Field Marshal might have been 51 years in the making for Mosgiel owner-breeder Syd Brown, but it took just a tick over 1 minute and 53 seconds to win his first Harness Jewel.
Brown and his wife, Shona, had
enjoyed the thrills of winning both a Taylor Mile and a New Zealand Messenger earlier this season, but the 4yr-old Emerald title was added at Cambridge on Saturday courtesy of a confident drive from Dexter Dunn.
Brown brought Field Marshal's fifth dam, Omylight, at the 1965 standardbred sale at Forbury Park when he was just 19 and has continued breeding from her family.
Field Marshal's dam, Foreal, was a brilliant mare in her own right, winning multiple group 1 races, and her son is giving the Browns just as many thrills.
"It was a fabulous day, really,'' Brown said from Auckland airport yesterday.
"It's something you dream about and think it's never going to happen.
"In those group races, you can't just turn up and win. You've still got to be the best horse on the day. Fortunately, we were, and it's now history.''
But it looked like the Jewels might not even happen for the Tim Butt-trained pacer in mid-May when he suffered a suspected bout of colic.
"That gave us quite a scare, actually,'' Brown said.
"We suspected it was colic but we weren't too sure until the scopes and the scans were done and it showed there was no twisted bowel. That was quite a bit of relief.
"All credit to Tim. The horse hadn't raced for five weeks so to get a setback in his health like that then produce a run like he did yesterday, it's fantastic.''
Field Marshal is now taking a six-week break in Cambridge before reuniting with Tim Butt in Canterbury.
Butt indicated he would aim towards New Zealand Cup week, but not necessarily the cup itself.
The Browns weren't the only Dunedin and Mosgiel residents to feel the shine of the Jewels.
Major Ben ran a brave second in the 3yr-old Emerald to give a massive buzz to Graeme and Ann Mee of Wingatui, who race the son of Art Major with Phil and Margaret Creighton, of East Taieri.
The Creightons also have a share in Heaven Rocks, who won the 3yr-old Emerald stylishly in 1.52.4, and in the 2yr-old Emerald runner-up Ultimate Machete. Former Westwood Beach-trained pacer Titan Banner lost no admirers with a massive run for third to Field Marshal after being no closer than three wide for most of the race.
● It is easy to make the mistake of thinking the All Star's domination of Jewels Day is boringly repetitive.
Just like last year the super stable - surely New Zealand's greatest ever of either code - won five of the Jewels races at Cambridge.
The statistics are hard to comprehend.
Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen trained not only the five winners - Custodian, Partyon, Piccadilly Princess, More The Better and Heaven Rocks - but seven other placegetters.
They have won nearly $4 million in stakes in New Zealand alone this season and every group 1 pacing race for 2 and 3yr-olds held in this country.
But it was fitting the five winners wore four different sets of colours because while whether the All Stars monopoly is good for the industry is open to debate, the diversity of their winners is not.
- Additional reporting Michael Guerin
