Five from eight for Andertons
On paper, Friday’s Wingatui meeting shaped as a golden opportunity for Chris Johnson to continue his charge towards the national jockeys’ premiership but all the high fiving was being done in the White Robe Lodge camp.
The father and son training partnership of Brian and Shane Anderton trained five winners from just eight races on a memorable day for the stable’s apprentices.
Jacob Lowry rode a hat-trick of winners and Corey Campbell kicked home the first winner of his fledgling career.
Campbell achieved the milestone aboard the Anderton-trained Perceptive in the last race on the card.
Two of Lowry’s winners, (News Flash and Satin Guru) were aboard Anderton runners with Shankar Muniandy (Waylay) and Courtney Barnes (Taieri Gem) completing the stable’s winning run.
A frustrating day of seconds for Johnson has not helped his challenge for the national jockeys’ premiership.
He began the day on 85 winners for the season, four behind premiership leader Danielle Johnson (89).
Johnson looked likely to get off to the perfect start aboard Johnny Jones in the first on the card at Wingatui but Lowry and News Flash had other ideas and pipped them late to win by half a neck.
Not even a protest could prevent another second for Johnson in race two.
Johnson and Rio Tennille went down by a nose to Olympia and Sam Wynne. The pair came together in the closing stages but a second against first protest was dismissed.
He had to settle for second again when Accidental Offside was runner-up behind Waylay.
Danielle Johnson will ride at Ellerslie on Saturday with Johnson heading to Trentham. Both will ride at Hawera on Sunday.