Win honours top breeder

TARA Tutaia paced to an emotionally charged win at Rangiora yesterday to honour former Otago breeder Ray Anicich.

Anicich, formerly of the Lawrence area and a highly successful breeder of standardbreds, died in Christchurch on Wednesday.

Tara Tutaia is the latest horse from the breed Anicich first developed 40 years ago.

Ray’s son, Grant Anicich, is keeping those bloodlines going, breeding and racing Tara Tutaia with Tim Grant, of Milton.

The Steven McRaetrained filly toughed out an impressive maiden win after racing three wide and then parked outside the leader from the 1000m.

Her win provided a touching moment for the family, Anicich said as he was joined by his sisters, Julie Edwards, of Balclutha, and Carolyn Taylor, of Melbourne, at yesterday’s races.

‘‘It was a pretty emotional win.’

Anicich estimates his father bred 200 winners and raced 100 since of those since breeding his first horse, Vita Man, in 1977.

Ray Anicich, who moved from Lawrence in Fernside in 1995 and then to Rangiora, started his success by purchasing his foundation mare, Petronella, in the late 1970s.

That investment would prove to be an inspired one as her first foal, Vita Man, would go on to win the 1981 Flying Stakes at Addington for trainerdriver Ali Malcolmson.

That proved to be just the start of the success Anicich would enjoy over the following four decades, as he produced racetrack stars Mystic Gold, Matthew Lee, Power Of Tara and Tiger Tara.

Although there have been other families Anicich has bred from, his Petronella line has proved to be the most enduring and most successful.

Tiger Tara is still flying the Petronella flag in Australia, where he has ranked in the country’s best pacers and has taken his lifetime earning close to the $1 million mark on the back of his threetime group 1winning career in New Zealand for trainer Geoff Dunn.

That success resulted in Ray and wife Joy being presented with the Canterbury Pacing Breeders of the Year award trophy in 2014.

In 2011, Anicich dispensed with much of his breeding stock and that was when Grant and Tim Grant took on Tara Tutaia’s dam, Tara Gold.

They have a yearling colt by Bettor’s Delight and a weanling by He’s Watching, from the mare.

Also, on yesterday’s Rangiora programme, durable 7yrold Alexy scored his third career victory at start 174 at for Waikouaiti trainer Dennis O’Connell.

Alexy has been New Zealand’s busiest pacer this season, with his 43 raceday appearances.

Only northern trotter Danke, with his 57 starts, has had more starts this term.

Alexy’s busy schedule has not taken a toll on his form, with his two wins and two of his three placings, this season, coming in his past 10 starts.

The 165start veteran is also often seen lining up twice in a weekend, something O’Connell, who races the horse with Colleen Negus, thinks is a winning formula.

‘‘He seems to be thriving on the racing,’’ he said.

‘‘A lot of times, if he has two races in the week, he seems to go better in the second race.’’

Alexy hit the line with a big finish to win in an allOtago first four, with Darryn Simpson’s Bevan’s Cullen taking second ahead Alexy’s fellow Waikouaiti pacers Four Starzzz Shiraz and Zakspatrol, both from Amber Hoffman’s stable.