By Mac Henry
Two sponsors, two trainers and a driver had days to remember at Ascot Park on Sunday.
Sponsorship of the fixture was taken up by members of the Stuffed Hawks Golden Oldies rugby team and two of them were also winning owners.
Zen Warrior won the Kia/Isuzu Vehicle Sales Pace for owners Gary Tippett, John Edminstin and Raewyn Shirley. Tippett is service manager for Southland Vehicle Sales, sponsor of the race.
Zen Warrior is trained locally by Brent Shirley who paid $12,000 for him at the 2013 premier sale. Tippett previously had a share in Kentucky Girl, a winner in February 2013 for Shirley before breaking down.
Shirley also produced Black Athena to take the first Cleanways 2003 Ltd Fillies and Mares Pace. A half-sister by Bettor’s Delight to the 19-race winner Vi Et Animo, Black Athena is raced by Wayne and Alison McCullough and Peter and Liz Forde.
Zen Warrior and Black Athena were driven by Nathan Williamson who also trained and drove trotter Grey Power to victory in the Forde Auto Services Ltd Trot. Black Athena’s part-owner Peter Forde is the manager of Forde Auto Services.
Williamson had already won the Fernhill Limeworks Ltd Mobile on Pavarotti to give him a bag of four for the second successive meeting at Ascot Park. More than half of his 22 driving wins this season have been achieved on the Invercargill track.
Pavarotti is prepared by Ryal Bush trainer Brett Gray who took four to the races and won with three of them, giving him season figures of 10 wins from 40 runners.
Double Impact won for Gray in the second Cleanways 2003 Ltd Fillies and Mares Pace. Like Pavarotti he is raced by Melbourne owners Meg and Merv Butterworth.
Earlier this season, Run To Hide (two) and Blackguard’s Corner were other Gray winners for them.
Gray said he is a Southland stopping point for Butterworth purchases and has seven of theirs in work at the moment. Pavarotti was spotted at the workouts by the Butterworth’s local agent and qualified for Gray a few weeks later.
“He galloped at his first start so we put heavier hopples and pacifier on,” Gray said. “He’s very green but he’ll get there, he can have a wee spell now.”
Double Impact won three races for Invercargill trainer Murray Brown before being acquired by the Butterworths. She was having her second start for Gray.
His third winner was Odette Jaccka in the Goodman Plumbing Ltd Mobile for Riversdale owners Charlie and Ailsa Smaill.
Gray had previously produced Jen Jaccka to win twice this term for the Smaills. Odette Jaccka, who was trained by Brown for her first win – at Invercargill in March last year – was having her seventh start and first win for Gray.
“She’ll get ready for Christmas racing now,” Gray said. “Jen Jaccka had the week off at Smaills after Addington, Charlie will jog her for a week now.”
Pavarotti, a three year old gelding by Christian Cullen from Opera Doon, was bred by the late Colin Baynes. He was developed by Robin Swain and sold to the Butterworths at the same time as Better Go Hurry, second at Wyndham last week.
“He had high speed”, Swain said of Pavarotti before chiming in with a win of his own, training and driving Franco Huntington in the Thayer Todd Valuations/Southern Ocean Safety Equipment Pace.
The four year old is raced by the Bowl A Bouncer syndicate organised by Gore real estate consultant and trainer Bill McDonald.
“They leased two horses from Spreydon Lodge through Steven McRae that weren’t going to make three year olds and needed time,” Swain said.
“Franco Huntington is getting better, Franco Nixon is the better one but got crook.”
McDonald’s charge Machinegun Kelly, driven by Swain, finished a game third in the Forklifts NZ Ltd Handicap won by Milligan for the Wilson family. Milligan was driven by junior C. Ferguson and was his 11th win for the season.
Ferguson remains second on the National premiership, eight behind Brad Williamson who was the successful driver of Odette Jaccka.
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