| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 2000
 |
Freak filly Enthusiast is on a mission to put together the most lucrative 3-year-old trotting campaign ever and it seems only a train can stop her after she again demoralised her opponents in the $25,000 Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Stakes.
The Chiola Hanover chestnut, also last season's 2yo Trotting Stakes winner, has cleaned up this year's Hambletonian Classic by five lengths in 1:59.5, Sires' Stakes Championship, Rosso Antica by five lengths and the 3yo Trotting Stakes by five and a half lengths and now embarks on an Australian campaign where probably another five feature trots are at her mercy. She could conceivably win nine 3-year-old features this season and 10 in total by the end of age group racing. And the record of sorts she will be chasing is one shared by former stablemate Above The Stars, who five seasons ago won every feature available to him in Australasia - six.
In 1996/97, Galleon's Paradise won six feature 3-year-old trots, but neither the Trotting Stakes or Rosso Antico. Enthusiast gets the opportunity to set new standards because she is a filly and has a race like the Victoria Oaks at her disposal, but that fact makes the feat all the more remarkable. Fillies are not supposed to be better than colts, but Enthusiast can already lay claim to being as good if not better than any young trotter seen in this part of the world.
Trainer Paul Nairn and driver David Butt are of course in the perfect position to compare and both agree that while Above The Stars and Enthusiast are "as good as it gets," the filly is the better racehorse. "Above The Stars could be difficult to drive, but Enthusiast is perfectly mannered," said Butt. "She does everthing right and relaxes off the bit, and the further they go, the more she loves it," he added.
So when did Nairn begin to think he might have something special - another one that is after the likes of Above The Stars, Call Me Now, Last Game, Marvin, Shine, Special Branch and potentially Shaq Attaq? "I guess when she won the Trotting Stakes last year and ran her last mile in 2:02. Being by Chiola Hanover, I figured she should improve with age. But it is always in the back of your mind whether they will take that next step up. Even now when you work her at home you wouldn't think she was anything special, but she is such a terrific wee stayer."
That Enthusiast has taken each step would be an understatement and it has been little breaks in between little assignments where she has taken giant leaps. After winning a maiden first up for the season nicely at Motukarara, failing at Addington and winning a C1 at Forbury Park, Enthusiast had three weeks off and six weeks to get ready for a trip to the Coast over Christmas in what was her first real trip away from home. After winning at Westport and Reefton, she had 10 days off before winning at Washdyke and Ashburton and launching her Auckland assault. Five days R&R followed that trip before Saturday's success, where like the Rosso Antico she again made her move to the death in mid-race, applied the pressure from the half and with a shake of the reins at the furlong, said goodbye. Her 3:20.4, last 800m in 60, bettered Sunny Action's filly record by .5 of a second and was her third national record despite being merely in cruise control.
Enthusiast is now having another week off before heading to Australia for the Victoria Oaks on May 20, followed by the Holmfield, Victoria Derby and probably the NSW and SA Derbys. "We will sit down and work things out now, but that is a two month trip and we might look at leaving her with another trainer like Graeme Lang, Robert Cameron or Ted Demmler." However, Nairn notes that Demmler is presently raving about a 3-year-old trotter of his own in Truscott Steel and that would seem the least likely of the options.
So how does Nairn do it - so many good trotters in such a short space of time and at such a good strike rate - one might ask. The right breeding and owners play a large part, but so does an education from a past master in Jack Litten and simple hard work. Nairn does all the early work himself, including the driving until he is satisfied they are "properly organised" for the big time - at which point he hands over the reins to Butt. He drove Enthusiast until three starts ago. Once they are ready, Nairn says driving is one less thing he has to worry about.
Enthusiast, the first foal fron Enthuse, a Gee Whiz II mare who won once from just three starts, is raced by her breeders - Nairn and his father Graeme, Gywnn Thomson and the Red And White Syndicate, each party having quarter share. The latter comprises five members - Auckland's Don Stewart, Christchurch's Michael Chin and Leeston's Paul Johnstone and Colin and Noel Lowery. Enthuse, a half sister to Sundowner Bay and good sorts in Marvin and Rainbow Bay, and whose third dam is the fine trotting mare Dianthus Girl, has since produced a 3-year-old colt by Call Me Now in Call Me Later, a yearling colt by the same sire in Crunch and a filly by Sundon. She is back in foal to Chiola Hanover and will be returning to that veteran sire this year.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 27Apr00