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Last year's yearling sales top lot Mombassa came $30,000 closer to recouping his $155,000 price tag on Friday night at Addington. The Cran Dalgety representative won the $50,000 PGG Wrightson Yearling Sales Southern Graduate in the hands of regular driver Colin De Filippi, and took out the event with arrogant ease.

Untouched in the run home Mombassa paced his final 400m in 28.2 comfortably, Jackson Street was second two lengths from the winner and Christian Cullen colt Carlos was third a further two lengths behind second. The younger brother of Elsu, Mombassa has won twice in four attempts and has placed once also. His total earnings now already sit at $35,000, still a long way from his expensive initial price tag though.

Dalgety indicated that an assault on the Breeders Crown series in August could be on the cards for the son of In The Pocket.



Credit: Harness Racing NZ

The ATC 2006 Synd after the win

The ATC Trot 2006 Syndicate came from near and far to fill the Addington birdcage with merriment last Saturday. Parked up the front, 76-year-old Margaret Reeve was as merry as most. Family members got her wheelchair in amongst them as they celebrated the win by Changeover in the PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales Series 2yo Open from Christian Warrior and Mombassa.

Margaret came up from Ashburton for the big event, though the race was not particularly clear to her. She has impaired vision and cannot walk. She can't read and can't see television. "I lost it all about five months ago...it's awful," she said. "But I love being part of the syndicate and having the horse to race. It is my only interest, and Rob Carr has been so good. He phones me and tells me what is going on," she said. As it happened, Margaret bought the last share in the syndicate. "Rob told me there were two men interested but they hadn't paid the money. So next morning, I was down at the bank first thing and had the money away that day," she said.

Margaret will be back at Addington this week, but she is not so confident that Changeover will match it with Gotta Go Cullen. Trainer Geoff Small thinks the same as Margaret. "We have got a nice horse who has improved slowly all year, but Gotta Go Cullen is very, very good."

Changeover was bred by Carr and Don Kirkbride, who bought her dam Chaangerr off Bunty Hughes and Alan Meadows after they had bred seven foals. "She didn't come cheap," said Carr, who manages all the ATC Syndicates. "She was in foal to Artsplace, and they kept the foal she had. We sold Changeover for $28,000, and I had gently suggested to the trainers selecting for the syndicate that they avoid buying one that I had bred," he said.

If Small heard him, he didn't listen. "I had always wanted one from that family," he said. "He was early in the Sale, I had a budget and he made it. For Rob, it is a double coup," he said, adding that he was indebted to the usual high standard of help he had received staying with his old school buddy, Jeff Whittaker. By In The Pocket, Changover is expected to develop form that will make him a Classic chance at three.

Carr and Kirkbride have kept a Bettor's Delight filly from Chaangerr which is with Tony Herlihy, they have a weanling filly by Presidential Ball and the mare is in foal to Bettor's Delight,

Christian Warrior came off a nice trail on the outer to earn $33,150 for second, while Mombassa held his ground for third. They outclassed the others.


Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 17May06