Tough racing earns Ears Burning win
CANTERBURY pacer Ears Burning might have got the last laugh by winning the group 3 Northern Southland Cup on Saturday.
The 4yrold’s win was the second half of a feature race double Canterbury trainer Nigel McGrath scored at the meeting.
Earlier on the card, Dizzy Miss Lizzy made her debut a winning one in beating fellow 2yrold filles at group 3 level.
Ears Burning’s win came after chasing home his winning stablemate Classie Brigade in the Ashburton, Central Otago and Invercargill Cups.
After two placings and three gutsy performances in those races, Ears Burning’s winning purse on Saturday was the biggest of the four cup races, which the McGrath stable has won.
Rather than it being a frustration that the horse has had to settle for placings behind Classie Brigade, McGrath thinks there has a major positive.
‘‘I think racing in those tougher fields have actually done him good — it has toughened him up.’’
Dizzy Miss Lizzy could not call on that kind of experience when lining up in on Saturday.
The 2yrold filly had no racing experience at all, but did not let that stop her from making her debut a winning one.
Blair Orange had the her in front early and nothing else got a look in as she raced away to an easy victory.
More group and feature racing in Auckland was on the horse’s programme, McGrath said after the win.
Oamaru squaregaiter Monty Python has worked his way further up the country’s trotting ranks after scoring his 11th win on Saturday.
The Phil Williamsontrained and Matthew Williamsondriven trotter ran away from his rivals by four lengths to grab his first group three win.
Monty Python may have got under the guard of punters who sent Eyre I Come out a shortpriced favourite.
Although the horse did not have the hattrick of wins in his formline the favourite had, his past two runs for fifth behind Eyre I Come had plenty of merit, Phil Williamson said.
‘‘He has been racing well.’’ ‘‘People probably haven’t been noticing it, but his last couple of runs at Addington he has been coming from last and really dashing home.’’
Monty Python’s win takes the horse to c7 under the soontobe extinct class assesment system. Regardless of how he is rated, the horse has worked his way to the verge of the country’s open class trotting ranks.
Despite that, his trainer has no immediate plans to tackle toplevel events, preferring to stick to South Island graded racing.
‘‘That’s just the reality that he is a very nice horse.
‘‘But he’s just below the Master Lavrostype class and those elite ones that come along.’’
The father and son training and driving combination of Phil and Matthew Williamson scored a double in the meeting, thanks to Blazing Under Fire proving too good for his c12 trotting rivals earlier in the programme.
Alhough his win was not by the impressive margin Monty Python chalked up, Blazing Under Fire got his halflength victory despite not racing since late November.