The Michael House trained Absolute Magic notched up his 11th career win from 31 starts in tonight's (Nov. 21) feature pace at Addington Raceway - the $25,000 Storer Motors Free-For-All.

New Zealand's leading reinsman and champion driver of last season, Dexter Dunn positioned the son of Christian Cullen into the trail from his luxury one draw. That early move proved to be the winning of the race.

Special Ops (Shane Walkinshaw) did all the hard work in front and at the end of the 2600m mobile Absolute Magic had one and a half lengths and half a length to spare over Rocket Reign (Ricky May) and Bachelorette (Anthony Butt). Special Ops faded to fifth behind Waipawa Lad (Mark Jones).

Absolute Magic paced the 2600m in 3:13.9 (mile rate: 1:59.9) with final 800m and 400m sectionals of 56.1 and 27.8 seconds. The 4-year-old brown entire surpassed $150,000 in stakes with the win.

With the victory 18-year-old Dunn increased his lead on the national driving premiership to 44 wins - 12 clear of Cambridge's David Butcher and 13 ahead of third equaled placed Mark Purdon and David Butt.

Trainers Mark Purdon and Grant Payne, who prepared the country's two leading second season pacers last season, produced their gifted stable mates Mercurio and Highview Tommy to run first and second in the $20,000 NRM New Zealand Sires' Stakes (heat two) at Addington last night.

Unbeaten Auckland Reactor and leading three year old stake earner Fiery Falcon were their two standouts last season and Mercurio and Highview Tommy look likely to follow in their footsteps this season.

Highview Tommy, New Zealand's champion juvenile last season, enjoyed a good passage in or near the lead but Mercurio was several lengths off the pace at the quarter with a lot of work to do in the home stretch.

Highview Tommy spurted along the passing lane to head off the race's third pacemaker Cullen's Creek but Mercurio had the last run at him and prevailed by half a length in 2:24.1 for the mobile 1950 metres, a mile rate of 1:58.9, home in 56.1 and 27.1.

Purdon felt that Highview Tommy, fine-tuned with just two workouts, was forward in condition but would improve, regardless with what he showed, as a result of the exertion.

A striking son of Christian Cullen, Mercurio won his last start as a juvenile and resumed at three at Addington a fortnight ago. He has started four times for three wins and a fourth.

He is raced by prominent stable clients Neil Pilcher and Bill Grice in partnership with Glenys and Phil Kennard.

The athletic son of Christian Cullen is a great grandson of Disco Girl, who was New Zealand's 1991-92 Broodmare of the Year Disco Girl.

This high profile offshoot of the Lady Clare taproot produced former Purdon standout Christopher Vance who was trained by Mark Purdon's father Roy and another son Barry.

Don Wright

Quite Easy

By Frank Marrion - Harness Racing Weekly

Accessing top quality trotting stallions has always been a problem when New Zealand's broodmare population has numbered between just 600-700 broodmares.

Sundon was entirely a fluke – an exceptional stroke of luck who advanced the trotting breed in this part of world immeasurably - and more recently a lot of any real progress that has been made has been done by importing frozen semen from the likes of Dream Vacation, Muscles Yankee, S J's Photo and probably the leading French sire Love You. Frozen semen has its limitations though of course and it has also usually come at a price, which has got to as much as $22,000 (plus GST and everything else that went with it) for Muscles Yankee at one time.

The likes of Earl, Monarchy and Pegasus Spur have brought positives to the table in the flesh more recently, but they haven’t exactly represented trotting royalty for both pedigree and performance either and their struggles at times have underlined the limitations of the Down Under trotting market and why it hasn’t been viable for studs to invest in a top class son of say Speedy Crown or Valley Victory over the years or more recently, and in the foreseeable future, a son of a ‘Hall’ or a horse from that extraordinary family.

This struggle was also perfectly illustrated by Alabar’s recent unsuccessful attempts to shuttle Yankee Glide for one season, although a sire of that much proven class and price was probably always going to be asking a bit much.

It is the demand from Europe which has almost always put America's elite trotting performers and pedigrees beyond the reach of Down Under breeders, so the start of a relationship this year between Michael House's Double E Stables and Roydon Lodge and the major Swedish stud and breeding entity Broline International could well be an interesting and significant development.

What it will mean for a start is an ample supply of frozen semen this year at a reasonable price from Quite Easy (2, 1.56.8; 3, Q1.54.8, $409,365), a classy 4-year-old son of Andover Hall with an attractive if not exciting pedigree.

The prospects of where this relationship might lead is what is just as promising though. Broline International, which stands the likes of Pine Chip, Lindy Lane and the French sire Juliano Star, the latter the sire of Swedish sensation Commander Crowe, a flashy chestnut who is unbeaten in 22 races, purchased Quite Easy at the end of his 2-year-old campaign and he has just completed a debut season at stud where he covered 185 mares. His fee in Sweden was a 3000 krona deposit and 35,000 on live foal, an all up figure which converts to about $8500 in New Zealand dollars.

What needs to be considered in such conversions and calculations though is the differences in the amount of money that can be raced for by trotters in Europe compared to Australasia and the resulting commercial value of yearlings at the sales etc.

Roydon Lodge's Keith Gibson and House are actually purchasing the semen in advance and are probably going to settle on a fee closer to $4500 here. "With the Americans it seems like they are always trying to clean you out of your last dollar, but these people in Sweden seem much more reasonable and interested in simply getting together to breed good trotters," said Gibson. "Straight away they knew about the limited market down here and were prepared to be practical - they seem to have a genuine common interest. "But these are also people that could buy the next Hambletonian winner straight off the track, so we're hoping to foster a relationship and who knows where it could lead.

“These are the people that you would be competing with if you were trying to buy a Quite Easy, but if we can get into bed with them it is going to be mutually beneficial for everybody," he added. A lot of trotting breeders are going to happily settle for sire with a pedigree and racing record like Quite Easy's for now. From the first crop of trotting siring sensation Andover Hall, who stood this year at Hanover for US$30,000 after also siring Donato Hanover and Pampered Princess from his first crop, Quite Easy is the second foal from the Valley Victory mare Marita's Victory (3, 1.54, $666,731, Hambletonian Oaks) and he was a $125,000 yearling at Harrisburg.

The latter fact will immediately alleviate any concerns about type and conformation for the 15.3 hands horse. Marita's Victory, whose first foal is the Pine Chip colt Stick Man Moe (4, 1.55.6, $52,826), is a three-quarter sister to champion filly Passionate Glide (2, 1.55.8; 3, 1.52.4, $2m, Breeders Crown 2yo & 3yo, Hambletonian Oaks) and a sister to Mr Vic (2, 1.57.2; 3, 1.54.4, $318,942, sire). Their dam in Miss Marita had a colt by Cantab Hall which sold for $350,000 in Kentucky last year and only a filly by Windson's Legacy at $360,000 at Harrisburg sold for more in North America.

Miss Marita, by the Super Bowl horse Joie De Vie, is a half-sister to the top Stakes winning Valley Victory fillies Act Of Grace (2, 1.55.6; 3, 1.52.6, $403,525 and dam of top Stakes colt Cobol), Prolific Lady (2, 1.57; 3, 1.56.4, $373,925) and Cherished Victory (2, 1.57.8; 3, 1.54.8, $127,675), while their dam Keystone Profile was a Stakes winning daughter of Speedy Crown and a half-sister to 1977 Hambletonian winner Green Speed. This is the famed Miss Bertha Dillon family and also tracing to her Peter Volo daughter Miss Bertha Hanover is none other than Andover Hall.

It is the cross of Andover Hall over a Valley Victory mare along with the ‘back class’ in the pedigree which will have trotting breeders salivating however. Donato Hanover and Pampered Princess are from mares by Valley Victory’s son Donerail and last year’s Hambletonian Oaks winner Danae is by Andover Hall from a mare by Valley Victory. Top colts of recent seasons in Laddie (3, 1.54) and Flirtin Man (3, 1.52.4) are by Angus Hall from Valley Victory mares, while the brilliant filly Pizza Dolce (3, 1.52.8) is by Conway Hall from a Valley Victory mare as is last weekend’s Hambletonian third placegetter Make It Happen.

Trained by Jimmy Takter, Quite Easy raced 14 times as a juvenile for seven wins and three seconds and stakes worth $228,000. After qualifying at The Meadowlands in June, he won his first Stakes assignment at The Meadows in a PASS and two starts later a Tompkins-Geers at Tioga Downs, which was the start of a five race winning streak which included a stopover at The Red Mile in 1.56.8 and a $107,385 division of the Champlain Stakes at Mohawk by three lengths in 1.57.4.

A week later at Mohawk, he won an elimination heat for the rich Wellwood Memorial in 1.57.6 before finishing a ‘flat’ fourth as the favourite in the final won by Laddie in 2.00 over a very sloppy track. A few weeks later he was back in Lexington however for an International Stallion Stake and coasted home for John Campbell in 1.56.8 with a last quarter in 27. He was then second beaten a neck in his heat for the Breeders Crown at Woodbine, but got too far back in the final won by Donato Hanover in 1.56, finishing on for fifth after being 12 lengths off the speed at the half.

After qualifying back in 1.54.8 at The Meadowlands in May last year, Quite Easy trekked back to Mohawk and won his heat and the $334,600 final of the Goodtimes, both in 1.56, where he downed another son of Andover Hall (and a Valley Victory mare) and an import this season in Monkey Bones.

That would be Quite Easy's last win however and whatever the problem was in his remaining career, it was never really pinpointed. He would finished second in the Colonial timed in 1.55 and third in a heat of the Yonkers Trot, but he was unplaced in the final of the latter and also the $1m Canadian Trotting Classic before being retired in October.

"We’ve been trying for years to acquire a trotting horse of this class but you just can't compete with the money that's on offer from Europe, so buying frozen semen at a reasonable price is probably not only the best way to go, but the only way," said Michael House, who will manage and promote Quite Easy under his Double E Stables umbrella.

"Keith (Gibson) is the ultimate realist when it comes to sires and money and it takes a bit to get him excited. "But when I showed him the pedigree of this horse and mentioned the possibilities, well he's been as high as a kite since."

Extreme Three

Quite Easy will bring the number of stallions that House will offer this season to 10, although whether the sub fertile and uncommercial Dr Ronerail stays in Canterbury remains to be seen. With a selection in the flesh which ranges between champion sire Sundon at $3750 to Thanksgiving at $800 and Monarchy in between at $2000, House could be said to have most trotting bases covered and offering something for everybody. He has certainly got the ‘breeding to race’ base covered on the pacing front anyway with proven sire Tinted Cloud and Big Tom and The Big Dog being joined by new import Extreme Three and all of them standing at $1500.

Double E Stables at West Melton acts as the ‘Stallion Station’ and nearby Roydon Lodge is the broodmare ‘collection’ farm with working fees applying there as well. Sundon turned 23 last week and is coming off a season where he successfully covered one of his biggest books ever with 154 mares in New Zealand and 49 in Australia. He has been showing the first signs of advancing age however.

Sundon’s progeny won $2.5m in New Zealand last season and while that was down on his record of $2.7m in 2007, which gave him his second Sires’ Premiership over the pacing sires, he was still quite simply in a class of his own in almost all respects. The one exception was among the 2-year-olds, where he had just the one winner in the filly Pocaro as the likes of Dream Vacation and Muscles Yankee had three or four, in what would be another sign of impending changing times.

It is Sundon’s daughters that will be his ‘own worse enemy’ as a sire in the future as they serve to promote other sires. Among last season’s top seven stakes winning juvenile trotters, Dream Machine and the fillies Jumanji Franco, Gimli and Yankee Del were from Sundon mares. He was the leading sire of 3-year-olds over Monarchy, but clearly the leading broodmare sire of 3-year-old trotters as well with the three top stakes winners in Sovereignty, Doctor Mickey and De Gaulle being from Sundon mares.

After the progeny of Sundon mares won $234,350 in 2007, last season this figure was over $1.1m and he jumped into second place by Gee Whiz II. As certain as death and taxes will be Sundon being leading trotting sire and leading broodmare trotting sire this coming season – which would almost certainly be a quite unique feat anywhere, anytime - and the latter fact will almost certainly mark the start of an era where he will be even more dominant and for longer than his reign at the top as trotting sire. That reign started in 2001 and it will be lasting a long way into the next decade.

His progeny have won over $1.5m in Australia again this season as well and he will again be in a class of his own on that premiership table, one he will top for a sixth consecutive year. We won’t be seeing his like again in our lifetimes, and with the advent of shuttle sires and frozen semen and events such as Quite Easy, who could well cover over 100 mares here this season from Sweden, we probably won’t see a trotting sire advance the breed and dominate to Sundon’s extent ever again full stop either.

But in such a limited gene pool where Sundon mares have become increasingly prevalent, he does also limit his own commercial capacity in that so many of the top racemares and or well-bred broodmares around are by Sundon, and as sure life has to move on, so too will the trotting breed inevitably move on from Sundon the sire. One of those benefiting greatly from Sundon mares is of course Monarchy, whose fee has been raised to $2000 off the back of an impending Trotter of the Year announcement for Sovereignty.

Empress, Gimli, La Femme D’Argent, Pasi and Solana have been others by Monarchy from Sundon mares. Roydon Lodge imported Monarchy as a foil for Sundon mares and now Gibson has the likes of Empress and her sister Dutchess, who are Monarchy half-sisters to Mountbatten and who are from the Sundon mare Sunvette, who are sitting up brilliantly for a sire with Quite Easy’s pedigree.

After averaging a book of 30 odd mares in his first five seasons at stud, Monarchy got to 51 mares at $1500 last season and Gibson and House are hoping for an even better result this time, but with new sires coming on to the scene such as Quite Easy and Monkey Bones ($2750) in such a limited pool of mares, that remains to be seen.

One trotting sire who had no trouble attracting a good book of mares last season was Thanksgiving, the New Zealand-bred horse with the American pedigree who proved the top juvenile trotter here in 2004 before a succession of soreness issues finally forced his retirement to stud in 2006.

He won four of his five races as a 2-year-old, culminating in the Sires Stakes at Addington and Sales race over One Over Kenny in Auckland. After a belated start to his debut season at stud, where he served 18 mares and got 18 foals, Thanksgiving got 85 last season and they included the likes of Elizabeth Bay, Gees Pride, Rona’s Jewel, Zsa Zsa, Cracker Nova, Fleur’s Invasion, Hanover The Gold, Jenny’s Comet, Kahlum (dam of Lyell Creek), Sunny Gem and What You Are.

It seems value is still an important component and trotting breeders recognized plenty of that in Thanksgiving along with his performance and pedigree. An interesting aspect of the latter is the fact that his sire King Conch (Speedy Crown-Conch) is a half-brother to Viking Kronos, who at 185,000 krona (NZ$42,000) is the most expensive sire in Sweden. “We are going to have a party shortly to celebrate Thanksgiving – the invitations are going to everybody who bred to him,” said House.

As a son of In The Pocket who has how sired over 70 winners including Australia’s fastest in Smoken Up (1.51.9, 21 NZ & Aus wins, $523,522 to date) and the fastest New Zealand-bred pacer in America in Nemisis (5 NZ wins, US1.48.2) among others, Tinted Cloud has secured his place in life as a proven sire who doesn’t cost breeders the earth.

He will be making an even bigger impression in due course as well as his biggest crop of 150 odd foals turned two last week.

With no ‘two for one’ deals on offer last year, his numbers fell back to 55 after seasons of 101 and 221, but the mares he covered in Australia as well included four for Smoken Up’s trainer Lance Justice and the likes of Richard Henry (WA Derby), Tee Pee Village and Days Of Grace have been flying a flag for him in the WA outpost as well.

He might not be the commercial success of a Christian Cullen or Courage Under Fire, but Tinted Cloud still represents an important and viable outcross and he is popular around the stud if only for the ease of working with him.“If we have 65 collection days then he does 65 minutes of work for the season.”

The same cannot be said for either Dr Ronerail or The Big Dog, but at least the latter is ‘knocking them over’ now after a disastrous start to his stud career here where it was discovered that his semen didn’t chill and he only got five of 38 mares in foal. However, since he started serving mares naturally two seasons ago, or the way it was always done up until 30-odd years ago, The Big Dog got 22 out of 22 (two foals died) in 2007 and 38 out of 39 in foal last season.

For a good horse who has sired five sub-1.50 performers including top FFA pacer He Wants It All (1.49.2, $948,640), plus an unbeaten daughter of Pacific Flight in Sirius Flight (3, 1.54.4) who now resides at Ohoka, The Big Dog probably offers some value as well, although he has just the one named colt among his first handful of foals here and only time will tell whether his fillies can overcome such a ‘handle’.

As a horse who won 44 races and over $1.5m, and as son of the underrated sire Cole Muffler, Big Tom (1.48.4) has a bit to offer as well and he will have a better chance to make an impression this season with a first crop of 30-odd 2-year-olds coming on stream. Big Tom covered 28 mares last season at $2500 in a ‘two for one’ deal, but House has brought him back to $1500 this year after conceding he probably overrated him.

That leaves Mach Three’s brother Extreme Three, who has been attracting plenty of interest at $1500, and the proven Sands A Flyin, the sire of Sly Flyin and Monkey King who was purchased by Robert Famularo last year.

Sands A Flyin has also struggled with his fertility over the years and hovers around the 60% mark, and to limit the book of the now 17-year-old while also hoping to attract a better class of mare, his fee has been increased to $3750 this year.

But it is the trotting sires which are going to be much of the focus this season, and with the addition of Quite Easy from Sweden to the roster, Double E Stables has probably cornered a large part of that small market.

Tinted Cloud is now the sire of NZ's fastest horses in America and Australia.

Former Kiwi pacer Smoken Up led a stunning speed display on the day New South Wales harness racing celebrated a new era with the gala opening of the 1400m Menangle track, an hour outside of Sydney.

Smoken Up, touted as the next Sokyola by his trainer / driver Lance Justice, stole the show with a blistering 1.51.9 win in the feature, the inaugural $100,000 Group 1 Len Smith Mile.

The time obliterated the previous Australasian mile race record of 1.52.8 set by Pay Me Christian in the Newcastle Mile on November 11, 2006.

It was Smoken Up, an emerging star in his first season on the Grand Circuit who left a big impression.

"He worked hard to hold the lead, he was pressured in the middle stages and he just kept finding. He's a fantastic horse," Justice said.

"I've thought for a long time he could be my next Sokyola. There are so many similarities, especially with their fighting attitudes."

"When you think how far he has come this season, his first on the Grand Circuit, you can see why I think his best is yet to come."

Sunday's win was richly deserved for Smoken Up, by Tinted Cloud, who had previously run placings in the Interdominion Final and Victoria and Hunter Cups this season.

His other win was for the season was the $100,000 Group 1 SA Cup.

Highview Tommy Jewels

Highview Tommy 2yo Colts and Geldings Emerald winner 1.55.2

By Mike Grainger – Harness Racing Weekly

Fresh from his win behind Fiery Falcon, Blair Orange was no less confident with smart looker Highview Tommy.

A Ready to Run Sales purchase from Michael House by Hazel Van Opzeeland, Philip and Glenys Kennard, Highview Tommy had won the Welcome Stakes, a Sires Stakes Heat and had been without luck in the final won by Tintin In America.

Success in the Emerald should almost certainly secure him the Two Year Old of the Year title.

The race fell perfectly into place.

Sir Clive sat outside Tintin In America, who led, and forced him hard.

Orange took a seat with Highview Tommy on the back of Sir Clive. Tintin In America had no hope of holding out a fresh and bristling Highview Tommy, and Aslan made a strong late run from three back for a fast closing second.

Orange said that Highview Tommy had never run a bad race all year.

“He just loves getting out there.

He’s got the best attitude of any 2-year-old I’ve driven.” he said.

His time of 1.55.2 was 1.4 better than Ohoka Arizona took to win the Emerald last year.

Fiery Falcon

Fiery Falcon 3yo Colts and Geldings Emerald winner 1.54.6

By Mike Grainger – Harness Racing Weekly

Fiery Falcon was the first of two winning drives for Blair Orange.

When he’d completed the second with Highview Tommy, he had the honour of being the only driver to have won four jewels.

If there’s a Crown for driving achievements, then Orange wears it.

Neither horse gave him too much to worry about.

Fiery Falcon worked steadily to the lead from his four draw. Orange kept them packed over the last lap, refusing to be pushed; they were going fast enough in any rate.

It meant Themightyquinn, in midfield, and Georgetown, four deep on the inner, had no options until the curtain came down.

Fiery Falcon headed for home running hard, The Cavalier, the trailer, held his place gamely and had half a head on Themightyquinn, who flew home when second was the best he could hope for.

It must have been something of a relief for Fiery Falcon and Orange to head to the start without the risk of seeing Auckland Reactor appear at some time.

It extended an outstanding and consistent record for the son of Mach Three – eight wins, seven seconds and seven thirds from 24 starts, and stakes of $533,786 for his enthusiastic owners, who were all on course. Orange has won three on him.

One of them, Philip Kennard, made the bold claim that Fiery Falcon was the second best horse in the country.

On stakes alone, there is no doubt that he has a place in the best company, and there is much more to come.

Veteran driver Maurice McKendry has added his voice to the huge wraps on 3-Year-Old trotting star Sovereignty after his tough win in the Breckon Bloodstock Northern Derby at Alexandra Park tonight (May 2).

The gelded son of Monarchy had all the pressure on him going into the 2700m mobile Group One feature, and his job wasn’t made any easier when he drew two on the second line.

But thanks to a hot pace up front, initially from Running On Time and latterly from The Ultimate Galleon, the Sean McCaffrey-trained Sovereignty got a lovely drag into the race and from there, it was up to the horsepower at McKendry’s disposal.

Just like last week’s Sires Stakes Trotters Championship, it was left down to Running On Time and Sovereignty to battle out the last 400m, with Sovereignty finishing off even better than last week, scoring by 2 ¾ lengths in yet another New Zealand record time of 3.25.5.

The fast clip suited Sovereignty perfectly, according to McKendry.

“It turned out good – they went hard early so it just suited us.”

McKendry sent Sovereignty off with 450m to go after the leader began to wilt.

“It was an off track and I thought he (The Ultimate Galleon) had to come back into it a wee bit,” he said.

“I knew Tony (Herlihy, on Running On Time) was getting a good run which I was sort of worried about – I didn’t want to get too far away from him.

“It just worked out good – we got a nice trip up there ... and just outmuscled him.”

McKendry wonders what Sovereignty is capable of in the next couple of seasons.

“He’s never let me down – he just keeps getting better,” he said.

“He can stay, he’s got speed – there’s not a lot wrong with him. He’s got a lot going for him.”

Matt Smith

New Zealand has a new member of the elite sub 1.50 club after Richard Henry (6g Tinted Cloud-Glenda Byrd) ran 1.49.6 to win a $40,000 Open Preferred Handicap at Dover Downs, Delaware, last Monday.

The supersonic mark continues a meteoric rise for the horse, a former West Australian Derby winner, and also further advocates the merits of ‘cheapy’ sire Tinted Cloud, who also sired our fastest ever export in Nemisis.

Richard Henry has won four races and $90,000 since starting his American career on New Year’s Eve, following on from 15 wins and nearly $200,000 in West Australia.

In New Zealand he was a tidy three-year-old for John Hay and Ken Dixon and last raced in Tribute’s Sires Stakes Final on Cup Day 2004.

Canterbury junior reinsman Dexter Dunn continues to baffle the harness racing world with his prowess in the sulky.

The teenager from Riccarton won his first Group 1 race in just his third drive at Alexandra Park tonight aboard the Michael House trained Rona Lorraine in the $134,000 Nevele R Stud Caduceus Club Classic.

The 2-year-old brown Christian Cullen filly was having just her fifth race-day start and first at northern headquarters and was not fancied by the punters when backed into seventh favourite in the 10-horse field.

“All of my wins have been memorable, but this one is special. I’ve always wanted to drive at Alexandra Park. I’ve seen it a lot on TV over the years and now that I’m here I can’t believe my first win on the track was a Group 1. I’ll definitely be back,” Dunn said.

Rona Lorraine had one-and-a-half lengths to spare over the second placed dead-heaters, Hemisphere and Arden’s Darlin. The Christian Cullen filly paced the 2200m mobile in 2:45.6 (mile rate: 2:01.1) with final 800m and 400m sectionals of 57.8 and 28.8 seconds.

Dunn later admitted he could have done better in the sulky.

“To be honest it was a bad drive. She had to do a lot of work in the race. At the top of the straight I thought she would throw in the towel after I had earlier pushed her out at the bell.

“She showed a heap of courage to hang on and win. This is a gutsy horse who will win more races. I’ll never forget this first win at Alexandra Park though. There’s a lot more atmosphere here than Addington. This is very memorable,” Dunn said.

Rona Lorraine now joins some quality fillies as winner of the Classic. Magaera (1996), Tupelo Rose (1999), Elect To Live (2001), Molly Darling (2004), One Dream (2006) and Suzie Maguire (2007) as past winners of the 15-year-old race.

Southland bred and nurtured Highview Tommy came with the last run at the two hotpots Sir Clive and Tintin In America to score an upset but thoroughly deserved success in the $100,000 Gr 1 Bromac Lodge NZ Welcome Stakes (1950 metres, mobile) for 2 Year Old pacers at Addington tonight Friday 12 April.

Just when stable mate Sir Clive had mastere pacemaker Tintin In America and appeared set to run away for a fourth successive win, Highview Tommy peeled off his back and grabbed him late by half a head in 2:23.5, a mile rate of 1:58.4, home in a cracking 56.3 and 27.7.

The Highview Tommy and Sir Clive quinella again strikingly illustrated the dominance of the Mark Purdon and Grant Payne trained juveniles who are again carving up virtually the lot of the big juvenile money.

Raced by Glenys and Philip Kennard with Hazel van Oopzeeland, Highview Tommy was bred by Western Southlander David Clarke of Riverton who sold him for $45,000 to Michael House at the NZ Premier Yearling Sale.

House developed him into a star lot at the last Ready Ro Run Sale in Christchurch where he changed hands for $200,000.

Highview Tommy, a son of Bettors Delight and the Christian Cullen mare Baptism of Fire, has started five times for two wins, two seconds and a third for stakes of $86,210

“I thought the fact he was by a good sire in Bettors Delight from a daughter of great sire Christian Cullen would make him worth a big punt and it seems to have worked out,’’ House said recently.

Asked if tonight’s big the win at odds of 13 to one surprised him, stable driver Blair Orange said: “No, not really, because he has always been a very good horse, even if in the shadow of Sir Clive…He has got it all as a lovely all round horse.’’

Highview Tommy belongs to Lady Alba’s stout branch of the famous Estella Amos (imp) family that produced Precious Fella (1:53.8), Australian juvenile star The Falcon Strike (42 wins) and another prolific Australian winner in Awesome Diamond.

Lady Alba, the third dam of Highview Tommy, won 10 races, including the Gr 3 Thames Debutante Stakes.

Sir Clive, attempting to extend his unbeaten sequence to four, was magnificent in defeat.

After a slow beginning, he did plenty of work to eye ball pacemaker Tintin In America but still easily mauled and mastered him at the 200, only to be gunned down late by his under-rated stable mate.

Don Wright

Doctor Mickey

Forget Bon Jovi and the Smashing Pumpkins. The best show anywhere near the Westpac Centre this week was the Mark and Grant show at Addington Raceway -- with a special guest appearance by Michael House and a showstopper from Auckland Reactor.

Mark Purdon and Grant Payne, the country's leading trainers, underlined that fact when they took out the New Zealand Trotting Derby with Doctor Mickey, the quinella in the Sires' Stakes heat with $200,000 Ready to Run purchase Highview Tommy and Eric's Legend, before Auckland Reactor produced a superstar performance to win the $50,000 Flying Stakes with an awesome display of raw pacing power.

But some of it might not have happened if Templeton studmaster Michael House had not said the wrong thing to the media about Jo Anne, the dam of Doctor Mickey, whose brother, Dependable, was one of Mark Purdon's two previous winners in the race.

"I said something that either I shouldn't have or it wasn't reported the way I thought it would be and Joanne's owners, Allan and Lorraine Georgeson, were a bit upset about it. So I offered them a free service to Dr Ronerail as an apology and here we are," said House, who produced Absolute Magic to win in his own colours later in the night.

Dr Ronerail, who produced a leading two-year-old trotter last season, has had few mares in the time since as he is only used for natural service but business could lift now. Purdon, who also trained Galleon's Assassin to win the Derby, gave Doctor Mickey a dream run.

He followed Sovereignty when it went out three wide and had the last lunge at the gallant northerner.

Real Deal Yankee and pacemaker The Ultimate Galleon, who was attacked in front for much of the way, fought out the rest.

"He is a much better horse in mobiles than the stand and and sprung a curb, which caused him to be away for racing for a while," Purdon said.

The Georgeson's race Doctor Mickey with their son, Lee, and have been active in putting him through a swimming regime which helped fit him for last night's event.

Colin de Filippi thought Sovereignty went a huge race but the fact that Running On Time was parked meant he was left trapped wide.

"I knew Running On Time hates getting grit in his face and Murray would not hand up to me from where he was.

"It was my bad luck that Mark was on my back," said De Filippi who added Sovereignty would return home to Cambridge. Highview Tommy, not far behind star stablemate Sir Clive, was tested for the first time in front and came through with flying colours in the hands of Blair Orange.

Raced by Hazel van Opzeeland with Glenys and Philip Kennard, Highview Tommy caught the expert Purdon eye when he test drove it from the Michael House group of horses prepared for the Ready to Run.

"I had given him a good workout the week before to fit him up but Mark still picked his potential," said House, who had bought the colt as a yearling for $40,000.

Auckland Reactor was simply staggering. This was even to Purdon, who is well used to youthful stars.

"I decided to roll to the front and really test him out while we had the good draw from a Derby viewpoint," Purdon said. The only people disappointed with the result were the owners of his Derby rivals. Auckland Reactor ran 2min 20.5sec for the trip the last 800m in 56.5 the last 400m in 28.2 and the last mile in 1:55.9.

by David McCarthy ChCh Press