Gore Real Estate agent and President of the Northern Southland Trotting Club Bill McDonald trained his first winner at the Riverton Trotting Club meeting at Ascot Park yesterday.
Six year old Bettor’s Delight gelding Machinegun Kelly at odds of 41 to 1 and expertly driven by junior driver Craig Ferguson lead and held on to beat the trailing Smiling Armada by three quarters of a length.
Machinegun Kelly was named after the James Taylor song inspired from attending a James Taylor concert.
The win was special because McDonald's mother Iona who recently died at the age of ninety, was part of the ownership and is still named in the racebook.
“Mum and I have been breeding for years and looking for that New Zealand Cup winner,” said McDonald. His children Bridget and Angus are also involved.
Machinegun Kelly qualified at McDonald’s home track Balfour, in December 2012 and has had a number of trainers over the four seasons he’s been racing.
“He was a bit of a lunatic as a young horse. He was seeing things that didn’t exist. We sent his up to Geoff Hill in Canterbury to ride and then to Geoff and Jude Knight’s for him to be in a bigger stable. They got two quick wins out of him. I then sent him up to Stewart Ashworth’s in Auckland and he won with him at his second start. Then he went off, so we brought him home and gave him three weeks off.”
This was the gelding’s pipe opener for his six year old season and he was given just one workout by McDonald finishing third behind the tightly assessed Pulp Fiction and Char Do Neigh on 24th October.
He’s by Bettor’s Delight out of the Holmes Hanover mare Sound Track which won one race for farrier and trainer Murray Jones.
“She goes back to a mare called Rosehaven. Dad raced her in the 60’s and vet Cliff Irvine suggested that we should give her away. She ended up with the Yardleys and they bred Black Watch out of her.”
Black Watch left Tay Bridge (9 wins), Remarkable (11 wins) and the unraced Aberfeldy the dam of Reba Lord (17 wins) and Megaera (8 wins).
The pedigree extends back to the mighty Mountbatten.
McDonald was very complimentary of Craig Ferguson’s drive saying that his charge can run “58 halves” all day long but is not suited to slowly run races that end up with a sprint home.
“I wish clubs would programme two mile events for some of the lower grade horses. It would suit a few.”
You have the power Bill!!
Bruce Stewart
Reproduced with permission of Southland Harness Racing – Check site here