Peroni provides veteran trainer with another career highlight

Ascot Park harness racing trainer Wayne Adam doesn’t train a big team these days, but he still loves winning local feature races.

Peroni provided the veteran trainer with another career highlight when he won the $20,000 Winton Businesses Cup at Central Southland Raceway today.

Peroni heads out ready for the Winton Cup

The diminutive Bettor’s Delight beat a field that included eight higher assessed rivals and stamped himself as a genuine Country Cups horse.

Adam has geared up horses like Atitagain, Badlands Jewel and First Glimpse so he’s had a few good ones in a career that spans thirty five years.

“I’ve always had a bit of time for him. He missed his three year old year because he went sore. We sorted that out and he’s done a great job,” Adam said.

In today’s feature Peroni began well and Rory McIIwrick kept the horse handy throughout the 2400 metre trip.

At the business end the pair got up to beat Love On The Rocks by a nose with Tommy Waterhouse a further half a head back in third.

“He’s a great wee beginner and he can come off speed.”

Peroni three back on the inside with a lap to run

Coming down the outside Peroni (2) get up to beat Love On The Rocks (5)

Winning smile

Nancy Swain and Wayne Adams with Peroni and Rory McIIwrick

McIIwrick who works for Adams in the morning has driven Peroni most of this season.

“He does a lot of work with this horse, and he’s done a great job with him.”

Adams owns the four year old with partner Nancy Swain. They bought the horse from Ken Spicer as a yearling at the National Yearling Sales in Christchurch after he was passed in.

“I saw Ken after the sale and asked him if there was anything wrong with the horse and he told me there was nothing wrong with him, he was just a bit small.”

Adam says there’s been a lot of interest from agents wanting to buy him but at this stage he’s not for sale.

“Nancy and I are sitting quite pretty at the moment so we’re quite happy to race a horse.”

Adams has just sold ten acres of his property on Findlay Road and has scaled down his training team to five or six.

“I do my horses in the morning and help Nathan Williamson out in the afternoons.”

Two yearlings by first season sire Vincent are his next project.

“I went to the sales not wanting to buy anything, but I came home with two. I put all my eggs in one basket by buying two by him. I liked the horse himself.”

Both yearlings are well bred with one colt out of Champagne Franco while the other is out of eleven win mare Nearea Franco. Her wins included the Group One Queen Of Hearts and Group Two Kaikoura Cup.

The win today puts Peroni on the fringe of making the top sixteen Country Cups horses for the $100,000 Country Championship at Addington on Easter Saturday at Addington, raced over 3200 metres.

The win was also a great thrill for McIIwrick who’s one of the true characters of the Southern Drivers circle.

Meanwhile smart grey trotter Smokin Bandar won the Cox Family Trot at Winton today.

Driven by Mark Hurrell the six year old had to overcome a 35 metre handicap to get up by a head to beat a brave Only One Way.

Smokin Bandar (14) gets up for a narrow win

Back to the winners circle

It was the horses first start since October so it was a super training effort by Wyndham trainer Craig Ferguson.

View the Winton results click here!

by Bruce Stewart