Courts in session at Ashburton

Ladbrook trainer Ivan Court recorded his eighty sixth harness racing win at Ashburton yesterday when Shepherds Delight (Sky Major) won it’s second race in ten starts.

“He’s been a really nice horse all the way through,” Court said.

Driver Tim Williams pushed him out from the gate before trailing Mandalay Bay. That horse pulled up at the 1200 dislodging driver Bob Butt and running down to the inside of the track which left Shepherds Delight in front. The four year old went on to win by a length and a half from Topez which ran home late.

Shepherds Delight is one of the eight individual winners left by Art Major stallion Sky Major, whose oldest crop is four. His best two winners to date have been Helium (6) and Indasky (5).

SHEPHERDS DELIGHT REPLAY

Court says he has a number of young horses by the stallion.

“I qualified one a wee while ago (Comic Lustre) and I’ve got another two to qualify in the next month. I like them because they work with you. The only reason I went to Sky Major was because he’s owned by Trevor Casey and everything he does turns to gold. Knowing Trevor’s luck, he could turn out to be a good stallion.”

Shepherds Delight is out of Delightful and was bred and is raced by Court and Andy Owen.

“Andy was my bank manager years ago and the deal to buy her was done through Justin Le Lievre.”

There’s plenty of good breeding on the dam’s side with his third dam Chokann (Vance Hanover) being a full sister to Chokin (34) and Chuin (11).

Ivan has trained some good winners over the years including Arden Lustre (8), Silk (8) and Valor Lustre (9). Valor Lustre ran second in the 2016 G1 New Zealand Breeders Stakes.

“I’m the only one with the Lustre breed now and I reckon I’ve brought it back. The breed comes from my grandfather on my mother’s side. I only call the horses ‘Lustre’ from that family.”

The Lustre bred goes back to Golden Lustre which left Bonnie Lustre who won six for Ivan’s father Royce and grandfather Bob Pickering. She ran sixth in the 1958 New Zealand Derby won by Blue.

Royce Court trained seventy five winners – Dream Lustre (Lumber Dream) 9, Lustre Scott (U Scott) 8, Lustre Fella (Besta Fella) 7 and Glen Lustre (El Patron) 7.

Ivan’s good friend Barry Nyhan got him started in the sport.

“He said ‘I’ll give you a free service to First Lord.’ I borrowed a mare off mum called True Lustre. Lustre Girl was the first one out of the mare and CJ (Colin De Filippi) used to train her because I didn’t have a license. I sold her to Grant Crabbe, and he bred one from her called Holmes Tonight. He sold him for about $100,000 which was a lot of money back then.”

Court has also had some success from the ‘Westburn’ family and bought from Colleen Breen, a half sister to Westburn Grant by Holmes Hanover named Westburn Kate.

“She won two races at Westport, and was in for the bonus at Reefton, but she finished last. I hold a record actually because she was the last horse past the post in 1999 (laughter). They gave me a trophy – a log of wood.”

Court is still breeding from the family through Live Or Die mare Westburn Bliss.

“I’m probably breeding from too many. I’ve got ten mares.”

Court owns a 300 acre farm where he grows potatoes, onions and barley and runs his horses.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink