 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2003
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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With a career formline of 1131214231, Anvilanunoit was not embarrassed by credentials when the field assembled for the $35,000 Wyatt and Wilson Print Superstars at Addington.
Neither were the others, but in his case they were not in the reckoning as the public went for his stablemate Grenfell Robyn who had won his last four and was off 10 metres. Had he had time to look, trainer Dean Taylor would have been bemused by the ratings - Anvilanunoit paying $23 and drifting, and Grenfell Robyn in at $4. But with three in the following race, Taylor didn't have time to point out the Anvilanunoit was dangerously over the odds. He did later. "I have always had a lot of time for this horse, and he is dead even with Grenfell Robyn at home. There is nothing between them, not even the width of a match stick," he said.
The Superstars has always been a nightmare race for the backmarkers, those off 20 metres, and the first three home were all front liners. The speed was set by Craig Thornley with Aveross Seelster, whose tactics to run them ragged were not looking too bright at the 500m. But they worked for master craftsman Peter Jones who settled Anvilanunoit in fourth place, and then behind Elwood J Blues who ran a cracker and finished third. Jones was off before the corner and soon had a winning break.
Anvilanunoit is by Jaguar Spur who was a financial disaster for his owner Graham Beirne and fell short as a sire. In the case of Anvilanunoit, he was probably saved by his dam Armbro Flirt, whose grandam was the fine racemare and New Zealand Oaks placegetter, Armbro Play. He was offered by Studholme Park , whose proprietor Brian West rated him in the top two of their yearlings at the annual PGG sale. Not many were sold on the idea, but Beirne was still good for a punt and Taylor has never been shy in trying his luck with something near the bottom end of the market.
"Graham had just sold an In The Pocket filly for good money, and he wanted one to replace it. I said go and find a cheap Jaguar Spur, but make sure it's out of a decent mare and is a good looker." Taylor admitted that Jaguar Spur had done him a favour. "We had Scottlyn Jag and we sold him for money that was real good for the mortgage," he said. It has also been payback time for Beirne, who bought Jaguar Spur for $375,000 soon after he arrived in New Zealand and after three years sold him to Australian interests for $100,000. "He was a huge disappointment," said Beirne who still has interests in 65 horses.
It didn't take him long to get ahead with Anvilanunoit. He was withdrawn from a race at Addington in June while some new partners joined the partnership. Beirne was offered $80,000 for the horse, but Taylor, keen to keep the horse in the stable, arranged for regular clients Bob and Sam Bradley and Bernie Bevan to take half.
Grenfell Robyn made ground well but late, finishing seventh, two and a half lengths from his stablemate, who finally paid $27.55. Beirne had such a good collect that he left the course thinking Jaguar Spur might not have been so bad, after all.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 8Oct03