Turn the Paige

Three of the oldest families in harness racing were to the fore when Paige (One Over Da Moon) won her third race at Addington last night.

They are the Negus, the DeFilippi and the famed ‘Castleton’ family.

Bruce Negus bred Paige, having purchased the horse’s dam Katieellen Castleton (Quite Easy) when she was offered at auction by Woodlands Stud. 

“I like the family and I do like Paige but she’s just taken a bit longer than I thought. I think one day she’ll end up like Buffy and be quite a good racehorse but it’s still a wee way away,” Bruce said. 

Owned by Negus and his wife Colleen, and Julie and Colin DeFilippi, Paige was initially trained by Bruce. He then handed the reins to the DeFilippis. However they didn’t have much luck with the mare in nine starts.

“Colin and I haven’t raced too many horses over the years but he likes a nice trotter. He trained her for a while. Then he got too many pacers – all those one’s by Sportswriter, so he sent her back to me,” Negus said.

Paige has been back with Negus since August last year. She’s now won three races and had a handful of placings.

In yesterday’s trot, driver Sheree Tomlinson settled the four year old four back on the pegs and the gap opened on the inside when the field straightened for the run home. Paige won by half a neck from Kowhai Sundown (Peak).

“It was a very good drive. Sheree’s had some good teachers and it hasn’t been wasted. She comes over on the odd morning to give us a hand and it’s just enough for her to get to know our racehorses.”

PAIGE REPLAY

Negus said Paige has been frustrating at times and that she’s now on the unruly in both the mobiles and stands.

“I don’t like putting her in mobiles because she gets a bit excited when she goes back to the stand (standing starts). I only put her in the mobile tonight because I was getting a bit frustrated with her not going away. She’s now in the RATO final and it’s a stand.”

Paige’s fourth dam Castleton’s Queen (Widower Scott) left Sir Castleton (Game Pride) who won forty four races including a Rowe Cup, two New Zealand Trotting FFA’s and the Ordeal Trotting Cup, twice. Another one of the progeny of Castleton’s Queen is Castleton’s Pride (Tuft) which won eleven races and ran third in the 1965 New Zealand Trotting Derby.

Katieellen is now owned by Jack Harrington and Lex Williams. The pair have two other foals out of the mare, a colt and a filly by Lex’s stallion One Over Da Moon.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink