An undoubted highlight during the Palmerston North Gold Cup meeting on Friday was the running of the four dog $10,000 Arch Lawrence Distance Invitation paw wrestle over the extreme 766m race distance.
Pictured: Thrilling Flo, with handler Sophie Whittaker after her effortless 766m victory
The event was one of a great number of initiatives that the Paul Freeman led Palmerston North club instigated during the inaugural running of the Palmerston North Gold Cup festival weekend of tri-code racing.
Arch Lawrence provided two of the quartet of invited stayers, including the warm race favourite Shandell, who had recently cracked the $200,000 stakes earning barrier. However, it was the Karen Walsh prepared Thrilling Flo who won the break from trap seven. She scampered straight into the race lead, which saw her free-wheeling along sweetly in front of her three rivals.
It was an emphatic staying performance by the Gary Harding owned and bred daughter of Collision and Thrilling Angel as can be measured by her easy 5.25 length winning margin. She cut out the trip in 44.88s and in doing so she really thrust her paws forward for the forthcoming big ticket, staying Group races.
Shandell was super gallant when finishing second, after trying gamely throughout. She held a comfortable 4.75 length margin over Goldstar Jagger from the Steve and Bonnie Evans kennels who claimed third, while Teemaria arrived home another 5.5 lengths further behind.
The win maintained an impressive staying record for Thrilling Flo with this being her third from just four staying races. Overall it was her twelfth career win and after adding in a further eight minor placings, now sees her stakes earning tally sitting at $27,455.
Gloria Lawrence presented handler Sophie Whittaker with the Arch Lawrence Distance Invitation trophy; the full post-race Arch Lawrence Distance Invitation podium; Sarah Voyce giving Shandell a deserved pat after her second placing, Shandell was auctioned prior to the race for $800 for the Rebecca Black Trust appeal
It was a spectacular late afternoon, early twilight race meeting held by the proactive Palmerston North club. All races on the card were contested over 457m plus race distances, while seven of the races carried a minimum $5,000 stake. Here’s a pictorial round-up of those other race winners.
The first of the Lisa Cole trained winners came in the first race where Bigtime MacDaddy won the Red Snapper Seafoods Christchurch C0 final, seen here with handler Brendon Cole, sponsor Adam Jenkins and co-owner Craig Rendle; Canterbury trainer Craig Roberts then proceeded to train three consecutive winners, starting with the promising stayer Vicarious who won the Big Barrel Stakes C2D over the 660m trip seen here with co-owner Adam Jenkins and Craig Roberts; Roberts was straight back at the podium again with Cawbourne Britty who prevailed in the Graeme Hayden-Holmes Memorial C1 Final. He’s seen here with Shirley Hayden-Holmes and race handler Pippa Lammas.
The Roberts run continued when his exciting NZ Derby bound youngster Ride Ain’t Over stylishly won the Steve ‘The Auctioneer’ Davis C2 Final pictured here with Adam Jenkins, handler Bob Blackburn and Steve Davis; Roberts’ son Matt Roberts chimed in with Cawbourne Toddy who won the Outback Trading Company C3 Final; Plasterboard Ltd Auckland Cup runner-up Paul Dozer finally nailed a deserved feature race win when he annexed the Preston’s Master Butcher C4 Final for Angela Turnwald – he’s pictured with the hard working Palmerston president Paul Freeman and race sponsor Frankie Manclark; Lisa Cole produced reserve runner Map My Run to score in the Hotel Coachman C5 Stakes.
By Peter Fenemor
