Dewe continues great strike rate

Ascot Park harness racing trainer Tyler Dewe continued has great strike rate when Sophie (Bettor’s Delight) won at Roxburgh today. The mare was his twelfth race day starter and his sixth winner.

The win was a special one for the stable, as the five year old races in colours that part owner Murray Faul used in his thirty year training career. 

“I remember his colours when I was young, and they stood out. I got in contact with his daughter Andrea and went round and met Murray. He was happy to give me his colours. After Teddy Baker won his first race he rang me and asked if I could find him a horse to race,” Dewe said.

So Dewe purchased maiden pacer Sophie from Prebbleton trainer John McDermott. The mare hadn’t won a race but had recorded a handful of placings from seventeen starts.

“I’ve got a horse or two off John in the past and by chance I gave him a call one day and asked if he had anything to sell and Sophie is what we came up with.”

Faul owns a half share in the mare while Warren McGown owns the other half.

“Warren works for me and he’s a first time owner so that’s a win win.”

Faul trained at Ascot Park for thirty years. His first winner was Nardins Belle driven by his daughter Andrea in February 1984. His best pacer was Windermere Girl which won nine races including the 1999 $25,000 Group Two Southland Oaks. He also trained the 1994 Roxburgh Cup winner Innocent Mac. 

Today’s win was a good training effort by Dewe. Sophie last raced on the 23rd of October and has not been cited at any trials or workouts.

“She had a wee mishap and had to be put out for three and a half weeks. I was very confident today because her work at home had been terrific and she’d done the miles.”

In today’s $10,000 Lake Roxburgh Contracting/ SGT Dan Stockfoods Mobile Pace driver Rory McIIwrick took the five year old straight to the top and she held on easily to beat A Major Starr by three and a quarter lengths with Airies Gold another length and a quarter back in third.

SOPHIE REPLAY

“We thought Roxburgh would be a good starting point. She’s well gaited and just had to draw the front row to be a chance. We’ll either target a junior drivers race now, or I wouldn’t be afraid to run in a Southern Belle heat.”

Sophie is out of the eight win Christian Cullen mare Supreme Gem whose dam Flying Sands won eleven races including the 2002 Listed Great Northern Breeders Stakes at Alexandra Park.

Dewe’s stable star Teddy Baker which has won his only four starts for the stable including the Macca Lodge South of the Waitaki at Addington in November, is currently spelling.

“He had a wee niggle and the vet suggested we give him a spell. The prognosis is very good.” 

One of the highlights on today’s Roxburgh card was leading reinsman Blair Orange joining an elite group of New Zealand drivers – The 2,500 Club. 

When Orange won on the Tony Stratford trained Peaky Lou (Peak) it was the Canterbury driver’s 2500th winner. 

PEAKY LOU REPLAY

He joins Tony Herlihy (3,630), Maurice McKendry (3372), Ricky May (3041) and David Butcher (2,560).

Orange’s first winner was Whizza Nova at Reefton in December 1996 for Canterbury trainer Tim Butt and in his twenty six season career he’s won twenty three Group One races including three New Zealand Cups.

He’s won the last five Drivers Premierships with his biggest season in 2021 when he drove 267 winners.

He’s been associated with some elite horses including Copy That, Krug, Habibi Inta, Cruz Bromac and Highview Tommy.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart for Harnesslink