River Runs Wet (Monday 21st November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
Despite not being sure how Regal River would handle the wet track, Gore trainer Allan McVicar knew he had the Red River Hanover gelding fit enough to win at Ascot Park on Sunday.
After being wide early, driver Matty Williamson took the four year old to the front at the 1600 metres and was able to control the pace from there.
"Matty said he had to take hold of him out of the gate and he went a bit rough for the first 600 metres but once he got to the front he just cruised," said McVicar.
He proved too strong for the trailing Diamante Maravu which was a length and a half back in second with another four and a half lengths back to Mustang Jaccka.
McVicar purchased Regal River at the 2009 Sale of the Stars for $7,000.
"I liked him on type and he was within my price range. On his dam side he had Courage Under Fire."
Regal River returning to the stables with Allan McVicar and Matty Williamson
Allan McVicar has been training horses for thirty five years, his first success coming at the Wyndham meeting in March 1976.
The horse was Killy Style, a four year old mare by Armbro Del which won the first division of the Visitor' Pace by a length and a half. That same day the time honoured Kindergarten Stakes was won by Arden Bay.
Other good horses McVicar has trained include Kawarau Bar. The Gaines Minbar gelding won four races for him and a further seven in Australia. Kotare Lou was another he had success with. He won three races in New Zealand and a further twelve in Australia, and over $150,000. in stakes.
McVicar, who runs a 400 acre sheep farm near Gore, says Regal River is now likely to race in a $9,000 C1 event at Invercargill on the 1st December. The event is also a Harness Plus race.
Butcher Does Homework (Monday 21st November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
Like all top reinsmen, David Butcher did his homework before driving Simply Genius to win at Invercargill on Sunday.
Butcher was representing Waikato in the American Ideal Interprovincial Drivers Championship and drove the Ian Goodman trained mare for the first time.
"She's been going well. She was either getting back and running on or running into interference. Today he (David Butcher) took her to the front and decided to take no prisoners. David had talked to Clark (Barron) who'd informed him that she was not the worst out there," said Goodman, who races the mare with stable client Doug McLeish.
The pair race the Christian Cullen mare on lease from Lang Breeding Limited.
"Clark jacked the lease up for us. She came down from Ken Barron's. She'd curved a hock as a two year old and the owner couldn't wait round on her so we brought her down, left her on Doug's farm and started on her as a three year old."
This was the mare's eleventh start and first win but her form line suggests she's improving.
"She's got an issue with steering. David said today she ran out quite wide in the straight again so we have to sort that out. She's still a maiden so we'll go back into a maiden field somewhere."
Simply Genius is out of a full sister to Sign Of Class, the winner of seven races with a 1-52.4 mile time in America. The mare's dam Night Line is also a half sister to Classy Filly, the winner of ten races.
Simple Genius winning with David Butcher - Photo - Megan Graham
McLeish and Goodman have had their share of success with horses; including Future Fortune (9), Connie Belle (3) and Falconix (1).
Girl Too Cool For Cobber (Monday 21st November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
The well related Knapdale Girl driven by Clark Barron outstayed eleven rivals, including her more fancied stablemate Cool Cobber, to win the Crazed At Woodlands Stud Special Trot at Invercargill on Sunday.
She was having her third start in the new season and co-trainer Robin Swain expected her to race well after a change in footwear on the five year old.
"We've put heavier shoes on her just to help get over that first bit and (for) later on in her races when she gets a bit tired and thinking about going into a gallop. She'd won at Gore on a wet track so that wasn't a problem. She seems to like them," said Swain.
Swain suggests the mare won't win races out of turn but her pedigree suggests she'll get better with age.
"I think she's good enough to win another couple in the next year or two. Her mother never got going until she was six."
Swain drove one of the race favourites Cool Cobber in Sunday's event. The four year old was having his first start as a trotter after first being tried as a pacer. He had impressed at trials and workouts to justify his favouritism but broke at the start and finished seventy two lengths behind stablemate Knapdale Girl.
"They mucked around at the start and he had to wait. He got a bit worked up and then when into a pace like he can do sometimes. He's been good at the workouts so we just have to work on improving his starts."
Although bred to trot, Swain and training partner Colin Baynes decided that pacing was the best thing for the Pegasus Spur gelding.
"Early on he was a bit of a ratbag. He was headstrong and I could see if we started him off as a trotter we could be there for five or six years so we put the hopples on him and that settled him down a bit. He gives the impression he's got speed so I think he could win four or five races in a year or so."
Knapdale Girl and Clark Barron winning at Ascot Park - Photo - Megan Graham
Brown's Two Year Olds Qualify (Wednesday 3rd November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
Three well bred two year olds all trained by Murray Brown qualified at the Ascot Park trials today.
Beaudiene Maja Babe, a half sister by Art Major to Beaudiene Bad Babe led all the way and beat her stable mates Awesum Teddy and Lucky Getaway.
Beaudiene Maja Babe is the third foal out the In the Pocket mare Beaudiene Babe. The mare's first foals are Beaudiene Bad Babe (22 wins) and Gun N Roses (9 wins).
“She’s been like the rest of family. They wander around a bit and are a bit green. Hopefully she’ll come out of that. At the workouts she ran fourth. And like her mother, (Beaudiene Babe) she won’t go up the passing lane,” said Brown.
Beaudiene Maja Babe after her run at Ascot Park
The second horse home, Awesum Teddy completed a stellar two weeks for local breeder and owner Marty Fairbairn.
Awesum Teddy’s full brother Eddie Boy and his half brother Best Deal Yet both qualified last week at Winton.
“We really like him. Today he didn’t steer as well as he has. He’s probably one of the better ones because he’s got a bit of top end speed. He won really well at the workout but then we ran into a wee problem.”
Lucky Getaway was an $11,000 purchase at the 2010 Sale of the Stars. He’s out of the nine race win mare Happy Golucky a half sister to Dreamy Atom the winner of six races and the dam of Western Dream (14 wins).
“He’s improving all the time. He was just a bit rough in his gait early but he’s starting to get there.”
Dreamy Atom (1994), Happy Golucky (1999) and Western Dream (2005) all won the Group Three Nevele R Stakes for two year old fillies at the Cheviot meeting in their time. The race was formally known as the Tall Tree Sweetheart Stakes and New Zealand Leonard Memorial.
Xtreme Change of Luck (Sunday 6th November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
A soft palate operation has helped Christian Cullen four year old Xtreme Luck race to his potential.
Purchased for $70,000. by Murray Fowle at the 2009 Sale of the Stars in Christchurch, the gelding had won two races prior to today's win but they were early last season as a three year old.
"In his last race last season in the Supremacy final he pulled really hard and choked down. I sent him up to Bill Bishop and he did the operation. I've probably had more than half a dozen of these operations done on horses and every one Bill has done has come back and won races. Probably one of the better ones was Clint Eastwood. He won a race as a three year old but he didn't breath that good so we got him operated on and he when on to win a $100,000," said Larsen.
Xtreme Luck indicated that he wasn't too far away from striking winning form when he ran third behind Spectactular and Notabadexcuse at the Riverton meeting but was later relegated to tenth after striking the tyre of Monaghan.
"He can overrace and he's a bugger of a horse to hang. I don't know how many times I've been fined for hitting other horse's wheels. He's getting better and he's got the speed to be a nice horse if we can get the rest of the issues sorted out and make him more tractable. Murray's spent a lot of money on horses over the years and although we've won races he probably hasn't got his money back so it's good he's got one that can carry on a bit."
Xtreme Luck trailed the early leader Spectactular and then was three back when Notabadexcuse took over with 1200 metres to run. Spectactular broke at the top of the straight allowing Xtreme Luck to take the passing lane and he managed to nab a game Notabadexcuse by half a head.
Larsen says the gelding is now likely to race at the Interprovincial Drivers Day at Ascot Park on November 20th.
Xtreme Luck returning to the stable area after winning at Wyndham.
Sanderson Does The Talking (Sunday 6th November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
Don't Talk's trainer Geoff Gibson-Smith was in Christchurch today when his Live Or Die mare took out the Hokonui Honda Pace at Wyndham, so it was left up to successful driver Adam Sanderson to do the talking.
Sanderson, who has become a regular driver for Gibson-Smith, was having only his second drive on the mare.
"When I first drove her Geoff warned me that her manners weren't the best and that she can get a bit keen. Today she was perfect and she's come a fair way," he said.
The junior driver's form this season has been exceptional and in today's race he made sure Don't Talk was in a good position by hopping onto the tail of one of the favourites.
"I was following the right horse (Freemason) which I thought was going to be the hardest to beat. I peeled out and she really knuckled down to it in the last 50."
Don't Talk came down the extreme outside of the track - a path Sanderson had noted from the previous race when Matty Williamson bought Not Sure down the outside from a long way back to run fourth.
After a short stint in Australia during the winter Sanderson was keen to return over the ditch after Christmas. But a treble at the Riverton meeting has made him rethink.
"I'm starting to get a lot more drives and they're better quality. I've decided that I'll only go back to Australia every winter."
Don't Talk after winning at Wyndham
Mark Gets River Card Not Red Card (Sunday 6th November 2011)
Bruce Stewart
Mark Shirley got back in his partner Debbie Larkin's good books after The River Card won well at Wyndham today.
At the gelding's last start at Invercargill when Larkin's drove him he got his tongue over the bit and finished second last.
"She drove him to run second at his first start. At his next start I forgot to put the tongue strap on so I had to cook my own tea that night," said Shirley.
He bred the four year old from Overdue Vance; a mare trained by his father Gil which he drove to win two races, including the 1999 Invercargill Winter Cup.
"I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to breed one from her. I leased him (The River Card) as a yearling to Debbie and she broke him in and has done all the work. When he qualified he looked quite smart when he beat Some Kinda Tactics which ran good races at Addington so I thought he had the ability."
It hasn't been all plain sailing and Shirley says he'll have a good talk to driver Allan Beck and possibly make some gear changes when the gelding lines up again.
"He's had a few issues with throwing his head about. He did it again today which cost him a few lengths. He's a February foal so when he matures I think he'll be a nice racehorse. I might have to put some gauze mesh on his headgear but I'll talk to Becky."
The River Card, Allan Beck and Debbie Larkins
Shirley only trains a small team and his other runner Suerte ran third in the Kina Craig Mobile Pace behind smart types Xtreme Luck and Notabadexcuse.
"He found the line really well. I think if he'd been with them at the turn he would have been a lot closer. He blew a bit afterwards and they ran 3-02 which was a pretty good time on that track today."
Suerte is likely to start at the Invercargill meeting on American Ideal Interprovincial Driver Day while Shirley says The River Card will target a lower stakes meeting.
