ICE CRUSHER UNTROUBLED TO WIN IN SOUTH
Promising Overport Lodge 3YO Ice Crusher began his quest for possible $40,000 Southern Supremacy honours on April 17 with the easiest of maiden wins as at Invercargill on Sunday, December 1.
The hot $1.50 favourite circled wide for Blair Orange from the back row as some inside him scrambled early in the Ryder Plumbling Ltd Mobile Pace at the Riverton Trotting Club’s meeting.
After landing up in the open, Blair made a play for the lead with around 1100m to run and was always travelling like the winner.
Ice Crusher, shown winning at the Rangiora workouts on October 21 for trainer Mark Jones. He won as a $1.50 favourite at Invercargill on Sunday, November 1.
He cruised to the wire 2 3/4 lengths of nearest challenger Annie Fitz, with hood deafeners still intact, in a comfortable 2:48.3 (2:03.1 mile rate) for the 2200m.
Ice Crusher wasn’t asked for a serious effort over his last 800m in 59.7s and final 400m in 29.1s.
The Southern Supremacy is a possible target for Ice Crusher, who won once from three 2YO outings for Burnham trainer Mark Jones and the Ice C Syndicate.
Back on May 9, he ran his last 800m in 55.5s and final 400m in 27.1s at Addington when he held Hickstead in the Listed $11,700 PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales 2YO Open Consolation.
He reverted back to maiden status beginning his 3YO racing.
A horse must have at least two starts in Southern Harness Racing Club races to be eligible for the Southern Supremacy final, hence the decision to try and win his maiden in the south.
He’s bred to be above average being a gelded son of Christian Cullen and Helena Kilena (five wins, 1:57 m.r, 1950m), making him a brother to good south winner Shak’n Cullen (four wins, 1:58.9).
Dam Helena Kilena is a sister to Fearleass Freda (p2, 1:59), winner of the 1998 PGG Wrightson Yearling Sales 2YO Fillies Pace.
Another sister in Hilarious Heather (three wins) is the dam of useful pacers Holy Hero (five NZ wins, 1:56.5) and Collecting (four wins, p3, 1:58.6), a NZ record 3YO fillies record holder over 2200m from a stand.
Helena Kilena is also a half-sister to Franco Himself (3 NZ wins, 18 USA wins, 1:55.4).
Helena Kilena’s grand-dam Golden Guest won nine and ran third against the boys behind the Alister Kerslake-trained stablemate Bachelor Star in the 1971 New Zealand Derby at Addington (another filly Van Glory ran second and Roydon Roux was fourth).
Golden Guest was a Garrison Hanover sister to a top Jack Smolenski-trained 1970s pacer in Speedy Guest (19 wins including a Great Northern Derby and a NZ Messenger.
Earlier, stablemate and debutante Itz Ivy Hillis was a game third after moving up in the open in a mobile 2200m maiden.
She kept fighting in the run home but was outgunned late by the Tony Barron-trained Whata Excuse, wide out for Dexter Dunn, and Tuapeka Troy, with the winner clocking 2:46.4.
Consistent 3YO Derringer had to settle for second from the trail to Machrie in the C1 pace at Invercargill with stablemate Coringa Delight having little luck from the second row, finishing fifth.