Debbie’s Boy pulls out all stops to win

Press, 11 September 1989, Page 32

Debbie’s Boy pulls out all stops to win

By

JEFF SCOTT

Debbie’s Boy had to pull out all the stops for his final step to New Zealand Cup class rating in the $25,000 Avon City Ford Cup, the feature event on the first night of the New Brighton Harness Racing Club’s meeting on Saturday.

After being shuffled back to four places back on the outer with 1300 m to run, Debbie’s Boy unleashed a fast closing 800 m of 56.8 seconds and a final quarter of 28.6 to wear down Application (three back on the outer to the turn) on the line. “I thought he just made it. I even had to pull out the earplugs to get there,” quipped the winning reinsman, John Hay, on returning to scale. Hay was completing a hat-trick of wins in as many drives behind the fleet-footed Southland pacer, having earlier reined the Double Century gelding to back-to-back successes at the Addington Easter carnival, and rates him highly. “He is a real nice horse. I can see him winning a lot of money, over the next two years,” he said of the Colin Baynes and Robin Swain-trained five-year-old. “I think he has improved quite a bit since last season when I drove him at Easter,” added Hay. Hay faced the prospect of having three drives to choose from in last Satur-

day’s CB-OC race, formerly the New Brighton Cup. “Microscopic, which has been my Cup drive, was meant to be coming up for it. Another of my drives, Cardinal Star, was also nominated. I thought I would have to get back to Robin (Swain) after he rang and asked me to drive Debbie’s Boy, but the others didn’t accept,” said Hay. Swain, who drove Debbie’s Boy to win at Addington last month, had a number of drives at the Invercargill meeting on Saturday and was successful with Oshawa, which credited the National Bloodstock sire, Del Cavallo, with his first siring success. Debbie’s Boy, which joined Godfrey as the second New Zealand Cup class pacer by their sire, the Albatross stallion, Double Century, lifted his career earnings to $67,165, the result of 10 wins in 29 starts on Saturday. He remained with Swain’s sister, Denise, at Ashburton after the National meeting at Addington last month, but will

return south to Gore after the New Brighton meeting to be freshened for the New World Cup at Forbury Park next month. Swain’s co-trainer and part-owner of Debbie’s Boy, Colin Baynes, an executive member of the ' New Zealand Harness Racing Conference, raced and trained Rocking Berry to attain Cup class rating seven years ago, but the Berry Hanover gelding was sold to North American interests soon after and did not contest a major cup. The Baynes family earlier enjoyed outstanding success at the top level with the former champion, Young Quinn, part-owned by Colin’s brother “Bud,” and his family. Young Quinn numbered the 1974 Auckland Cup, the 1975 InterDominion Pacing Championship, the Sydney Miracle Mile and the American Pacing Championship among his 59 wins. “Bud,” coincidentally, is a part-owner, with his daughter, Bronwyn Ludke, of the Roy and Barry Purdon-trained Godfrey, so the scene is set for much friendly rivalry be-

tween the two camps when the big cups are contested later this year. Application, unlucky in his three earlier starts this season, took the measure of the pacemaking Frangelico with 100 m to run and had the race won everywhere but where it counted. Driver Ricky May, like John Hay, was pretty sure Debbie’s Boy had grabbed the decision on the line. Application, a C 8 six-year-old son of Lordship, was half a length in front of Frangelico, which drifted out from the fence early in the run home. The eight-year-old Golden Fulla mare paced her best race for some time and was responsible for setting up the respectable time of 3:18.2 for the mobile 2600 m in the easy conditions. Final Offer, which trailed, fought on for fourth, with Machismo making ground solidly for fifth. The second favourite, Laser Lad, tracked the winner until the home turn, but battled on only fairly to finish sixth.