Past Southern Supremacy Winner-Giovanetto

After a strong two year old season which had included five wins, Ryal Bush trained Giovanetto (Fitch II) was looking to kick more harness racing goals as a three year old and one of those was the 1992 Southern Supremacy Stakes.

His early season form had been solid. He’d had three second placings to Chokin at Addington, one of which was the Group One Sires Stakes Final. He then won two races at Ascot Park, followed by the Group Three Timaru Challenge Stakes. When it came to the two heats of the Supremacy and the final, he was in the hands of his trainer Murray Gray.

In the final at Gore in March 1992 he led for most of the way to win untested by a length and three quarters from Our Dave.

The win was one of eight he recorded as a three year old and he ended his three year old season as the fourth highest stakes earner with $85,520. behind Tigerish ($227,190), Kiwi Scooter ($181,075) and Chokin ($166,755).

He ended his career with eighteen wins and $371,625 in the bank and was named Southland Horse of the Year in 1992.

He’s one of seventeen Southland trained winners of the Supremacy to date, a race that most southern trainers put on their to do list.

Next Sunday the Invercargill HRC will host Diamonds Day at Ascot Park. Impressive feature races include 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.

This truly spectacular day of racing will get underway at 12 noon.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink