Wanaka owner-breeders Warren and Dale Clague continued their run of success when Wolfenstein won at the Forbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting last night.
The 5yr-old gained his maiden win in style, scoring in race two by five lengths for trainers Geoff and Jude Knight and driver Matthew Williamson.
The Clagues and the Knights had endured the highs and lows of the harness racing game together.
“Warren and Dale have been friends of ours since we moved to Tapanui from Auckland,” Geoff Knight said.
“We raced Wolfenstein’s granddam Dillon Diva together and she was a handy mare.
“We bred a few foals out of her in partnership and we didn’t have much luck. But then Warren and Dale got an Elsu mare out of Dillon Diva, who qualified before getting injured.”
That Elsu mare is El Diva, the dam of Wolfenstein.
She has also produced another recent winner for the Clagues, Deus Ex.
“It is great to see Warren and Dale get a bit of luck lately. They are very loyal owners.”
Canterbury mare Short And Sweet lived up to her name when clearing maiden ranks.
Driver Craig Thornley gave the Steven McRae-trained mare a run in the one-one which meant she had to deliver only a short and sweet sprint to hold out runner-up Joshua Michael by three-quarters of a length.
The 4yr-old’s gait was put to the test early when rival Handsome Harry pushed her into a tight spot just after the start
but she coped with flying colours.
“I am just not sure where we are going to go next with her now,” McRae said.
“That was the perfect race for her. ...
“We might look to go to the West Coast circuit or possibly we could go down south over Christmas.
“I think there is going to be a bit of improvement in her coming out of that race, but there is going to need to be when she goes up a grade.”
Short and Sweet is one of just 27 live foals from the third-last crop of prolific siring success Live Or Die.
