Past Southern Country Cup Winner – Pemberton Shard

Another edition of the Southern Country Cups will be held at the Invercargill Harness Racing Club’s Diamonds Day at Ascot Park on Sunday 21^st April.

The race is sponsored by Regent Car Court and has been on the southern calendar since 2001 when Bonnie Lass trained by Brent McIntyre won.

In 2014 the winner was Pemberton Shard (Christian Cullen) trained by Brad Mowbray and driven by Dexter Dunn.

After settling beyond midfield Dunn then managed to get Pemberton Shard into the one one behind Vi Et Animo. Once the field balanced for the run home she looked in for an easy win, but Belkmyster and Awesome Teddy charged home late with Pemberton Shard winning by a neck from Belkmyster with half a length back to Awesome Teddy.

The winning time of 3-21-2 was a new race record which still stands today.

Pemberton Shard was owned by her breeders Mark and Debbie Smith, Bruce and Allan Dawson, Neil Van Schaik and Dave Robinson.

The win was the third for Dunn in the race. His previous winners were Beaudiene Bad Babe for Ascot Park trainer Murray Brown and Flying Diamonds for Gore horseman Tony Stratford.

Ultimately Pemberton Shard’s racing career consisted of eleven wins and he took home earnings of $229,578.

Next Sunday the Invercargill HRC host Diamonds Day at Ascot with a host of feature race including the $110,000 Group One Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic, the $60,000 Group Two Macca Lodge/Nevele R Southern Oaks, the $60,000 Group Two Alabar Supremacy Stakes, the $50,000 Group Three Entain Two Year Old Mobile Trot and the $40,000 Regent Car Court Southern Country Cups Final.

A truly spectacular day of racing which gets underway at 12 noon.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink