Home track victory

Press, 5 December 1988, Page 36

Home track victory

By

JEFF SCOTT

The Highbank horseman, Carl Middleton, had waited 16 years to win a race on his “home” track before landing Dixie Tryax home a comfortable winner at the Methven Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday. “I thought placings were going to be my lot again after Fraggle Rock ran third in the maiden trot,” said Middleton, who has a handy team of loose-class horses in work this season. .

Another stablemate, Helsinki, chimed in with a solid fifth in a maiden in between times but Middleton finally cracked the hoodoo in the second leg of the day’s T.A.B. double.

An unofficially placed 1:59.9 three-year-old filly last term, Dixie Tryax capitalised on an economical run three back on :he inner to charge lome at false odds on Saturday.

“She hadn’t had much luck in her two starts this season. She ran third firstup at Addington after being held up, then I went to the post with my whip still tucked underneath my arm at the Addington on-course meeting last week,” he said. Middleton has always had a fair bit of time for Dixie Tryax, a mare by El Patron from a half-sister to the dual New Zealand Cup placegetter, Rocky Tryax. “I can remember Michael de Filippi telling me last year not to give her too much too early and she’d be a good four year old. He’s had a fair bit of success with El Patron mares like Take Care and now Charsi Me,” said Middleton. Middleton, who combines training with running a stud farm at Highbank, is pleased with breeder interest in Hondo Away more so than his associate sire, My Striking Force, at Millburn Farm, this season.

Middleton has a team of seven in work including a three year old, Mark Lobell, half-sister to Dixie Tryax and a yearling halfsister by Colonel Kenton to theipair.

“Brian Hestletine, who bred the dam of Dixie Tryax, Mandy Tryax, said the only two colts he has bred out of the family were King Tryax and Rocky Tryax, so when she foaled a filly to El Patron (Dixie Tryax) he sold the mare and foal to Sid Payne, of Christchurch,” said Middleton.

Dixie Tryax is only Mr Payne’s second individual winner in 25 years of racing horses, thus Saturday’s success was a sweet moment for both parties.

Dual Sticks finished strongly late to get closest to Dixie Tryax in the National Mutual Methven Breeders Stakes for fillies and mares. The pacemaking Quest For Glory, cut back to third, a head away, with Moody Miss doing her best work at the finish, fourth. The favourite, Paleface Walla, was a big disappointment finishing tenth and was the subjecjf of a

preliminary stipendiary probe. After reinsman Denis Nyhan confirmed the committee’s own observations that she had failed to fire despite enjoying a favourable passage, no further action was taken. Nimble Phil just

Patrons could not have wished for a better finish to the first leg of the T.A.B. double, the Kerry McTigue Seed Dressing Pace, with noses separating the first four at the end of the 3200 m journey. Only a head behind the principals in the finish — Nimble Phil, Fiddler, Beau Peer and Von Luckner — was the second favourite Jay Ardee, with False Image a half a length back sixth. “I though the 3200 m might pull him up but he handled it better than I thought he would,” said Nimble Phil’s surprised but delighted trainer, Derek Jones. Stable reinsman

Anthony Butt lodged a dour late claim with Nimble Phil outside the favourite, Von Luckner, and the sixth favourite did slightly better than Fiddler, which finished solidly from midfield. Beau Peer charged home in the centre to snatch third in the last stride from Von Luckner. A five-year-old gelding by the defunct Meadow Skipper stallion, Gaines Minbar, Nimble Phil was trained until four months ago by Dunedin’s Craig Buchan, who earlier developed French Lord, another useful winner for the Jones stable a couple of seasons ago. Nimble Phil, raced by his Stirling (South Otago) breeder, Frank Young, is closely related to the big Australian winner, Young Pride (1:59.8), and to Eden’s Joy (six wins, also by Gaines Minbar), the dam of the 1986 New Zealand Oaks winner, Young Eden. Third for sire El Patron, the broodmare sire of the New Zealand Cup and Free-For-All placegetter, Speedy Cheval, left a hattrick of winners at Methven — Mystic Bromac, Dixie Tryax and Kincaid.

The former Prebbletonbased sire, purchased by Harness World Bloodstock of Clevedon last year, started the ball rolling when Mystic Bromac furthered a useful record on grass tracks in the Ashmorven Pace for junior reinsmen.

Mystic Bromac, a halfbrother to Major Bromac and a brother to Miss Bromac (the dam of Inky Lord), gave nothing else a chance when he cleared the pocket, winning going away by a length and three-quarters from the pacemaker, Dreamin Scheme.

Kincaid, the joint 2000 m Rangiora grass track record holder in his only win from 35 starts last term, completed a winning driving double for Colin de Filippi, coming with a well-timed finish to win the Burkes Gathers Pace.