Racing team’s treble with Raise The Flag stock
By Jonny Turner
The White Robe Lodge racing team enjoyed a brilliant day out at Wingatui on Sunday with trainers Brian and Shane Anderton producing three winners by resident sire Raise The Flag.
Talented but quirky mare Chookie's Girl (Raise The Flag-Danz A Rook) started the winning run with an impressive victory over 2200m.
The 6yr-old did not let her customary slow start stop her from rounding up her rating 62 class opposition and go on to a standout victory for rider Courtney Barnes.
The sight of the mare, raced by the estate of prominent former Otago and Southland racing personality the late Val Christophers, missing the jump would have been nothing new for her backers.
It is also a sight all too familiar to the Anderton stable, who have tried almost everything to get the promising stayer to ping out of the gates with the rest of the field.
"She is a very nice horse, but she has got to learn to jump," Brian Anderton said.
"We have done a lot of work with her, but she still hasn't got it right yet."
"She is a funny thing - she goes in to her box at a hundred miles an hour but she just walks out."
"It is the same when she goes on the float, she just gets a bit nervous."
"We will keep working on it and hopefully she gets the hang of things."
Three races later the Anderton's consistent miler Raise You Ten (Raise The Flag-Molly Malone) broke through for his first win since March of 2018 when taking out Sunday's 1600m feature handicap.
The second win was due reward for the 7yr-old running some excellent races in the lead up to Sunday's meeting.
Raise You Ten had run ten top four placing since his previous victory, including a third in the listed Great Easter Stakes and a second in the listed Hazlett Stakes.
Corey Campbell's 1kg claim took the Raise The Flag galloper's weight down to 55.5kgs, which was the key to breaking the consistent galloper's run of near misses, Brian Anderton said.
"He has been going very well, but he has had to have carried very big weights,"
"He had 60kgs in his last two starts and 62kgs before that."
"He hasn't carried a weight like he did today in a long time."
Raise You Ten lengthened his career distance range to 1800m in his last start third at Gore.
The Anderton camp have resolved to try the horse over more ground than yesterday's 1600m journey.
"Talking to Shane on the way home from the races, we decided 1600m is his best distance, but if he can try him over more ground it will be good for his career."
The third leg of the Anderton's treble with the stock of Raise The Flag came when Campbell rode Shaker (Raise The Flag-Miss Agavero) to win over 1600m.
Shaker is a full brother to Slammer, who ran fourth in yesterday's 2200m South Otago Cup.
Sunday's win made up for Shaker's unlucky last start fifth over 1400m.
"He probably should have won his last start, but he got knocked over," Brian Anderton said.
"He is a nice horse and will be better over a bit more ground."
There were more good performances from runners from the White Robe Lodge racing team, like Slammer, who showed they were not too far away from a win.
Avino (Ghibellines-Grigio) ran a good fifth on debut over 1200m in race 2.
Our Teddy Boy ran home strongly to run third, when carrying the same weight as the 13-race winner, Flying Sardine, over 1400m in race 3.
Montserrat and Raise You Five (Raise The Flag-Molly Malone) were both close up in the finish over their 1600m event.