GLENFERRIE CLASSIC TO TARGET WAIKOUAITI CUP
Cromwell Cup winner Glenferrie Classic is to be freshened for another grass track country cup target, the $14,000 Waikouaiti Cup (2600m) at Courage Under Fire Raceway on Sunday, February 12.
“She will wait for the Waikouaiti Cup as its hard to place a now four-win mare,” said
Glenferrie Classic furthers her useful record by winning the Alabar Cromwell Cup at the Wyndham Harness Racing Club’s meeting on January 11, 2017. (Photo by Wayne Huddleston – Wild Range Photography, courtesy of Southland Harness Racing).
Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones.
The Mornington Tavern-sponsored cup at Waikouaiti is suitable, as like at Cromwell, is over 2600m from a stand start.
Despite scrambling away at the start, Glenferrie Classic soon hit her straps with driver Sam Ottley finding a perfect one-out and one-back trail behind stablemate Perissa.
She finished the race off well, holding late finisher Statham by a neck, in 3:27.2 for the stand start 2600m, the leaders running their last 800m in 58.9s and final 400m in 28s.
Glenferrie Classic, the richly-bred daughter of champion sire Bettor’s Delight and 2005 New Zealand Cup-winning mare Mainland Banner, notched her third win from five 4YO starts.
She has been the runnerup in her other two starts this term and is showing a good liking for grass track racing.
Her broodmare rating is assured with her light career record now four wins from 16 starts and a 1:55.9 mile mark to her credit at Winton.
Mark was pleased to race her in the south as two of her owners, Matai Farms Ltd, and Brendan Duffy, are based there.
Matai Farms Ltd director Bathan Muir is a committeeman of the Wyndham Harness Racing Club, who staged the Cromwell Cup meeting at their away venue.
Mr Muir is Wyndham-based, while Mr Duffy lives at nearby Seaward Downs, near Edendale.
Mark is also likely to return her south for the Southern Country Cups Final at Invercargill in April.
The other Glenferrie Classic owners are Equine Investments Ltd of Christchurch, consisting of Hamish and Kim Scott, and Gavin and Sherryn Sauders, who raced the former top pacer and 1989 New Zealand Cup winner, Inky Lord, from the stable of Gavin’s brother, Brian Saunders (now retired from horse training).
Glenferrie Classic and her year older half-sister Rocker Band are both strong in physique, but Glenferrie Classic is a laid back staying type, while Rocker Band has more high speed.
Rocker Band, last season’s Harness Jewels 4YO Diamond winner in 1:53.3 (mile) for owner Greg Brodie, has now officially joined the Barry Purdon stable for an Australian crack at two Group One mares races in February.
The Rocknroll Hanover mare is likely to contest the $A100,000 Harness Breeders Victoria Ladyship Cup at Melton on February 4 and the $A200,000 Cordina Chickens Ladyship Mile at Menangle on February 25, with Barry also campaigning Hug The Wind and Jack’s Legend at the Melton summer carnival.
Rocker Band, winner of 10 and nine times placed in 32 starts for $205,359, has been a model of consistency in her north racing this term with Barry Purdon filling a caretaker role in recent months.
She beat subsequent Westport Cup winner Bronze Over at Auckland on November 4 in a 1:54.9 rate (1700m) and has been Group race-placed at her last three starts.
She ran third to Dream About Me and Arden’s Choice in the Group Three Caduceus Club Northern Breeders Stakes on December 9, followed by
seconds in the Group One Rosslands Queens Of Hearts (to Dream About Me) on December 16, and in the Group Two JLT Futurity 4 & 5YO Stakes (to Chase The Dream) at Cambridge on December 24.
Her dam Mainland Banner (Christian Cullen-Corporate Banner) has fashioned a successful record at stud, just as she did on the track when she won 17 of just 22 starts for $684,579 in stakes.
Her five New Zealand-bred foals have all been smart winners.
Peruvian Banner (1:52.4, US, one NZ win from five starts, plus nine USA wins for $95,896), Stunin Banner (1:56.2, Aust, 15 Australasian wins for $123,752) and Return To Sender (1:52.6, US, eight NZ wins for $102,148), were her first three foals ahead of Rocker Band and Glenferrie Classic.
Mainland Banner, who took a 1:55.1 mile record herself, was exported to Australia by owner Peter Chambers after foaling Glenferrie Classic.
Meanwhile, Titan Banner, the half-brother by Art Major to Mainland Banner, has increased the family profile by running third in both the Harness Jewels 4YO Emerald and November’s Group One New Zealand Cup.
Titan Banner (1:56.1) has taken his record to 12 wins and 13 placings in 33 starts for $195,613 in earnings.