Cantfindabettorplan

New Zealand harness racing trainer Graeme Anderson is onto a good thing with Cantfindabettorman (Sweet Lou) and Spirit Of Arion, (Sweet Lou) each achieving milestones at Melton last weekend.

Cantfindabettorman which won the $50,000 Group Three Hygain Four and Five Year Old Championship, took his lifetime earnings to over $400,000 while Spirit Of Arion who finished second in his race elevated his stakes to over $100,000.

Both horses were developed by Anderson and his training partner Mike Love, in New Zealand.

Cantfindabettorman is still owned by the horse’s original ownership group of Anderson, Tony Gow, Steve Pulley, Ray Chalkin and Dave McHugh who are all based in New Zealand. Australian Diane Reilly also has shares in the gelding.

Both horses have recently been transferred from Luke McCarthy’s barn in Sydney to Isabel Walsh’s Victoria stable.

“Diane runs the ship over there. They’re (Isabel and Peter Walsh) doing a great job with them both, they like the horses and we’re reaping the rewards from a different way of training. The report from the stable is that they’re thriving and getting better and better which is good.” Anderson said.

Cantfindabettorman was purchased by Anderson at the 2020 NZB Standardbred Auckland Sales for $41,000 and the five year old has now had 58 starts for 18 wins and 21 minor placings.

He qualified for Canterbury trainer Mark Fuller and had two starts for the stable before Anderson and Love took over.

In New Zealand he had fourteen starts for three wins and six minor placings.

When he won at Oamaru as a two year old he broke the 2000 metre track record and ran his last 800 metres in 54.7, winning by four and three quarter lengths.

“He was a good two and three year old but slightly below the top tier. He’s probably grown into his frame because he was a big horse. Time has been his friend and he’s starting to race like a good Free For Aller now.”

Cantfindabettorman, from just six starts in his new stable has won three and banked $59,650. All of his wins have been at Melton where he’s been driven by Chris Alford.

“Chris has been driving him beautifully. I haven’t had him drive for me much. The other night when he won they went hard early, he looped the field and parked Emma Stewart’s horse, (Perfect Class) which was the hot favourite. Then he ran away and left them.”

Anderson says Cantfindabettorman is likely to race in the upcoming Interdominions in Sydney.

“The way he’s racing he’s probably a chance. The boys like a good trip and Tony and Steve are the first two to go.”

Cantfindabettorman has had a couple of big pay days in Australia – he ran second in the Group One Queensland Derby beaten a neck by Leap To Fame and third in the G1 Chariots Of Fire with only Catch A Wave and Captain Ravishing in front of him.

Spirit Of Arion has had nine starts for his new stable winning three races and $30,225. His second place on Saturday night took his career earnings to more than $100,000.

Reilly, Gow, Chalkin, Anderson, Pulley and Reilly also have a share in Spirit Of Arion.

Anderson who’s a strong advocate of the stock of Sweet Lou, has sent a string of horses by that stallion across the Tasman. The first was Spirit Of St Louis who went on to win twenty eight races and over $1.4 million.

Other Anderson runners to head over the ditch and also by Sweet Lou have been Bluto and Reset The Bar, both to Brad Hewett’s NSW stable.

Reset The Bar since arriving in Australia as a qualified unraced gelding has had seven starts and has won four. Bluto which won four of his twelve starts in New Zealand, has won a further three races for Hewitt. Both owned by Anderson and Mick Boots, they last raced in July and are due to resume shortly.

“They raced well in their first prep. They’re getting used to the heat and should be better next time in. We’ve got a couple of others here and when I think the system over there is going to serve them better they’ll go too.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink