Spring Racing
- Age group racing held most interest on the North Canterbury Committee raceday.
- Punters and connections expected SENSEI to win the first southern two-year-old race of the season, but it was another unbeaten trialist, the John and Karen Parsons trained KIWI IDA, who out-finished the $1.70 favourite under a typical Chris Johnson last stride win. The Lance Robinson trained FUNNY FACE ran third.
- Two races later favourite punters all-but reclaimed their stake when $1.90 shot HALL OF FAME ran out a dominant winner of the Inglewood Stud Guineas Trial. The $100,000 yearling buy by Te Akau Racing beat STEPHENSTIHLS, himself a $220,000 yearling purchase, with Zacinto gelding SHADOW KING running third.
- The Pitman racing stable got some compensation for SENSEI’s defeat picking up two wins on the day with FLYING IBIS in the Pryde’s EasiFeed Rating 75 and DYNAMIC in the Rangiora New World Rating 65.
- ZENTANGLE moved to the fifth line of betting at $16 for the Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup with an all the way win in the Waimakariri Businesses North Canterbury Cup. DELACROIX ran second with an eye-catching run taking NIGHT NURSE into third place.
- A special highlight on the day was recorded by apprentice Tanya Jonker who recorded her very first win aboard BONAPARTE for her employers Kevin and Pam Hughes.
- · Chris Johnson took riding honours on the day also winning aboard MAYBE MIAMI to give Kevin and Pam Hughes a second winner. Christchurch Casino major owner Barry Thomas owns the gelding who now heads to the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.
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