CONGRATUATIONS TO MERV AND MEG BUTTERWORTH
Overport Lodge intermediate-grade squaregaiter Eyre I Come couldn’t repeat his opening race win of 12 months ago at Addington on NZ Cup day for co-owners Merv and Meg Butterworth, and Grant Hatton, having every chance when fourth as Petite One won in NZ record time for a mare over 3200m.
The Butterworths, who also race opening trot runnerup Blackguard’s Corner from the Allstars stable of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, later became the toast of Australasia, along with Victorian trainer-driver Kerryn Manning, after taking out the $750,000 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup with former Kiwi pacer Arden Rooney.
Owners, Meg and Merv Butterworth, and Arden Rooney’s trainer-driver Kerryn Manning, are joined by showgirls after winning the $750,000 Christchurch Casino-sponsored New Zealand Cup, on Tuesday, November 10, 2015.
“It was a great for them,” said Overport Lodge trainer, Mark Jones.
“They put a lot into racing in both Australia and New Zealand and deserve all their success,” he said.
The Melbourne-based Butterworths’ have also enjoyed regular success having horses at Overport Lodge, including winning last season’s Group 3 Invercargill Cup and Nelson Cup with Johnny Fox.
Mark, driving Victorian visitor and expatriate Cantabrian Corzin Terror in Tuesday’s NZ Cup, settled five back on the markers and finished on a touch in the straight for eighth, seven lengths from Arden Rooney, who led after the opening 150m and controlled the front-end.
After running the first mile in 2:02.4, Kerryn Manning had the race panning out the way she wanted with Arden Rooney, picking up the speed over the last mile in 1:55.
She had a lapful of horse when favourite Smolda (recovering after an early break), moved up parked at the 900m, and kept going tenaciously to hold by a head in 3:57.4 (3200m) to become the first female driver to win a NZ Cup.
Ironically, Arden Rooney ran exactly the same time as he did for the Allstars team at his first NZ Cup attempt when 12th to Adore Me a year earlier, but this year it was good enough to grab the $412.500 winner’s cheque.
A lap to go in the cup and Arden Rooney is full of running on the top end from Mossdale Conner (trail) and Franco Nelson (three back). Messini leads the one-out line ahead of Ohoka Texas with Sky Major and Smolda improving three wide.
Arden Rooney, like many of the former NZ horses owned by the Butterworths, transferred to Kerryn Manning in Victoria after last year’s NZ Cup as it was felt he would be better placed for his future racing in Australia.
The Bettor’s Delight-Tosca Hanover gelding, a brother to Arden Torres (1:58.3, Aust) and half-brother to three-win Overport Lodge 4YO mare Maritime Arden, has become a cups king with his free-running front-end pattern of racing.
Under Kerryn Manning’s wing, he was an upset winner of another biggie, the $A400,000 AG Hunter Cup at Melton last February, while he’s also won the Geelong, Mildura, Terang and Swan Hill Cups in Australia.
Merv Butterworth then mentioned to Kerryn he’d promised to Kaikoura Trotting Club president Bob Rochford that Arden Rooney would be back to defend his Kaikoura Cup title this year, and Kaikoura would be in their plans on his return for a NZ Cup bid.
The rest is history.
Arden Rooney parades with the dress rug after taking out the 2015 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup for history-making driver, Kerryn Manning.
Arden Rooney recovered after an early tangle to move up parked, led turning for home, and held late finishing Allstars runner Messini in the 2015 Kaikoura Cup, then added the NZ Cup to his growing tally to take his earnings to nearly $1.1 million.
The win was also a triumph for the late Tapanui breeder Noreen Stiven, whose extensive breeding interests are being continued by her son John at Arden Lodge.
Noreen was a former good supporter of the Mark Jones stable, with John Stiven also having horses at Overport Lodge.
John, and his wife Judy, race Maritime Arden with Mark Jones, while the Overport team also won two races last term with the ill-fated Someardensomewhere, a horse bred by Noreen and raced by a syndicate formed by John Stiven.
Someardensomewhere, who set a NZ record first-up at two for the Allstars stable, never fulfilled his initial promise. He transferred to Overport last term after his form tapered for other stables. He ended up winning seven in his career and earning $65,645.
Arden Rooney, Arden Torres and Maritime Arden, are from a qualified but unraced Walton Hanover mare Tosca Hanover, a half-sister to the former tough Lew Driver-trained pacer The Reckoning (12 wins incl. a PGG NZ Yearling Sales 2YO Open Pace & $NZ311,000), Tossed Out (1:56, US, 10 wins) & Svelte Celt (nine Aust. wins).
Tosca Hanover is from Tosti (Soky’s Atom-Aberfeldy, 2001 NZ Broodmare Excellence Award winner), being a half-sister to former top filly Megaera (p3, 1:56.8, grand-dam of former 2YO Aust. Breeder Crown Fillies winner Katy Perry); former open class pacer Reba Lord (1:56) and Jayvee, the dam of former Grand Circuit pacer Sovereign Hill (1:55.5) and Tarena Jay (1:58.6), the latter the dam of 2005 NZ 2YO Pacer of the Year Jays Debut (1:53.2, US).
Arden Rooney’s fourth dam, 1990 NZ Broodmare of the Year Black Watch, was unbeaten in five 2YO starts including the NZ 2YO Championship, won 14 races during her career. She also ran third in the 1973 Auckland Cup behind top geldings of her era in Arapaho and Young Quinn.
Black Watch (Scottish Command-Rosehaven), beside leaving the unraced Aberfeldy, left seven individual winners including six in 2:00, and has been a tremendous ancestress of winners for breeders, Yarndley Farms, over the last 40 years.
Nancy Iola, a half-sister to Black Watch, earlier shaped NZ Cup history leaving Burgundy Lass, the qualified but unraced Noodlum dam of dual New Zealand Cup winner Il Vicolo (1995-96).
Burgundy Lass is also the notable grand-dam (through Vicario) of another 2011 Hunter Cup winner in the former speedy Tim Butt-trained entire, Stunin Cullen (1:54.1), also winner of the 2008 G1 NZ 3YO Sires Stakes Final in a then NZ 3YO record 1:54.1 mile rate (1950m) and 2008 G1 Northern Derby.
Black Watch descends from the original family of mare Regina (born in 1885). Through another branch, the Regina family became ancestress of another New Zealand Cup winner, 1978 victor Trusty Scot.
By Jeff Scott