Big Pete retains Pinto Derby Crown at Racetime

Belfast, IR/UK – Damien Mooney’s Big Pete (Table the Nukes – Crazy Chick) retained his pinto harness racing pacing crown at Racetime Raceway on Saturday (July 23) to the delight of a record attendance that had converged on the Northern Irish venue to witness the annual Pinto Pacing Derby – the clash of the coloreds.

Always the most eagerly awaited meeting of the season, the feature event sponsored by Northern Mortgages pitched the reigning champion against 3 up and coming pretenders.

Although Big Pete emerged triumphant in the “Battle of Belfast” dubbed by pundits it wasn’t as straightforward for the eight-year-old who had to dig in deep to fend off the persistent of White Dollar throughout the mile.

A big cheer emanated from the spectating areas as the mobile gate pulled away at the start of this contest but there was drama right from the outset when William McFalls Big Rick (Hangover – Country Jasmine) made a bad break and that put paid to his chances.

William McClelland then tried to seize the initiative with The Bees Kneez (Ants Inhis Pants – Broken Promise) but Damien Mooney aboard Big Pete was wise to the move and surged forward to claim the front, parking The Bees Kneez out wide into the first bend.

White Dollar (Forafewdollarsmore – Snow White) driven by Joseph Devlin settled back into third content to let Big Pete and The Bees Kneez lock horns at the head of affairs.

On the second circuit The Beez Knees started to falter, unable to keep the pressure on leader Big Pete and White Dollar slid up the rail into second.

Looming ominously on the shoulders of Big Pete at the ¾ pole White Dollar was produced with his challenge turning for home and it looked for a brief moment that Joseph Devlin had the measure of Damien Mooney. But the brave Big Pete would not be denied and pulled out more in the home stretch to repel White Dollar to land the spoils.

The blustery conditions were not conducive to fast times on the day and the mile of 2:05 was respectable under the circumstances. It means White Flame (Forafewdollarsmore, p,4,1:56.8 Dublin 2015) remains the world record holder for pinto pacers, but Big Pete’s owner Damien Mooney won’t mind as he currently holds bragging rights as having the best pinto in the British Isles.

In the winner’s enclosure the owner paid tribute to the runner up White Dollar for putting up such a bold showing as he was presented with the Bobby Mackey Memorial Cup by the sponsor’s Northern Mortgages representative.

White Dollar boasts almost 50% white color and although by siring sensation Forafewdollarsmore, the pinto comes from the dam Snow White who was imported from Australia in 2016. Snow White was by Medicine Dance and that lineage traces all the way back to Snowflake, a pinto foaled in 1943.

The winner and reigning champion is out of a pinto dam Crazy Chick and she goes back to the Chinook bloodline of UK foundation mare Land Girl (foaled 1977)

The third placed The Bees Kneez also boasts antipodean Australian bloodlines being by the ill-fated Ants Inhis Pants p3, 1:57.8. Imported from Australia in 2016 the former world record holder by McArdle out of Frilly Knickers.

Frilly Knickers herself goes back to Lord Snowtime (1992) and that bloodline can be traced right back to White Christmas (1971) her dam Christmas Snow (1959) her dam Elegant (1951) preceded by her Snowflake (1943) and foundation mare Silk Stockings back in the 1930’s. It’s recognized that all modern pintos hail from Silk Stockings.

Pinto breeding and racing has experienced a resurgence all over the harness racing world and although Australia and the UK/Ireland remain strongholds for these unusually marked standardbreds, there have been inroads made recently in Europe, namely Sweden, and the US.

Pinto breeding reached its zenith just over a month ago when the first Cattlewash bred coloured pacer foaled for Dubliner Clive Cullen. Registered as Airlie Beach, the filly is out of Sweet Lilyfire which in turn is bred by Sweet Lou out of a full sister to White Flame.

According to Cullen, Sweet Lilyfire is in foal to Betting Line with the eagerly awaited progeny due any day now. Such substantial investment in using the fastest pacers in the world to infuse with pinto mares will ensure that these remarkable standardbreds will only enhance the bloodline over the next decade.

Last Saturday’s program was augmented by four other races, and these were won by maiden True Matters (Greg Dean) 2:06, trotter Socrates Du Noyer (Ciaran Brickley) 2:45 for one and a quarter mile, Monugs Boy (Greg Dean) 2:04.7 trailing 10 yards and Phils Dragon (North Lucas) 2:01.5 trailing 40 yards.

The next meeting at Racetime will be 6th August – the Klondyke Girl Memorial Raceday.

From Racetime Raceway