Southern Snippets

SBSR breeders Mark and Debbie Smith of Shard Farm will be hoping for a change of luck when it comes to this year’s IRT New Zealand Cup as the couple have two horses they bred – Mach Shard and Dalton Shard, entered in the great race.

Mach Shard has started twice in the 3200 metre feature, finishing eleventh in 2019 and last in 2020.

The Smiths also bred Pemberton Shard which finished fourteenth in 2014 and Smiling Shard who ran ninth in 2011.

When Southland reinsman Brent Barclay scored his 900^th winner at Winton yesterday and his 150^th for Ryal Bush trainer Brett Gray it was also the 39^th winner he’s driven with ‘Jaccka’ as a prefix or suffix, all of which were bred and owned by Charlie and Alisa Smaill.

The first was Jaccka Pat (Holmes Hanover) trained by Gary Davis at Ascot Park in October 2000.

The Smaills have owned 74 individual winning horses which feature the name Jaccka and the Jacckas have collectively won 311 races in their ownership.

Southland breeder Tom Kilkelly has entered two trotters in this years $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Handicap. Both Smokin Bandar who finished second last year and up and coming Fiery Bandito who has won six of his fifteen starts, are out of the same mare The Fiery Filly.

If both start they’ll be the fifth set of siblings to start in the race in the same year.

Others to achieve this feat were Rerewaka and Bomber (Quite Sure – Bonnie Rere) in 1947, Asia Minor and When (Light Brigade – Passive) in 1965, Stylish Major and Le Chant (Flying Song – Moccasin) in 1967 and Merrin and Fair Play (Court Martial – Tat Scott) in 1970.

Waikouaiti Beach trainer Amber Hoffman has picked up some well performed horses in the last four weeks. Deny Everything (A Rocknroll Dance) from Graeme Anderson and Mike Love, Joy Jaccka (Creatine) from Brett Gray and Trojan Princess (Art Major) from Mark and Nathan Purdon have all joined the barn.

Hoffman had a good day at Winton yesterday winning races with Petite Trixton (Trixton) and Ultimate Challenge (Bettor’s Delight) with Kada (3^rd), Jovial Jay (3^rd) and Switch On (2^nd) all running in the money for the stable.

The Big Lebowski (Mach Three) has also been entered in the NZ Cup. The now seven year old is owned by Merv and Meg Butterworth and trained by Ray Green. The same combination won back to back Cups with Copy That. The Butterworths also owned 2015 winner Arden Rooney.

The Big Lebowski was developed by Robin Swain before he was sent north to Green. He was an impressive eleven length winner at Alexandra Park in May last year for his new stable. He hasn’t been seen at the races for over twelve months.

Daniel Anderson’s win on Petite Trixton (Trixton) broke an eight month drought for the likeable junior driver.

Prior to winning on the Amber Hoffman trained trotter yesterday his last win was on A Major Starr at Gore in late December.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink