Bettors Anvil wins two year old male feature

On the back of a very good second at Addington on debut, Bettor’s Anvil (Bettor’s Delight) went one better today when winning the $20,000 Murray Gray Memorial at the Winton Harness Racing Club meeting.

The favourite Always Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) took up the role of pacemaker but as he’d done all day, Stonewall Stud driver Tim Williams was up by Williamson’s side putting the pressure on with Bettors Anvil. Fifty metres out, Bettors Anvil go the better of Always Dreaming going on to beat a late charging Marketplace (Bettor’s Delight) by a length with a length and a quarter back to Always Dreaming.

“We bought him (Bettors Anvil) at the Sales and Graham Beirne told me we stole him from one of his very good mares (laughter),” said co-trainer Steve Telfer, who trains in partnership with his sister Amanda. “He’s been quite a nice horse all the way through. He’s quite a big horse which probably set him back from racing a bit earlier. They’ve always quite liked him and held him in high regard at our Rolleston Barn.

“It was a very good run last week when he sat three back on the fence and ran home. It was a different type of race today. He had to do it tough but he got to the line good. Hopefully he’ll improve on that run because he’ll need to for next weeks big race.”

All three horses are expected to take their place in the $110,000 Group One Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic on Sunday at Ascot Park.

Stonewall Stud’s Gil Stockman commented in the presentation that it was special to win the Murray Gray Memorial because their stable horses are housed at Murray’s son Brett’s property when they venture south.

Murray Gray trained 145 winners between 1974 and 2012, his first being Sunflake (Newport Chief) on the Winton track just over fifty years ago,

His best horse was Giovanetto (Fitch II) which won eighteen races and $371,625. His feature wins included the Welcome Stakes, Southern Supremacy Stakes, Four Year Old Championships, Hannon Memorial and Monsanto FFA.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink