Play A Tune makes top note

Press, 30 March 1989, Page 29

Play A Tune makes top note

By

DAVID McCARTHY

“Sorry Cous,” was about all rider Garry Phillips could say to Shorty Bijou’s trainer, John Phillips, after Play A Tune rallied to beat the topweight in the Dominion Handicap at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting yesterday.

The Foxton jockey waited for the last run at the topweight, which is trained by his Wintonbased cousin, and withl Play A Tune reacting best to the conditions, the Busuttin-trained mare had

half a length to spare at the finish with Rawi making ground in dramatic fashion for third.

Play A Tune is the first winner for Busuttin at the meeting and keeps him level with Dave and Paul O’Sullivan in the trainers’ premiership with 53

winners. The pair were three behind Graeme Rogerson after Play A Tune’s success but one more adrift after Simba Lland won the last race for the other northern stable.

Both wins were probably dictated by the weather and track conditions and the tactics

adopted to cope with

them. Grant Davison was convinced Shorty Bijou would have had too much finishing power for Play A Tune had their fortunes

been reversed. “We had to do a fair bit and we were in front at the 400 m. It just told in the last 100 m but it could have gone the other way in other circumstances, especially on firmer ground,” Davison said. He elected to stay with the wider ground later in the day when Simba Lland came wide down the outside to beat the Busuttin-trained Fleet King in The Opawa giving the Riccarton horseman his ninety-seventh win for the season and the Roger-

son stable its fiftyseventh.

Play A Tune will not race again at the meeting and will be reserved for the Marlborough meeting next week. She is owned by Herrick Perry, president of the Manawatu Racing Club, who bred her and is the first horse Busuttin has trained for Mr Perry. “She has not been easy to place the way things have fallen for her but she is a good galloper and should go on improving,” Busuttin said.