 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2003
INTERDOMINIONS
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Take A Moment's owners are starting to think that they need a different spot to watch his races from at Addington. Up until now the eight-member Long Drive Syndicate have always gathered on the first floor of the main stand, outside the Lindores level. But that location is past the winning post, and with Take A Moment's last two big events at the track being mighty close finishes, they have had an excruciating wait before knowing that they can make their way to the birdcage and start celebrating.
They were caught out in the Dominion Handicap last November, thinking their horse had won when in fact he had deadheated with Martina H. And last Friday night they occupied seats in the same place again, waiting anxiously like everyone for the running of the $200,000 Thunder Down Under Inter-Dominion Trotters Grand Final. Regardless of where any-body perched last Friday, no one was in their seat for long, because the event was one of the greatest trotting spectacles ever witnessed at Addington.
It had everything...predictable early moves from the handily-drawn speedsters who jostled for positions; an unchanged order until the last mile; a three-wide line that moved up soon after but then didn't go anywhere; the favourite sitting second last with arguably his biggest danger breathing down the back of Anthony Butt's neck; lightning displays of speed from the attackers as they swooped starting the last 700 metres; a field bunched in threes, fours and fives as the horses swung for home, and a magnificent finish that brought the crowd to their feet.
In the final analysis, Take A Moment had done what champions do, and won. "Unbelievable," said the syndicate's manager Bruce Greenhalgh, describing the occasion. "I honestly wasn't too worried when Take A Moment was still at the back with a lap to go, but I started to get a bit nervy when he wasn't getting dragged into it. We were on the edge of our seats."
Apart from a host of other top trotting victories, Take A Moment has now captured two Inter-Dominion Grand Finals, re-claiming the crown that he won brilliantly in Brisbane this time two years ago. But Greenhalgh says the feelings surrounding the two Finals were completely different. "When we won in Brisbane we had only owned him for six months, and it was almost unexpected. This year there was very much more expectation, with him being such a hot favourite, and that put a real edge on it. It was the first time the whole syndicate has been there for a big race too. Obviously the two Dominion Handicaps that Take A Moment has won at Addington were fantastic, but to win an Inter-Dominion Final to home...well, it is really special."
Greenhalgh considers himself very lucky to have his name amongst the ownership at all. "I was one of the last on the scene," he recalled. "Merv Rodgers and I were on a golfing trip in Queensland three years ago, and we were sitting down having a beer after our round one day when Merv mentioned that there was a share in this trotter available. "They had already sold seventy percent of him at that stage. I knew of the horse, and had seen him win some of his earlier races, so I thought...bugger it, why not?" Greenhalgh ran the idea past his wife Allison on returning home, and it wasn't long before he had the 'okay' and was on the phone to Rodger to confirm his interest.
Take A Moment had won four of his six starts for original trainer Paul Corkran at that stage, and since Tim Butt scouted him for $120,000 the record stands at 45 starts for 26 wins, nine seconds and a third, an stakes of $823,837. "Early on, Take A Moment lived very much in the shadow of Lyell Creek," Greenhalgh noted. "To think that he is only coming to the end of his third season but he has already won thirty races, it's really quite amazing. It is like he has snuck up on everybody. I think he has now justified his place amongst the best trotters that this country has produced though."
Take A Moment proved with last week's victory that he is indeed the best around, and he can win his races from anywhere. He stands head and shoulders above a crop of elite trotters which, in all fairness and apart from one or two exceptions, is probably on the way out more than on the way up. And perhaps one of the few horses who looks capable of lowering his colours in the next season or two is Sonofthedon, who comes from the very same stable. "I know Tim's got a huge opinion of him, and you only had to watch the way he won in Auckland the last time he was up there to see why. He could be the best trotter we have ever seen.
Despite being named the Long Drive Syndicate, Greenhalgh and Rodgers are the only two golfers amongst the eight members, and O'Donnell's choice of the name has nothing to do with the sport. Greenhalgh is an ex-Aucklander who moved to Christchurch a decade ago and manages the Smith's Spots Shoe store; Rodgers is the "semi-retired" owner of the Edgeware Civic Video outlet in Christchurch, and occupies his time with "golf, bowls and races"; Jack O'Donnell also classes himself as semi-retired, owning a block of land in Rolleston where he runs a few horses; Take A Moment is the first horse ever owned by Peter Barber, originally from Invercargill and now living in Queenstown where 18 months ago he bought the first franchise offered by the Country Road clothing store chain; Neven Botica is well-known and respected for his business acumen in Perth, not to mention his investment in this country's harness racing industry; Julie King-Turner runs a fishing business together with her husband Des in Te Anau; Tom Malcolm has painter/ decorating businesses in Invercargill and Wanaka, and moved to the latter area just last week; and Trevor Woolley oversees the installation and administration of gaming machines in and around Christchurch.
"We all met for the first time at that first Cup Meeting when Take A Moment won on Cup Day, Show Day and the last night," Greenhalgh recalled. "They are a fantastic bunch of people. Don't know how I ended up with the job of manager though; maybe it was because I was the new boy on the block. It's a real pain in the arse," he quipped, "but at least with a horse like Take A Moment you don't have any trouble getting money when the bills come in."
Greenhalgh says it is "much easier" to buy horses now. He also had a a share in Franco Solo, who won five races here in the mid 1990s before being sold overseas; he owns part of Tendulkar (three wins), who is on the market and possibly heading in the same direction; and he is involved in another syndicate that races Happy Asset's half-sister Smooth Asset, who has gone to stud after remaining winless and is in foal to Christian Cullen. Minus Rodgers and Botica, the Long Drive Syndicate members' latest excursion is a Sundon colt out of Take A Moment's dam Nakura, who is a big, strong looking colt" that is being weaned and handled by Murray Butt. His career is obviously a good few seasons away yet.
In the meantime, the syndicate will continue to ride the crest of the wave with their champion, Take A Moment. "I can't say enough about the respect, admiration and thanks we owe Tim and Anthony, and the rest of the team at their stable. It has been a real joyride, and everybody is just absolutely loving it. You dream about being involved with horses like this."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 16Apr03