterthanbrie, was locked up on the poles until too late in the race and managed to sneak home for third behind the trailer, Tres Vite.
Glenys Chmiel is a daughter of the late Bryce Buchanan, who trained the 1995 Oaks winner Lover’s Wish and Glenys noted after the race how proud she was to win the race her father won more than two decades earlier.
Dibaba will now be aimed for the Nevele R Final, New Zealand Oaks and Jewels.
Butterworth’s faith rewarded with Supremacy win
There was never any doubt in his new owner’s mind that Duke Of Wellington would win Sunday’s Group 2 $45,000 Southern Supremacy Stakes Final.
“I truly expected him to win,” said Merv Butterworth, who with his wife Meg purchased the horse for big money earlier in the week.
His faith was rewarded when the giant son of American Ideal proved too good for a field of classy three-year-olds, benefiting from a peach of a drive from Brent Barclay.
The Butterworths raced him in partnership with breeder and original owner Lester Smith, of Invercargill, for today’s race but took sole ownership as soon as he hit the finish line.
Butterworth said he could have purchased Duke Of Wellington a month ago at a cheaper rate.
“I could have got him for much less about four weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure he was what I was presuming.
“But the more he kept winning, the higher the price went. That’s the way it goes some times.”
Butterworth’s confidence stemmed from a supposedly objective assessment of the field.
“When I compared him to the opposition, I started to struggle to find what was going to be a tough horse to beat.
“After reviewing the field, I doubled the size of my bet.”
Butterworth paid tribute to the horse’s trainer Lauren Pearson and her partner, Barclay, for their conditioning skills and the latter’s drive.
“Brent is an excellent driver; he doesn’t get rattled and you couldn’t panic him if you tried.
“He drove the perfect race.”
Duke Of Wellington will now head to the property of the Butterworths’ good friend Diane Cournane to spell for two months.
Whether he goes to Brett Gray, Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, Tony Herlihy, Kerryn Manning or one of the Butterworths’ other trainers is yet to be decided.
“I haven’t thought about it,” said Merv.
“I’ll see what the racing programmes are like before I make up my mind.”
It was a first Group race win for Pearson, who has trained a small team on and off for 20 years.
“It’s a shame he’s going, but you’ve got to take the good with the bad,” she said post-race.
She attributed the horse’s run of four wins in a row due to experience and maturity.
“He’s just grown up and learned how to race. But he over-raced bit today so he might have been a little bit too well.”
Hail Christian was exceptional in running second for Christchurch trainer Paul Court after doing a mountain of work over the last lap while Franco Santino finished on for third.
- NZ Harness News
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