By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
Geraldine trainer-driver Lionel Dobbs says it was “pretty overwhelming” to secure yesterday’s breakthrough win at Oamaru.
At drive number 131, Dobbs reined home his first ever winner when Betterthandiva took out the David Ovens Building Mobile Pace, paying $23.90 and $4.50
From four back the running line Dobbs went four and five wide round the home turn and then charged to the line to win by half a length.
“It was a good run but I was probably one horse further back then I wanted to be but I didn’t panic and at the 400 I pulled her out and off she went.”
“It was pretty overwhelming actually.”
Post race he says he’s been inundated with well wishers.
“The texts and the reaction has been great, everyone’s been so supportive.”
“The first person that shook my hand was Blair Orange and John Dunn was on the phone before the horse got back to the stalls – it was unreal.”
When Dunn drove Betterthandiva to win at Ashburton in May this year it gave Dobbs his first training success.
The win capped off a great day for Dobbs, earlier he qualified one of his trotters Phantom Spur.
“John Dickie sent him down from the North Island, we leased him and we love him.”
Dobbs has a 40 hectare crop farm “growing barley and lucerne” and trains a team of standardbreds and gallopers from his Orari base.
Wild Willow’s comeback continues with Oamaru Cup success
By Jonny Turner
Ricky May’s masterful manoeuvring helped Wild Willow extend his outstanding record in the Oamaru Cup on Sunday.
The pacer made it four wins from just six career starts when heading a quinella for veteran Mid Canterbury trainer Warren Stapleton, with Lester running into second.
After enjoying a sweet run in midfield for much of the event, Wild Willow needed to be extricated from a tricky spot at the 600m which May was able to do with ease.
“I got a reasonably good run, I got out down the back and he sprinted the best,” the reinsman said.
“I thought the stablemate was jogging beside me coming around the bend and I thought he would be the hardest to beat but he never got past me.”
Wild Willow began his career at Mark Purdon’s All Stars Stable before moving to Greg and Nina Hope’s barn and then onto the Stapleton stable.
Stapleton is renowned for his ability to patch up an injury-plagued horse and he has again worked his magic on Wild Willow whose tendon and ligament injuries had limited him to three starts in just under two years leading into the Oamaru Cup.
“For a horse that has only had six starts, to win four of them is a big effort alone,” May said.
“[Warren] has certainly done a marvellous job on their legs.”
Arafura produced one of the more spectacular wins on Oamaru Cup Day when taking out the Denice Swain Memorial.
The two-year-old loomed up on the home turn and then ducked in and broke, seemingly ruining her winning chances.
But after getting rebalanced by driver Bob Butt, Arafura charged late to record an incredible win in just her second career start.
The victory continued a successful weekend for both trainer Hayden Cullen and driver Bob Butt.
Butt combined with Bet N Win who justified his favouritism for the Group 3 Canterbury Park Trotting Cup with an easy victory which guaranteed his place in next month’s Group 1 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot.
Sunday’s edition was the inaugural running of the Denise Swain Memorial following her passing in Invercargill late last month.
A multiple Group-race-winning trainer, Swain was the first woman to start a horse in the New Zealand Cup, with Clancy going on to run second.
