Massingham musters an impressive result
PUNTERS who follow the Massingham stable enjoyed a fill-up at Cannon Park yesterday, with runners saluting in half of the day’s eight races.
The day started with a running treble for the leading Cairns stable, with Endorse doing it easy in the first, Bougatsa pipping Game of Circles in the second, and The Harrovian again putting a gap on his rivals in the third.
While Stephen Massingham-trained runners got off to a perfect start on the day, they only did so by inches, after odds-on pop Bougatsa overcame its rivals on the line following a few nervous moments up the straight.
“He’s a very immature horse,” Massingham said.
“I honestly think he’ll be a nice horse next prep or the prep after.
“He’s just doing a lot wrong, even to work him, he does a lot wrong, but when he puts it together he might turn out all right.”
Massingham said the threeyear-old Sebring gelding showed resilience after copping a few bumps in the run.
“He done a good job – 10 wide at the corner, found the line,” he said.
“(Jockey Chris Whiteley) said he took a lot of winding up the other day, but he won today, so it was good.”
Whiteley steered home Endorse and Bougatsa, before Aidan Holt rode The Harrovian to his sixth win on the trot, to make it nine wins from 11 starts since joining the Massingham Racing stable.
Despite having to carry 67kg on his back, the six-yearold champion was up to the herculean task.
“He’s too good for them,” Massingham said.
“He gave them all 12kg – and a galloping lesson.”
Massingham said the horse was “a freak”.
“There was blokes going around town telling me he was gonna get beat – this was gonna beat him, that was gonna beat him,” he said.
“Winners are grinners. Good luck to them.”
The Massingham brigade weren’t finished there though, with Full Recognition getting the chocolates in the fifth race of the day with another emphatic win.
Whiteley rode four winners on the day – Endorse, Bougatsa, Full Recognition and Van Gaal, for Fred Wieland, in the seventh.