Manners set up win for Cullect A Guinness

Todays running  of the $25,000 Canterbury Country Cups Series Final at the harness racing meeting at Methven drew a great field of immediate grade pacers which made it hard to sort the runners for the betting public.

Seel The Deal, Idealindiamonds and Cullect A Guinness looked the three on paper but several runners just needed an ounce of luck to become major players here.

As soon as the tapes went though, the whole complexion of the Final changed.

I Dealindiamonds with Matty Anderson in the bike galloped wildly and settled well back in the running while Seel The Deal and Ricky May were also slow away and also settlled well back.

However Cullect A Guinness with John Dunn driving made a flyer from his 30 metre mark and had slotted into the one by one after 250 metres.

Here We Go Again had made a great beginning for Craig Thornley and Craig made every post a winner as he kept up a very sharp tempo in front which resulted in no mid -race moves from those back in the field.

They all started to make runs passing the 500 metres mark and the first to go was Cullect The Guinness.

John Dunn sent him forward and he grabbed the lead as they turned for home and quickly put a couple of lengths on the competition which he easily held all the way up the long Methven straight.

Seel The Deal was still last as they turned for home but he flashed home late  to grab second on the finishing line from Callenberg and Dexter Dunn who had sat on the back of Cullect A Guinness the whole journey.

It  was a super run by Seel The Deal, who after being pushed wider on the track on the last corner, made up many lengths over the last 400 metres which was cut out off the front in a sharp 28.6.

Cullect A Guinness paced the 3000 metres on the grass in 3:55.1, a mile rate of 2:06.2 with closing sectionials of 57.1 and 28.6.

Today's win was the 9th from just 21 starts for Cullect A Guinness, which has now banked $85,522 for his owner Peter Higinbottom.

A horse that has always struggled with soundness issues, he has rarely put in a poor run during the whole of this season.

In his previous start he was a game second behind the top pacer Locharburn in that horse's New Zealand record of 3:06.5 over the 2600m.

The great stayer that he is, it seems likely that Cullect A Guinness will take his place alongside stablemates Franco Nelson and Mighty Flying Mac in Saturday night's Easter Cup to be run over 3200m at Group One level.

" I think we have to give him his chance against the best pacers in the Easter Cup"

" His manners have improved and he is such a tough stayer that he could be a big place chance with a with a bit of luck in the running," John said.

Harnesslink Media