Davison in limelight

Press, 20 February 1988, Page 32

Davison in limelight

By

DAVID McCARTHY

The Davison name has been kept in the racing limelight by the successful jockey, Grant, over recent years, but yesterday it was the turn of his father, Norm, and brother, Les, to grab the spotlight. They own Extra Smart, an easy but surprise winner of the Smith Maiden at the Amberley Racing Club’s meeting. A brilliant trackworker but disappointing on raceday, before yesterday, Extra Smart was having his last chance to live up to his name before the Davisons retired him. However, there will now be a rethink. The horse was tried in blinkers for the first time and that seemed to work

the miracle. He missed the start slightly but soon stormed to the front and went well clear. His rivals were a minimum of three lengths in arrears at the finish with Dalkeith Belle and Naval Command the best of them. Gary Williams, stable horseman for Michael Pitman who trains Extra Smart, rode the horse while Grant Davison was only fifth on Becky Ann, which made ground from the back. Norm Davison, a jockey himself many years ago, bred Extra Smart’s dam, Arilight, and raced her from Jim Lalor’s stable. He had also been associated with her dam, Shirralight. Extra Smart is the third

foal he has bred from Arilight and he gave her away after that. Extra Smart is by Schweppshire Lad while an earlier foal, Audio Light, raced without success from the Pitman stable. Extra Smart’s win took Pitman level with Rex Cochrane on 21 wins as the equal leading South Island trainer and they are hotly pursued by John Parsons who posted his twentieth winner for the season when Godsin ran down Supreme Seal in the Pyne Gould Guinness 1200. Godsin changed the luck of rider, Raymond Bruce, who had been runner-up in the previous two races, on Torchstar and Dalkeith Belle respectively.