SAVEAPATROL WINS OWNER HOME-TOWN CUP
Owner Grant Hatton achieved a long-held ambition as a racehorse owner when Saveapatrol the $19,759 Mainfreight Geraldine Trotting Cup at Orari on Saturday, November 30, 2013.
Grant Hatton
Mr Hatton, a retired butcher, was Temuka-born and raised and has been a regular at Orari meetings for many years.
He went close to winning the 2005 Geraldine Cup as a co-owner of Mulcay, trained by Peter Jones and driven by Mark Jones, who came up half a length short of beating I’m A Dazzler, driven by Blair Orange for trainer Graeme Lamb.
Mr Hatton also tried to win the Geraldine Cup with former good pacer My Man Dan (unplaced behind Hands Christian two years ago), but it was developing star Saveapatrol who fulfilled in style.
Blair Orange was in Mr Hatton’s camp this year as he continued his association with the Mark Jones-trained Saveapatrol for his second Geraldine Cup driving win.
Saveapatrol, a lightly-raced 4YO Christian Cullen gelding from former good international-winning Falcon Seelster mare Rondel Franco (1:51.6, USA, & $684,003), had to show steely resolve on the grass.
Geraldine Cup winners, Saveapatrol and Blair Orange.
A devastating sit-sprint winner in fast time on NZ Cup day, Saveapatrol showed his diversity, moving out from the fifth line to be parked in the open over the last 1700m of the 2850m grass cup.
He had biggest danger Arden Rooney on his back but Saveapatrol proved too big and too strong for another of Canterbury’s best intermediate grade pacers.
Driver Blair Orange stalled off boss Mark Purdon over a hard fought final 200m, with Saveapatrol lasting by a neck in a useful 2:05.4 rate for the staying trip.
The leaders ran their last 800m in 59.2s and closing 400m in a smart 27.4s.
Saveapatrol’s overall time of 3:42.2 was strong but outside the track mark set by upset 2010 Geraldine Cup winner Minty Mellow, who posted 3:39.6.
By Jeff Scott