Busuttin winners rivals in feature on Wednesday

Press, 4 February 1985, Page 31

Busuttin winners rivals in feature on Wednesday

By

J. J. BOYLE

What next for the Foxton trainer, Paddy Busuttin, who kept up an impressive strike rate at Riccartbn with wins by Ten Winks and Shazaam on the first day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting on Saturday?

Perhaps a quinella in the Steinlager Export Handicap, feature race on the second day of the meeting on Wednesday. Ten Winks, a $9OOO purchase by a North Island syndicate, took her earnings close to $28,000 in winning the South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes on Saturday. About 70 minutes later Shazaam captured the Halswell Handicap in identical style, with a front-run-ning victory. Gary Phillips was the skilful partner in both victories, his judgment of pace paying off in situations he would have preferred to avoid after being left to do it all in front. Ten Winks dug in tenaciously in the face of a late challenge from Gold Zam, a North Island rival, in the Breeders’ Stakes and won by a neck. But, following a protest by Jim Collett, rider of Buffy Beaufort, Gold

Zam was relegated to third and Rojeeni to fourth. Buffy Beaufort had finished fourth, with Rojeeni third, but the judicial committee had supported Collett’s claim that his mount had met enough interference from both Gold Zam and Rojeeni close to home to have a bearing on his chances. Gold Zam’s apprentice rider, T. K. Allan,-was later charged with careless riding and suspended up to and including February 9. Rojeeni’s rider, S. Turner, was not charged; it was considered that his mount had shifted out quickly because she had accidentally clipped the heels of the winner. Ten Winks is now winner of seven races from 45 starts, and has far exceeded all expectations her trainer held for her. “After she won her first race at Masterton I was

thinking 'well, that’s about it’,” Busuttin said on Saturday. “But she has kept on strengthening and improving, and as she has strengthened she has learned to relax more in her races.” Gary Phillips had some concern early in Saturday’s race when the Forty Winks II mare was inclined to hang. “Fortunately she did not pull as well, and she saw it out well,” said Phillips, who after Saturday’s racing had a record of 16 wins from 47 rides at Riccarton for the season. Phillips broke a stirrup iron on his way to riding Shazaam to victory in the Halswell Handicap on Saturday. Fortunately for him that happened within the shadows of the winning post. “I could have been in trouble if it happened earlier,” Phillips said. Further up the straight Our Secret Weapon had headed Shazaam for a few

strides, but the North Islander was nursed for a renewed bid, and kicked away to win by a length and a quarter. Shazaam was at odds-on and added another lesson as to the value of Trentham form when directed towards a Riccarton meeting with fields falling short of stellar quality.

Gritain, the Busuttintrained hopeful for the Craven Plate, second leg of the T.A.B. double on Saturday, did not 'have lead-up form to compare with that of Ten Winks and Shazaam, and had to settle for fifth.

But his performance was vastly superior to that of the hot favourite, Noble Note, which finished last but one — a run that prompted questioning of the trainer, John Bourne, and the jockey, Grant Davison, before the judicial committee. The committee accepted an explanation that Noble

Note had been forced to race wide early in the race and had hung in over the final 600 m.

A viewing of the film established that Davison had been unable to get a response when he pulled the whip on Noble Note. The Craven Plate produced a tight three-sided finish, with Tirana snatching victory by half a head over the long shot, Sea Fort, with Shady News a neck away, third.

Bruce Smith, Tirana’s rider, might have gained extra motivation in a battling finish out of the knowledge that he will miss two days riding later this week. He was suspended up to and including February 9 after being found guilty of careless riding on Lucky .Beau in an incident affecting Demonstrate in the Racecourse Hill Handicap earlier in the day.