Picketline pacers

Two pacers now based in Canterbury but formerly trained in Southland have won all four of their starts for their new trainers.

Ward Lamon (Downbytheseaside) had fifty four starts for Kirk Larsen, winning three races and being placed in a further ten starts. Party Up Denario (Lather Up) started thirty times for Brett Gray, recording six minor placings.

Since joining Darren Keast’s barn, Party Up Denario has won four races and banked $26,400 while Ward Lamon has had four starts for Peter and Mitchell Robertson’s barn, winning all four and earning $33,000.

Ward Lamon’s latest win came in the Canterbury Plains Spring Series Final at Ashburton on Monday while Party Up Denario’s last win was in the SBSR Golden Girls Series at the Tuapeka HRC at Ascot Park on Sunday.

Since Keast has trained Party Up Denario she’s won by six lengths, three quarters of a length, five lengths and four and a quarter lengths.

“It’s not an easy feat to win any race let alone by margins and doing it with ease. Mark came in the other day and said, ‘mate this thing feels as though she’s got some serious wheels,” said Keast.

As her Ascot Park win was penalty free, Party Up Denario remains as an R45 pacer.

“I didn’t realise that race was penalty free. Brent Shirley rang me and told me.”

Keast bought Party Up Denario from the Gavelhouse website for just $5,000 and interestingly Mitchell Robertson was the underbidder.

“I sort of liked the way she raced last year behind Tosana. She ran third to Tosana one day and that caught my eye,” said Keast.

He says he didn’t buy Party Up Denario specifically for the Golden Girls series in Southland.

“I bought her to potter round with at the Wednesday meetings in Canterbury. I had Putere Boy at the same time and he was coming to the end of it, so I needed a replacement. She popped up so the timing fell into place perfectly.”

Why does he think Party Up Denario has lifted to a new level?

“I’ve just galloped her. I’ve got a rubber based track here. It’s about three inches deep so it’s quite hard work for them and it really strengthens them up.”

And Keast observes that Party Up Denario has got stronger.

“The problem now is that I’ve got to try and teach her to settle. The other day she just pulled her block off. She’s obviously a happy healthy horse.”

Party Up Denario will have a small break now and be set for the Robin Dundee Crown on Invercargill Cup Day in December.

“If she doesn’t make that we’ll bring her to the Southern Belle Series down there. When I buy a horse and it’s already racing, I look at what’s ahead and what races there are for it. It’s all about planning.”

Keast runs his stable at his grandfather Paul Renwick’s property at Weedons in Canterbury. Paul is also a shareholder in the company that races Party Up Denario. In addition Keast has a stable registered at Ascot Park where he’s helped out by Brent Shirley and when he’s away from home his Canterbury operation is supervised by stable foreman James McDonald.

Ward Lamon has been with the Robertsons since the middle of September.

“I always liked the horse and tried to buy him early on off Kirk. He did look promising. He had his first start in the Kindergarten and showed promise as a three year old but back at that stage Kirk wanted more money than what we had,” Mitchell said.

After some conversations over the next few seasons the deal was finally done with the Robertson’s paying $16,000 for the five year old.

“I thought it was a good enough price at the time and it was good enough for Kirkie. It looks like we’re going to get out of him alright now. I’d have to give full credit to Kirk because the horse turned up looking a million dollars. I bought him with that Canterbury Plains Series in mind. He was a rating 35 at the time and I thought he was as good as any other rating 35 in the country on ability.”

So what does Ward Lamon’s training programme look like?

“He does a lot more cantering than he does hopple work. That’s the only thing perhaps we have changed. We try and keep him out of the hopples and feeling fresh and it seems like it’s worked the miracle for him.”

Ward Lamon debuted for his new stable last month in a junior drivers race where he was handled by Mia Holbrough.

“He wasn’t quite screwed down for his first start but I wanted to get a penalty free win out of way before the Canterbury Plains Series. He managed to get the job done there and win first up. The plan then was to go to a heat of the Canterbury Plains and get him into the final. We were lucky enough to win his heat and the final. We couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

Ward Lamon will be looking to extend his winning streak when he lines up next on Cup Day.

“It’s never easy there. He’s got a couple of options. He can either start in a grade race or he can start in a heat of the Australasian Young Drivers Championship.”

Mitchell says he’s noticed a steady improvement in the gelding.

“I think every run has been slightly better than the previous one. He does have good speed. Tim said the other day when he had to make his move round them, as soon as he asked him to go he ripped into it and got round them pretty effortlessly. He’s a great mannered horse with a great constitution. Because he won a heat and the final, he got the final penalty free.”

Meanwhile another horse Peter and Mitchell are having a lot of ? with is Royal Belle (Gold Ace) who’s also won all four of her races since joining the stable.

“Kerry Hadfield had her and she’d gone some good races. She was a horse I’d tried to buy earlier on in the piece too. I’ve trained her and Ward Lamon very similarly and they’ve both appreciated it and she’s been doing great things as well.”

The Robertson stable has been going gang busters and since August the partnership has won eleven races with Ward Lamon (4) and Royal Belle (4) the main contributors.

“I won’t get used to it. I don’t expect it to continue but we’ll enjoy it while it lasts.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink