by Jonny Turner
John Dunn let Dance Til Dawn run and she did exactly that when powering a front-running victory in the Rico Lodge Listed Uncut Gems Mares Classic on a big night of racing at Addington.
Dunn hustled the four-year-old forward in a hotly contested battle for the early lead and though the mare cut out solid early fractions it took no toll on her as she ran to a stakes race victory.
A Group 1 placegetter as a two-year-old, Dance Til Dawn was spelled at the end of her stellar three-year-old season following her good fourth in the New Zealand Oaks.
With three lead up runs under her belt, the pacer took the next step up to race quality older mares in style with her powerful front-running performance.
“She has always been a nice filly, she’s always given the impression that she is going to be a good staying mare,” Robert Dunn said.
“Johnny thinks her forte is going to be making her own luck, we had tried it earlier on but she wasn’t as strong.”
“It was a very good drive, I think he was confident when Tim (Williams) drove her the week before and she went good.”
Dance Til Dawn is raced by Alan Neumann, Ian Neumann, Vinnie Neumann, Emma Hintz, and Brent Clarke, Jonathan Slack and Su Langdon.
Many of those owners enjoyed more success at Addington when Adesanya toughed out a strong victory in race 11.
“We are rapt for the owners because he showed a lot of promise as a young horse but he fractured a pastern,” Robert Dunn said.
“Then he fractured the one on the other side.”
“We said he was a nice horse and we wanted to give him his chance, so the owners agreed straight away.”
“It is great for them that he is going so well and a great result for Sam Taylor at Rangiora Vets.”
Adesanya’s victory brought up win number 200 for the Robert and Jenna Dunn training partnership.
Paul Nairn produced yet another masterful training performance in a big race when Matua Tana took out the Listed NZB Standardbred Uncut Gems Trotters Class on Friday night.
The big striding trotter hadn’t started since early February, but Nairn had him primed to overcome his 30m backmark.
Matua Tana swept home out wide after tracking into the race three-wide with cover inside the final lap.
The All Stars Stable produced Anything Goes to win the Listed Betavet Uncut Gems Entires And Geldings Classic.
Natalie Rasmussen took no chances with the hot favourite, spearing him to an early lead.
Anything Goes never gave his rivals a look in as he cleared out to win by six lengths.
Gate speed proved the difference in the epic clash of the three-year-olds in Friday night’s Garrards Sires Stakes Heat.
Don’t Stop Dreaming blazed across to the front from barrier 8, clinching a key head-start over his main rival Merlin.
Merlin worked into the race to run a respectable second placing, but it was Don’t Stop Dreaming who ran away to score.
