Tommy’s Cup triumph
TOMMY Tucker is the kind of gallant galloper any owner would love to have in their colours.
The 8-year-old Gallant Guru gelding trained by Brian and Shane Anderton and raced by Brian and Lorraine Anderton with Ian Nichol of Outram, won his 15th race on Saturday.
He defied his age to win the Group II Canterbury Gold Cup for jockey Jacob Lowry and take his earnings beyond $350,000 beating home Bloodstream.
Tommy Tucker is the South Island’s highest-rated galloper and the Gold Cup was his first Group success.
The weight-for-age conditions suited him, and was strong to the line in his step up to 2000m.
Lowry has developed an affinity with the horse and has ridden him in his last 10 wins.
The been everywhere horse Benzini proved he has a soft spot for Riccarton with his battle into third.
The Adrian and Harry Bulltrained warrior has raced against the best on offer in Australia and Hong Kong but Riccarton is home to some of his best wins and he has been out of the money once in nine runs at the track.
Benzini was ridden by Samantha Collett who had a successful day..
Collett travelled south from Matamata confident she had a strong book of rides and so it proved with Benzini’s brave placing and wins on Nekita in the second of the day’s black-type races, the Listed Warstep Stakes, and a romp on Prom Queen in the 2-year-old race.
Nikita was all heart in the Warstep, Collett calling on all the Shaune Ritchie-trained filly’s courage to claw her way to victory in the 2000m race for 3-year-old fillies.
Tuilana ran Showemup third.
Nikita will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Bluegables Farm principals Monty and Judy Henderson. second with JOHN BISSET
They bred and part-own the filly who on Saturday credited their resident stallion Shamoline Warrior with his first black-type winner.
Nikita would have been sold but for suffering a back injury just before the Karaka National Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2015 and the Hendersons now race her with Victorian syndicator Kirk Devers, who enjoyed a racing share in Shamoline Warrior.
Prom Queen jumped, led and proceeded to blow her rivals away in the day’s 2-year-old race under Collett.
Collett turned Prom Queen loose inside the last 300m and coasted to victory by nine and a half lengths.
The $1.40 hot shot clocked 59.24 on a track rated Slow 9 leaving her effervescent Ruakaka trainer Kenny Rae wondering how good she might be.
‘‘She just keeps on improving,’’ he said of the Super Easy filly, winner of four of her five starts. ’’We’ll carry on to the stakes race back at Riccarton in two weeks – the Champagne Stakes and then we might think about a trip to Brisbane.’’
The target would be A$100,000 fillies race, the Listed Bill Carter Stakes over 1200m at Eagle Farm on June 3.
After a few attempts, Collett was able to get the monkey off her back finally winning her first race aboard a Rae-trained runner and she drew praise from the trainer.
‘‘Sam settled her beautifully, it’s the best she’s ever settled in a race,’’ he said.
Collett’s two wins has elevated her tally for the season to 58, her previous best was 56.
‘‘It’s been a great year and who knows, if things keep going well I might be able to add another 10 or so before the end of the season.’’