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It kickstarted the sale of pacers in Christchurch with a hiss and roar, but for Mark Jones and a duo of loyal owners the big-price purchase of stunningly bred filly on Tuesday was as much about the future as it was the present.

Jones and his loyal owners Jim Haines and Grant Hatton went to $150,000 to secure a Bettor’s Delight filly from the outstanding race mare Tact Lizzie, prepared beautifully by Chelsea Faithful, adding even further arsenal to a powerful line up of current and future broodmares that the trio will have on their books going forward.

“She was brought to join our ever-increasing future broodmare band alongside the likes of Rocker Band, Rock N Joy, Uber Express, Plutonium Lady, La Rose and Mayson Shard,” Mark said.

“We’ve had a plan in place for the past five of six years and we’re setting up our place for a broodmare band that we want to breed from and we’re getting the kind of horses we want to buy, so we’re in a good position.”

Jones said the filly jumped off the page to them straight away, without even locking eyes on her. She’s part of the iconic breed of the late Derek Dynes from Southland – a family that’s had so much success in this country, and further afar over the years, both as racehorses and as broodmares.

“Chances to buy into this family don’t come along very often, and the fact she is by Bettor’s Delight is just a bonus really. The family goes so deep, and there’s so many nice horses there – it’s great to be able to get into it looking ahead.

“She’s quite a leggy filly, so she might take a bit of time, but we’re happy to wait for our horses and hopefully reap the rewards later on with them.”

The filly was one of two purchases for Mark over the sales – the other coming at Karaka when he went to $75,000 to get his hands on a Bettor’s Delight colt out of the good-producing mare, Grace Way from the Woodlands Stud draft.

He’s a full brother to the talented filly, Monaco Grace who is in the stables and Mark admitted that the esteem in which he holds the filly was a defining factor in the desire to get his hands on him.

“Everything about him caught my attention, he’s got a good strong head, a lovely walk and a great attitude. He’s also from a cross that really works, and I have his sister and home who I really rate – but I rate this guy better.”

There are still shares available in the colt too, with Mark out to attract current and new owners into the Mark Jones Racing brand. He’s welcoming all enquiries on the colt through e-mail at turf21@hotmail.com.

The buying might not be finished for the week yet, either.

Mark’s got a keen eye on this weekend’s Nutrien Equine Yearling Sale in Sydney on Sunday where’s he hoping to add to the collection even further.

“I’m looking at buying there because I’ve had massive success there in the past and I find them a lot cheaper and from good families.

“Every horse we’ve brought from there has been a success, a bit like Mark Purdon.”

Australia is beckoning, but Mark Jones believes that Stylish Memphis can leave New Zealand on a winning note this evening when she tackles the Group One Queen of Hearts at Alexandra Park.

And that’s despite knowing that in order to win, she might have to do it the hard way.

Booked to depart for Sydney on Tuesday, where she will join the stable of Jack Trainor, the dour daughter of Bettor’s Delight will have one final hurrah in New Zealand tonight against what is being touted as one of the hottest fields of female pacers seen for many years in New Zealand.

It’s a race where just finishing in the top-three, given the quality of the line-up, will be a noteworthy achievement but Jones is confident that his class pacing mare is up to the challenge and ready to take on any of her rivals this evening.

“The reports coming through from Zinny (care-taker trainer, Jeremy Young) have been great, she seems really good and is ready to go,” Jones said.

Drawn barrier two, Stylish Memphis – who will be reunited with regular driver, Ricky May for the occasion – has plenty of options, but there’s only one Jones is keen on seeing unfold.

“I’d like to see her in front, whether we get there or not is another thing, but being on top and on the markers with Bettor’s Twist sitting outside her then everyone in the field is going to get their chance.”

While blistering gate speed isn’t a known forte of the mare, it is there and if May elects to push the button early there could be fireworks with noted gate speed mare, Need You Now drawn to her inside.

“She can leave the gate, it’s just if she can leave quick enough to get across the horse inside us. She’d love being in front and bowling along and it would be a true contest then too.”

An $8 chance for the race, Stylish Memphis provides a bit of value for punters in the $100,000 event which is dominated on the book by Bettor Twist.

Through tonight’s run the mare will fly out for Australia on Tuesday morning where she will join Trainor’s team for a repeat of last season where she tackled key group one races for the mares and earned her way into the Miracle Mile.

It is yet to be confirmed whether or not the mare will return to New Zealand post the campaign or continue to race in Australia.

Stylish Memphis is the only runner for the stable across both the Addington and Auckland meetings tonight, but a five-strong attack will be launched on Wairio tomorrow.

Cup Week features might be a bridge too far at this stage for exciting Mark Jones Racing prospect Deny Everything – but that doesn’t mean serious consideration wasn’t given to looking toward them.

Off the back of the powerful pacer’s fifth consecutive win at Addington on Friday night the son of A Rocknroll Dance shot right into contention for a race like the Junior Free-For-All on Cup Day, but trainer Mark Jones has elected to target another race instead.

But the Junior Free-For-All wasn’t the only feature considered.

“He would have headed to the New Zealand Cup if it wasn’t for the $17,000 late nomination fee,” Mark said.

“He hadn’t even raced when the nominations for the Cup were called for and it wasn’t an option at that stage.

“There is an up to Rating75 mobile race he can get into though and that’s a better option for us at this stage than anything else right now for him.”

Jones admitted to being a little surprised at how the gelding won on Thursday night beating home a strong field of runners including the likes of Steel The Show, Shan Noble and Pace N Pride.

“He got his own terms in front, but it was a big step up to beat that field.

“He might actually be a touch better than I thought he was, but I am a hard judge.”

After Thursday’s good win by Deny Everything and a strong performance for third from young pacer Hiranya, the stable will head to Ashburton today for the annual Flying Stakes meeting hoping to keep the form up.

Trotter, Majestic Lavros will take his place in a strong Ashburton Trotters’ Flying Sprint over the 1700 metres after missing away from the stand last week in the Canterbury Park Trotting Cup.

Mobile conditions aren’t ideally for the talented trotter but with good money up he’s taking his place.

“He’s not really suited to the mobile, but he needs the racing and there’s $30,000 on the line so we have to have a go at it.”

Plutonium Lady also steps out in a strong mares event but is handicapped by a wide draw from behind the mobile.

“It’s a pain she’s drawn out there, rather than on the back row. She needs to be driven for luck and just to have one run at them.”

Mark also gets to slip into the driving pants and have a steer in the Ashburton Flying Stakes where he will partner Kango for Cambridge trainer Arna Donnelly.

The gelding is domiciled at his Burnham property, so he has a good insight into his preparation but was realistic about his chances in what is a strong field.

“He’s got to get the stand start right after he missed away last time and it’s tough at Ashburton as they will run a 54 last half so if you’re back, you’re in a bit of trouble.”

The bid for the New Zealand Trotting Cup next month is over for class Mark Jones Racing mare, Stylish Memphis.

The winner of close to $500,000 in stake earnings was officially withdrawn from the Cup this week by Jones but he insists the decision not to be there on the second Tuesday in November is more about maintaining the longevity of the daughter of Bettor’s Delight as a race mare than it is anything else.

After battling a number of wee issues over the past few weeks, Jones and owner Wayne Higgs made the decision to take the Cup of the radar and freshen the mare up with a view to seeing her head back to Australia in the New Year to chase riches over there.

“There’s a race for her this week, but we’ve been forced to miss it with a few minor issues,” Mark said.

“We sort of came to the decision that there wasn’t much point in racing a mare in the Cup. Even finishing top three was going to be a pretty big ask for her.”

Jones said it was possible the four-year-old mare could race in New Zealand later in the year, but post that she’d head back to Australia and into the care of Jack Trainor who trained her on her last campaign.

That trip saw her win the Ladyship Mile at Menangle and finish sixth in the Miracle Mile.

It’ll be the third campaign for the mare in Australia with her first under the care of champion trainer Mark Purdon.

She’s had 10 starts on Australian soil for five wins and close to $450,000 in earnings – so the decision to head back seems a logical one from all involved.

“She’ll go to the Ladyship Mile again and then onto the Queen of the Pacific for Jack, over there she can make a lot of money, so it only makes sense for her to head back there.”

Stylish Memphis wasn’t the only withdrawal from the Cup for Mark Jones Racing with Plutonium Lady also taken out of the race this week by Jones.

“She wasn’t going to make the field, so I’ve taken her out, but she’ll keep racing and we’ll head towards the Mares race on Show Day instead with her.”

The well-bred four-year-old mare will line up at Thursday’s Wairio meeting with young Carter Dalgety getting the nod to drive her and make use of his junior concession.

She’s one of three chances at the meeting for the stable with Monaco Grace taking her place in the $12,000 Ladyship Final after a solid first up effort for second while Kowhai Shadow gets another chance to get a win on the board in a wide open filles and mares event early on in the programme.

A Cup Day assignment is the main aim for exciting Mark Jones Racing product, Deny Everything.

The big, robust son of A Rocknroll Dance made it three-from-three for this campaign at Friday night’s premier meeting at Addington with another performance that left a few tongues wagging behind him.

And now after a quick burst up the grades, trainer Mark Jones is having to be a little more selective with his latest find and being a part of the action on the second Tuesday in November – down in the lower grades – is the main focus.

“That was a massive step up for him last week, but he handled it really well and won very good.

“I think it shows how important it can be to be on the markers on those big nights, it’s really hard to come wide and from the back when they’re going that quick in front.”

It’s been a profitable month for the gelding’s owners, Damian and Neil Love who bred and own the horse with three wins in the space of four weeks and $22,000 in the kitty to show for their efforts.

Drawn one on Friday night, driver Sam Ottley took advantage of the good marble to trail early before grabbing the lead and never looking back, holding off the late challenges to win by a half neck from Suzie Rocks.

“You never quite know how things are going to go when they step up in grade that much, but he’s a nice horse and he’s really happy just being out there and rolling along.

“We’ll give him a bit of a freshen up now, but we might look to have one more race with him before Cup Day, that’s the main aim at this stage.”

Deny Everything’s win kickstarted a winning treble for the weekend for the Jones stable with a double at Timaru on Sunday courtesy of maiden pacer, Hiranya and the stable’s model of consistency, Artatac.

Hiranya was touted as one of the best of the day and duly delivered thanks to a heady driver from Ottley. He’ll now head to the Sires’ Stakes heat at Addington on Thursday night this week.

“That’s a big step up for him, but he gets $550 just for going around and he should do enough to see him qualify for the consolation too, so it makes sense after grabbing a free win on the weekend.

“He’s a nice horse and will end up doing a pretty good job, I think.”

Artatac’s win was equally as impressive, bursting through a gap late to continue his great run of form.

“I think he’s won six races since Christmas now, and something like $60,000 – so that’s not a bad effort.

“He’s bit of a funny horse, he was a shade disappointing down South on Thursday, but he got into the right race on Sunday and got the job done for everyone, which was a thrill.”

 Jones believes a quick freshen up now will set a nice platform for even more profitable times in the future with the three-year-old.

“He could come back and do what he’s done this year again next year and end up being a really nice horse to own, he’s no superstar but he will keep getting better.”

The stable’s tally for the weekend was almost four with Kowhai Shadow running another bold placing in the last of the day – putting him in good stead for a junior drivers assignment at Addington on Friday night.

There was a time when it was wondered if Deny Everything would ever make it back to the races.

A winner of one of his four career starts back in 2019, the ability was there but the body wasn’t.

An injury, of which was never fully identified, and a wind operation took the big son of A Rocknroll Dance off the track.

“He was sore, but we never found what it was, so we just gave him time,” Mark Jones said.

That was almost two years ago, but if the two starts since he returned from that spell are anything to go by, it’s been time well spent.

A fresh up win at Ashburton in a junior drivers’ event earlier in September turned a few heads, but last week at Addington Deny Everything stamped himself as horse of high order with a breath-taking win.

After working hard to find the front, the five-year-old ran his rivals off their feet in a 1:56.6 mile rate to win by four and half lengths in the hands of Sam Ottley.

“He’s got a great attitude and ability to win a fair few more races,” Jones added.

This week it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire with a return to Harness HQ on a Premier night of harness racing.

He jumps from a Rating 45-55 event into a Rating 59-70 but gets a boost with the inside of the front draw from which to work from.

And while Jones knows he’ll be competitive, there are some concerns.

“He’s really only won the two races considering he picked up a penalty free win and he’s taking on some horses who have won five or more races, so it’s a big step up.

“I know he’ll be competitive though; we’ve got a good draw to work with so hopefully he’ll put in another good performance.”

Deny Everything opened a $4.50 second favourite for this week’s assignment behind Darling Me.

Meanwhile, a slight hiccup has kept Stylish Memphis away from the track this week.

The talented mare was accepted for the Canterbury Classic following her good run for second behind Darling Me last week, but it’s a steady diet of the water walker for the next few days after a foot abscess was discovered during the week.

Little brother, Memphis Major will hop on the float and head to the meeting though.

The promising two-year-old kicks off his campaign in the last race of the night but has copped the worst possible draw from the outside of the front row.

That being said, Jones isn’t expecting too much from the son of Art Major first up with plenty in store.

“He’s still very much on the way up and has a lot to learn, he’s pretty green.

“But he’ll take big improvement from this run as he’s not screwed down with just yet.

“We’re taking our time with him as he will develop into a nice horse, so he’s just a watch job this week probably.”

The stable is also represented at the Premier meeting by both Plutonium Lady and Sioux Princess with both dropping back in grade from some of their recent assignments giving them some chance in their respective races.

There are some nice targets in sight for later in the season, but right now, it’s one race at a time for promising maiden filly, Monaco Grace.

The Woodlands Stud owned and bred two-year-old will have the first start of a new campaign on Thursday at the Gore meeting in Wyndham, setting up for what should hopefully be a profitable time of it in the deep south this season.

The daughter of Bettor’s Delight has had just one career start where she finished fourth on debut in the Diamond Creek Farm Classic at Invercargill.

Beating her home that day were the talented Your So Fine, impressive Addington winner last week Franco Indie and a very-much in form Cantfindabettorman.

And with two good trials under the belt ahead of this week’s resumption, the speedy filly looks well-credentialed to be considered the horse to beat.

“She’s a nice filly who will go on and nice job I think,” trainer Mark Jones said.

“I think she’s definitely stronger this time in, that wee bit of time out has really helped her develop. Her fitness is on the way up too, but she’s ready enough for this week.

“You would like to think she’ll be right among the action, she’s got a good draw to work with and I’ve been happy with her two trials, but she will keep getting better.”

Safely through Thursday’s assignment, Monaco Grace will aim for the Ladyship Final and then head towards the Sires Stakes series.

Sam Ottley will handle the filly this week and she’ll also be behind Mark Jones Racing’s only other representative at the Southland meeting, Artatac.

The consistent performer lined up on Friday night at Addington and finished down the track behind Franco Niven in what was a very strong field. Today it’s a completely different ball game and the Art Major three-year-old should also be a leading contender in his R57-70 mobile event.

“It’s a nice easier option for him, he’s done a great job.

“We have him in at Timaru on Sunday as well, so he will call in there on the way back and race and then he’ll head to the paddock for a spell.”

Since the start of the new season, Artatac has lined up on six occasions winning once and running second on three occasions. It’s been a profitable month of racing considering the Level Four Lockdown with the son of Art Major grabbing more than $11,000 in stakes for his owners Grant and Katherine Hatton.

New Zealand’s loss is Australia’s gain this week after an up-and-coming Mark Jones Racing prospect boarded a plane for what will hopefully be richer shores.

Maiden trotter, Taimate Sass is due to land in Australia in the next few days and will join the stable of ex-pat Kiwi, Brent Lilley for all of her future racing – some of which, will include chasing some lucrative riches.

The two-year-old daughter of Love You raced twice from the Mark Jones barn with an encouraging sixth on debut backed up by an even better second at Oamaru earlier in the month – but even then, Mark Jones knew he was on borrowed time with the promising filly.

“It’s been in the pipeline for quite a while,” Mark said.

“Basically, it comes down to the fact that it’s almost impossible for her to get black type here and she’ll never get the chance to race in the Derbies – so it was looking like she would probably win a race and then end up racing three or four-win horses at her next start.”

With the support of the fillies owners, Taimate Equine, a plan was hatched which will see Taimate Sass tackle both the Redwood Classic and the Breeders Crown in coming months – $150,000 worth of stake money in rapid succession.

“She’ll do a super job over there, I’ve got no doubt about it, she’s developing into a really nice horse.

“It’s a similar set up to what Tony Barron has done in the past – she’ll race in the Redwood first and then go from there, I would imagine that Lill will end up racing her for most of her career because there’s so many opportunities for her over there.”

While losing horses from the barn is never nice, Jones is at least taking solace in the fact that it was a mutual decision and one which should prove beneficial for both owners and horse.

Taimate Equine is a new player onto the racing scene in recent months, acquiring standardbreds with Jones and also gallopers with Riccarton Park trainer, Andrew Carston.

Operated by brothers, David, Paul and John Hickman, Taimate Equine is a subsidiary of the already very successful Taimate Angus Bull Breeders operation in Marlborough.

And they enter the fray with plenty of harness racing background.

The Hickman name is synonymous with racing in the region over many decades and has enjoyed it’s fair share of success too including with former outstanding juvenile trotter, Tozzie – a close relation to Taimate Sass.