Winbak News

NEWS AND INSIGHT ON WINBAK FARM

Read below for the latest on Winbak Achievements and graduates.
Stories are from the leading industry news sources.

>Phil Burrows is experiencing a new harness racing high. The North Canterbury trainer works a team of 20 at Fernside just out of Rangiora, but it's his two 2-year-old fillies that have him springing out of bed each morning.


Pacific Rapture (Bettor's Delight-Seamoon) and Seven Point One (Lis Mara - Cassie's Melody) have both won races in the last three weeks - the most recent being when Pacific Rapture won this evening's (Thursday April 5) $25,000 PGG Wrightson 2yo Fillies Graduette. At Cambridge Raceway.


She had to be good to win tonight after Jay Abernethy was left with no option but to sit parked with her.


And she was good - getting home by a nose over Onlyforyou and Peter Ferguson. Winning time for the 1700m mobile: 2:04.7 - last 800m: 58.1 and final 400m: 28.4.


"Tonight's race didn't quite go as expected. She was a bit slow out of the gate and then left in the open. She hasn't had any luck in any of her four starts prior to this so tonight's win wasn't unexpected.


"She's a real nice filly and so is the other one," 40-year-old Burrows told Harnesslink.


Pacific Rapture paid $5.70 and was backed into third favourite in tonight's eight-horse field. She is owned by Mike and Sue Maguire and was bred by Mrs J. M. Davie, P. T. Cummings, and D J Cummings.


"I'm loving working these fillies. I'm in it right up to my eyeballs. It's exciting when you have good age group horses to work with because that's where the money is. It's new to me to have nice babies, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can," Burrows said.


"These are quite exciting times. You never get tired of nice horses," he added.


Seven Point One won her only start in the Third Sires 2yo Fillies Stakes Heat at Addington Raceway on March 16.


Brett Thomas drove the bay to a length victory clocking a 2:01.1 mile rate for the 1950m mobile - 3.6 seconds quicker than Pacific Rapture's 2:04.7 mile rate in tonight's result.


Burrows has trained 98 winners from 633 starters since 1996. He's also placed 143 times for $780,365 in career purses. His best year was in 2006 when he trained 30 winners. He's already nailed 14 this season.


Footnote: Humble as ever when asked if Burrows had a photo of himself that Harnesslink could use for this story, he replied:


"I don't think I've ever seen a photo of me in any publication anywhere. I'm pretty elusive," he said.


Ed: Now I'm going to make it my mission to snap ‘the elusive one' in the Alexandra Park winner's circle - because I know he is going to be there very soon.


BRYAN MACEY BACK IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE:


Meanwhile former New Zealand Cup winning trainer Bryan Macey (Homin Hosed - 1999) also produced another nice 2-year-old when Prime Power won the first race on the card - a four-horse juvenile trot.


The Monarchy gelding bolted in by four and a quarter lengths trotting the 1700m mobile in 2:10.4 - 8.3 seconds quicker than the qualifying mark.


Driven by Todd Mitchell, Prime Power trotted a 2:03.4 mile rate with final 800m and 400m sprints of 59.7 and 28.8 seconds.


That win followed up a solid third on debut, also at Cambridge on March 22.


Macey owns and bred the bay, who is out of two-win Sundon mare, Game Mega.


It was the Cambridge horseman's first win of the season. He also trained one winner each in 2010-2011 and 2009-2010 respectively.


CAMBRIDGE RACEWAY HIGHLIGHTS: