Brian Anderton admits to having a bit of a soft spot for News Flash - and not just because the gelding has now won five races for Anderton and his wife, Lorraine.
The 6yr-old was back in the winner's circle at Oamaru yesterday when he held out a late charge from Hurikin to win the rating 85 1400m.
Yesterday's slender nose margin in favour of News Flash takes his earnings to $45,600, with all five wins coming on good or dead tracks.
''He might like the ground a bit firmer, but he's a horse who only has a short run,'' Anderton said.
''He's a bit of a pet, really - he's my pet.''
With the tracks getting softer, News Flash's future might be over the obstacles in the next season or two.
''I'll probably jump him down the track - he has schooled but we'll get today over and see what happens,'' he said.
''He won't be going much longer [this season].''
Come Fly With Me is another Oamaru winner who might be enjoying a spell shortly after winning the rating 65 2200m yesterday.
The daughter of St Reims had shown a preference for front-running efforts on good tracks when she led all the way at Ascot Park on March 28, but a similar plan was quickly out the window at Riverton in early May.
''She slipped over on her knees at the start at Riverton,'' Riverton trainer Stephen Blair-Edie said.
''So we brought her up here and cursed the rain last night.''
Luckily for Blair-Edie who owns the mare, the track did not take took much harm, only downgrading as far as a dead6.
''She seems to hold her pace and get another second wind 600 or 800 from home and she seems to still have it [at the finish],'' he said.
Two placings from five starts on slow or heavy tracks isn't enough to convince Blair-Edie to continue into the winter with Come Fly With Me.
''We'll just concentrate on her sister Fly Me To Da Moon - she likes the mud.''
Ashburton co-trainer Daniel Champion praised jockey Samantha Wynne after Hot Pants claimed a well-deserved maiden win over 1400m.
Wynne waited patiently before swooping down the outside of the track to win by an ever increasing five lengths.
There's not much to Hot Pants - Champion estimates the filly is only 15 hands high - but Wynne seems to fit well with the daughter of Keeper.
''It's good to have Sam on her, too - she's been super to the stable,'' Champion said.
''She's bred to go further. We want to get black type with her, but she's two or three lengths behind those other 3yr-olds - but hopefully we can get something later on as a 4 and 5yr-old.''
