January 23, 2015
by Ross Stanley
Glenn Richardson hit the lead in the Nanango trainers’ premiership with a double last Saturday.
Canid, his remarkable $400 bargain buy in April 2013, closed to within a round of drinks of the $30,000 earnings mark by finishing powerfully on his home turf in the Nanango RSL-Pedersen Memorial Class B (1200m).
Richardson and his Nanango High schoolmates Marc Alexander and Gary McAuliffe, and the now four-year-old’s trackwork partner Hannah English, covered the purchase price when the Elusive City gelding picked up $1000 for his debut placing at Toowoomba in June 2013.
The game bay, with top four finishes at 14 of his past 15 outings, just keeps giving.
After settling worse than mid-field for Gary Geran, $4.80 the chance swept up to be the widest runner as heads were turned towards the judge.
With the desired turn of foot, Canid dashed to his third career victory ahead of the James Curtain-prepared Lady Wivenhoe (Jason Missen) with Richardson’s Clifford (Matthew Powell) completing a South Burnett trifecta.
There was generational continuity in the fact that Glenn’s mother Glenda had trained Mal Ribbon for a dozen successes in the 1970s for the late Les and Thelma Pedersen.
Fittingly the racing enthusiasts’ daughters, Roz Frohloff, Robyn Herrmann and Joan Price (pictured in “Racing Was Hot, Hot, Hot“), were on hand at the Memorial event’s presentation ceremony.
Meanwhile, there is a good reason why English’s name has gone from the list of Canid’s owners in the racebook.
The talented horsewoman is in the process of becoming Richardson’s apprentice and is therefore ineligible to participate in racehorse ownerships.
There was some deja vu about proceedings, too.
At the sale that led to Canid’s acquisition, Richardson also paid $1500 for Just Watcher, a Ferocity filly that Nanango’s Fitzroy Hotel host Peter Jackson opted to race.
After raking in some minor money at Wondai and Injune, the three-year-old picked up $10,300 by taking out the Maiden Handicap (with QTIS 600 Bonus) at Eidsvold.
By June 26, 2013, the two horses that cost a total of $1900 had banked almost $13,000 in five starts for their new stable.
It just so happens that the earlier Lee Park winner from Glenn’s stable last Saturday was Jackson’s lightly raced Danzero filly Ede Fuse.
She saluted for Geran in the Malcolm McCallum Memorial QTIS Maiden (1200m).
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Hannah Breaks Through
To round off a great program for South Burnett players, Hivesville trainer Peter Blackwell met his charge Count Romano and a very relieved Hannah Phillips in the winner’s slot after the Star Tyrepower BM60 (1600m).
Since her lengthy injury-enforced lay off following a barrier mishap at Mungindi last July, Phillips had registered eight seconds and two thirds from 32 assignments that began on Cox Plate day.
The victory was not a walk in the park.
Stewards reported that Count Romano over raced in the early and middle stages when the pair shared the lead outside Our Clarky (Matthew Powell), a Hemingway (Ire) gelding having its first crack over a mile.
Phillips secured what turned out to be a winning break in the run to the home turn.
Powell had conserved fuel and launched what appeared to be well-timed challenge at the top of the stretch.
Blackwell is a renowned conditioner and although Our Clarky looked likely to prevail, the Count’s fitness and Phillip’s determination resulted in a winning margin of a head in what was a very absorbing contest.
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Powell Powers On
Former New England apprentice Matthew Powell impressed at his first appearance in south-eastern Queensland when he booted home Latin American with a strategically patient and balanced effort in the John Dundas Automotive Group BM 65 (1000m).
The move north in search of better opportunities has proved positive, with his 37 Sunshine State rides producing an ultra healthy 7:4:8 strike rate.
After Lee Park, his haul included placings at Townsville last Sunday and Mackay last Thursday.
Powell, indentured to Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Hendrick, sits as still as a sphinx and seems sure to get phone calls from trainers in need of a cold, tactical hoop.
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Nanango Replays Now On YouTube
Races from Lee Park are now on view via the YouTube button on Nanango Race Club’s upgraded website.
Facebook material is also available in the “How To Find Us” box.
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Kilcoy’s Anxious Australia Day Weather Watch
Surely it couldn’t happen again!
The racing fraternity hopes the Kilcoy Race club enjoys the best outcome for this weekend’s public holiday.
Sadly, this fixture has been lost to the weather several times in recent years.
It is such an appropriate occasion to go racing and fingers are crossed that dry skies will reign supreme between now and Monday evening!
The fields include a number of runners from last Saturday’s Nanango meeting.
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Odd Spot: If Only We Knew…
Do horses communicate with each by sound or body language when they are in the tie-up stalls at the track before and after they race?
Do they gossip, exchange advice, intimidate or just shoot the breeze?
If something does goes on, it would be interesting to know how Ede Fuse and Canid interacted last Saturday.
Back on August 2 when the gelding won his Maiden at Nanango, the filly ran third, two lengths behind her stablemate.
The pair competed in different events at Kilcoy in November with Canid the only placegetter.
Wonder if he was highly motivated to retain his “supremacy” when the three-year-old came back to the stalls and informed him of her triumph last weekend?
I’m sure there’s a doctorate study on this issue going begging somewhere…
