14th January 2009 - Vol 35

The ‘Reactor' wins in 1:53.5

There is no stopping the champion Mach Three four-year-old Auckland Reactor....

The reigning NZ Horse of the Year stretched his unbeaten winning sequence to 16 and erased Elsu's name from the record books when he prevailed in the $65,000 Group 2 Waikato Flying Mile at Cambridge Raceway on January 2.

With trainer Mark Purdon in the bike, Auckland Reactor took early command of the field before handing up to Baileys Dream (Todd Mitchell) at the first quarter in 28.2 seconds.

Auckland Reactor, who was hot on the helmet of Baileys Dream through the second quarter clocked in 29.1, popped the pocket after a 29 third quarter and took the lead. 'The Reactor' paced his heart out as he sprinted home holding off a late rush from Monkey King (Ricky May). Baileys Dream finished third.

His time of 1:53.5 shaved 0.1 seconds off the New Zealand mile record set by Elsu in the same race five years earlier.

"If I didn't hand up he could have gone 1:52 tonight. They really ground him into the dirt. It was his toughest performance yet. He didn't have much left. I'm so proud of him," Purdon said.

The $44,000 winner's cheque pushed Auckland Reactor's lifetime earnings to $641,428.

In a touching gesture never before seen at the track, Purdon pulled Auckland Reactor alongside the front fence at Cambridge and let the crowd give the champ a congratulatory pat after the race. "This is a promoter's dream. What an absolutely fantastic horse. What a brilliant gesture," Cambridge promotions manager Mike Weston said.

Auckland Reactor

Two-year-old winners

The debut win of Swift Stride in a heat of the MIA Breeders Plate at Leeton on Boxing Day night catapulted Courage Under Fire into second place on the national 2YO Sires' list.

The former ‘Derby King' had earlier sired the very impressive Finn Lee, a runaway winner at Bendigo, and True Courage, who captured a heat of the SA Kindergarten Trophy.

Lady Belladonna, a daughter of Pacific Fella, became the season's second fast two-year-old filly when she overcame a torrid passage to win on debut at Bendigo last Monday. Out of a Classic Garry mare, Lady Belladonna peeled off a flying 57.5 seconds last half on the way to posting 1:59.3 for the mile. She looks a very talented youngster.

Mach Three was represented by a pair of two-year-old winners over the holiday period. They were Mach Wiper (ex Windshield Wiper mare), an MIA Breeders Plate heat winner, and Karalta Macloud (ex The Contender mare), who toyed with his rivals at St Marys in Tasmania. He is rated by keen judges as the leading juvenile on the Apple Isle.

Safe And Sound sired his first juvenile winner for the term in Covered In Ink, a two-year-old colt out a Knight Rainbow mare who scored on debut at Maryborough on New Year's Eve.

NZ Sires Stakes success

Joyfuljoy, a good looking Mach Three filly, is rated New Zealand’s top three-year-old filly to date this season, particularly after her success in the $147,198 Group 1 NZ Sires Stakes Championship, one of the season’s major three-year-old classics.

She has won five times and been twice placed from nine starts.

In the Sires Stakes Final, Joyfuljoy began like to bullet to lead early before handing up 600 metres after the start. Despite having the use of the sprint lane in the last lap, driver Blair Orange took no chances, hooking his mount out three wide to issue his challenge.

She pounced on her rivals in the latter stages to win by an ever-increasing one-and-a-half lengths.

Joyfuljoy was not really extended in running out the 2200 metres in 2:43.2 (a 1:59.3 mile rate), the last “half” 59.2 and the final quarter in 29.6, figures which she could have sharply improved.

Classieriverboat in 1:56.5

The Riverboat King four-year-old Classieriverboat became her sire's second fast NZ bred performed when she dashed over the flying mile at Ashburton on Boxing Day in 1:56.5. In notching her third win, she produced a 56.2 seconds last "half" and an amazing 26.5 final quarter.

Meanwhile, Finn continues to carry the flag for Riverboat King in Australia. The four-year-old made a one-act affair of the Inter City Pace heat at Newcastle last Saturday - his 10th win from just 16 starts.

Mysta marching through the grades

The Mach Three gelding Mysta Magical Mach is proving one of the stars of West Australian racing.

The four-year-old, who was imported from NZ in November, has already netted almost $90,000 from eight starts and he looks headed for cup class.

Mysta Magical Mach first made WA trotsgoers sit up and take notice when he stormed home to beat all but Schinzig Buller (by Pacific Fella) in the $175,000 Group 1 Golden Nugget on November 28.

A month later he confirmed his potential when he downed a top field in the $35,000 Alltools Christmas Gift Final at Gloucester Park. Trapped three wide in the early stages, driver Morgan Woodley sent the gelding forward to work up to lead the outside division at the end of the first lap.

Despite the tough run, Mysta Magical Mach exploded to the front on the home turn and won with something in hand, rating a fast 1:57.2 for the 2130 metres mobile trip.

He has since won twice in restricted company at ‘headquarters' to lift his lifetime earnings to $131,451.

Major sponsorships this weekend

Stallion Station, which is now firmly entrenched as one of the leading studs in Australasia, will sponsor two of Australia's most important events next weekend.

For the second consecutive year Stallion Station will be the sponsor of the $250,000 Group 1 Stallion Station Fremantle Pacing Cup, a leg of the Barastoc Australasian Grand Circuit.

A 2902 metre standing start discretionary handicap, the Stallion Station Fremantle Cup will be conducted at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

This exciting event is a major attraction of the Summer Grand Circuit harness racing carnival and has attracted an all-star cast headed up by buzz New South Wales pacer Divisive, winner of this year's Miracle Mile.

Gary Lyons, managing director of Stallion Station, said: "Stallion Station is proud to be the major sponsor of the Fremantle Pacing Cup for the second year running. The Fremantle Pacing Cup is one of the premier events on the WA racing calendar and Stallion Station is one of the premier breeding establishments in Australasia."

The following night Stallion Station is sponsoring for the first time the Stallion Station the SA Heroine, one of the major attractions on South Australian Pacing Cup night at Globe Derby Park.

The feature is restricted to mares no better than M0 class and will be run over 1800 metres from behind the mobile barrier.

It carries a service to the royally bred US import Righteous Hanover, who stands at Stallion Station's Victorian base, valued at $2500.

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