 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2013
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2013 GARY THOMPSON/FRED SHAW NZ TROTTING CHAMPIONSHIP
Vulcan's rich vein of form continued when he had little trouble dispatching a small but classy field in the $80,000 Gary Thompson/Fred Shaw NZ Trotting Championship at Addington last Saturday night.
After a run of consistent form at Menangle in February, Vulcan really hit his straps at Melton last month, and remarkably, the Trotting Championship was his fifth G1 success in 22 days. Whether a heat of the Great Southern Star should have been accorded G1 status is highly debateable, but that's what the record books will show and that many Group race wins in such a short space of time must have been some sort of record to boot. More to the point, Vulcan has earned $350,000 in those three weeks and also an invitation to the famed Elitlopp in Sweden.
The Trotting Championship was actually Vulcan's first win at Addington since his big NZ Trotting FFA- Dominion double during Cup Week 16 months ago, and his form had been patchy since. Butt had been battling a combination of issues, including a "crook back" which had him trotting roughly and a couple of viruses, but he knew he was getting on top of things around the time of the big mile at Menangle, where he finished third to Keystone Del. "He'd been treated for a virus and we'd changed his feed, so he's been racing lighter. He loves the smaller tracks so we knew we were in pretty good shape going into Melton."
Vulcan's ability to corner well has been evident since he upset Kahdon in the Jewels at Cambridge as a 3-year-old, and he has now won 10 G1s and 17 races in all for stakes worth $917,000. This puts him in a league with Butt's previous trotting greats Lyell Creek and Take A Moment, but Butt has never had Vulcan in that elite class. In career best form though, Vulcan was able to sit parked for the last 1400m on Saturday night and still proved too good for Stent and Springbank Sam, with a gap to Cyclone U Bolt and Phil's Gift. Vulcan trotted his last mile in 1:58.9, home in 57.5 and 28.9, to complete the 2600m journey in a solid 3:16.8.
By Game Pride from a top trotting mare in First Prize and a sister to another one in October Pride, Abundant only managed a few placings and had had a few foals when Jenny's late husband Murray, the father of Tim and Anthony, decided to run her through the Mixed Sale. "I rang Don and said we can't let this mare get away." McKenzie had had a few pacers with Murray up to this point with moderate success, but had always loved the trotters.
"I can recall going to Addington to watch the likes of Marius and Tony Bear in the early 70's," said Don. "There were a lot of great trotters around that time and they would all fan out across the track. We were told Abundant would cost around $4000 but I think I got her for $700. I was that keen to buy her I had the last three bids," he added. For a while McKenzie wondered if he had acquired the 'poorer sister', but whereas October Pride has been a disappointing broodmare, Abundant has never stopped producing.
The first horse she left for them was a nice one in Bizness (5 NZ wins), and not long after came a couple of top ones in Noam and Genius, the latter winning 24 races and $215,000. A Sundon sister in Epona was born the year between that pair and Butt and McKenzie are now breeding from other daughters of Abundant in Farisa (Chiola Hanover), Stimulus (Armbro Invasion) and Maysoon (Sundon). They now have six mares in total from the family, with each party taking care of three. Epona's first foal was a colt and a useful performer in Lotsa Speed (6 NZ wins, US1:56.6), while Vulcan is the second colt.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 4Apr13