Aussie trip for talented son of What The Hill

Fresh-up harness racing performances don’t get much more impressive than that of the David and Stacey White trained trotter, Bet N Win (What The Hill) who accounted for a tidy field of Intermediate-grade performers in last night’s $40,000 NZ Sires Stakes Aged Trotters Classic at Addington Raceway.

The four-year-old son of What The Hill had been unsighted on race day for four months since thumping a full field at Alexandra Park by nine lengths back on New Years Eve.

On the back of an impressive trial just eights days earlier, he picked up where he left off with a performance that suggests he could be a future star in the square gaiting ranks.

“He’s a good horse in the making this one,” said his reinsman, Bob Butt.

“I thought they had shot the cutter on me, but lucky he is a good horse, he pulled me through.

“He went really good at the trials the other day and went good time but you’ve still got to come and do it on race day and they went 3:17, they don’t go much quicker,” he exclaimed.

The searing pace was set up by race rival Franco Josiah and Johnny Morrison, with the pair keen to to turn the Listed Classic into a true staying test over the 2600m distance.

They had the field strung out like browns cows in the early part with Bet N Win who stepped superbly to secure the early lead able to bide his time with a helmet to follow and clearly getting into a beautiful rhythm throughout.

Having a horse in a $40,000 race would be nerve wracking for any young trainer, let alone an odds on favourite. With his charge jogging in the trail and the hell for leather speed set up by a determined Franco Josiah and Johnny Morrison, the only concern appeared to be whether the Bevan Heron runner would get Bet N Win to the passing lane.

That he did, albeit on tired legs and with John Dunn and Mighty Logan slingshotting from the one-one off the back of Tu Tangata, it appeared the horse down the outside had gained the upper-hand with the all important momentum in the straight.

“Given the run I thought it was working out pretty good, obviously we had a nice trip in the trail,” said co-trainer, David White.

“When Johnny pinched a bit of a gap on us at the top of the straight, it looked for a few strides like he was going to trot away from us and I would have been a bit disappointed with that. To the horses credit he did an incredible job to pick up a nice horse like that one.

“He was pretty ready. I know it had been a while since he last raced but he had sort of only had a month off. He has had plenty of groundwork into him and he was pretty ready to go but to go that time and run through the line like he did was the most encouraging thing going forward,” said White.

Going forward is where things get interesting for the ex-pat Australian and his four-year-old gelding who with four wins and three placings from 11 starts is starting to creep up the grades. Imminently White plans to get his budding star close to home with a view for a trip in the not too distance future to his country of origin also on the radar.

“There is the Uncut Gems on the 3^rd of May under the same conditions as last night pretty much, but our main goal is to hopefully get to Queensland for their Winter carnival.

“They have the Great Square and FFA at the ned of July that we are hoping to get to. Obviously its just going to be trying to get flights coordinated to get the horse there which would be the main factor as to whether he goes across.

“You go to the Sales and you buy these horses looking for one that you can go on a bit of a trip. To have a horse like him to campaign back home would just be fantastic,” he said.

BET N WIN REPLAY

Bet N Win was a $32,500 yearling sales purchase at Karaka in 2021 out of the Breckon Farms draft.

White admits to having had a bit of time for the son of What The Hill since getting him home and into his work.

“From day one he always wanted to get out and into his work and he trotted along pretty good from day one. Just when he got to the stage where he started stretching out a wee bit, it took him a while to get his confidence. Now obviously he is away and is figuring out what it’s all about,” he said.

“We were very proud of the horse. He has sort of been a bit of a project and had his little niggles along the way. To get him to show what he was capable of was really satisfying

“To have Stacey in the partnership with me is great, the racing caper has always been a  family thing for the both of us growing up so to be able to have her involved in this win is quite special.

“What The Hill obviously stands at Woodlands and she is part of that journey as well, I think he is doing a good job and most of the ones we have dealt with have been pretty nice. I think they tend to get better with a bit of time. This guy continues to get stronger and more confident and has the potential to do a real good job for us,” he said.

For complete Addington results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink