Eurostyle (Orlando Vici) was on her best behaviour tonight, impressively winning the $40,000 G3 Lamb and Haywood Trotters’ Classic at Addington.

“I think she can foot it with the best trotters here when she’s right. She’s obviously been a headache (for her trainers) but when she’s on, she’s very good,” driver Kimberly Butt said.

Father Time led for most of the early part of the race before Butt took the Derek and Adele Jones trained Eurostyle to the front, with a lap to run.

“She travels up on the bit a lot better and I think that helps with her gait. She definitely likes been in front.”

Turning in she was travelling the best of all the runners.

“I pulled the plugs, but I don’t think I really needed to. It was more just to j keep her on the job. She knocks off a wee bit when she clears out like that. She was doing it with a lot left in the tank.”

At the line, she had a three and a quarter length margin over Midnight Dash.

EUROSTYLE REPLAY

The winning time of 3-15.5 was just outside the race record of 3-14.8 jointly held by Habibti Ivy and Royal Aspirations.

“She’s just a great wee driver. I don’t understand why she doesn’t get more drives. She’s a wee star to me,” Derek Jones said.

Eurostyle become the third mare to win the twenty year old feature, joining Larix (2011) and Habibti Ivy (2017). Butt is the first female driver to win the Trotters Classic.

The next feature for the squaregaiters is the $100,000 G1 Fred Shaw Memorial New Zealand Trotting Championship at Addington in a fortnight.

“100% we’ll have a crack. Why not. When she’s right I’m not scared of anything. I think she’s pretty good,” Jones said.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink