Veteran -Trainer Fred Fletcher and Junior Reinsman Sam Thornley combined to win the Darren Defilippi monument last night in Addington with Royal Gypsy (Royal Aspirations).
After a perfect start, Thornley made full use of the handicap advantage of Royal Gypsy and immediately took her to the top and stayed out of trouble.
While part of the opposition made it wrong, Royal Gypsy and Thornley made the perfect race to the thread to win with three lengths from another front marker Buffy North Invelen with the best of the handicappes one MHOR for Heather Seven Lights back in third place.
Royal Gypsy Replay
“She is wise, good to do everything, has a little speed, but she is a bit weak, but we have taken our time with her. She’s gone for twelve months,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher says that Royal Gypsy will now have a week off before she racet again.
“I will accelerate her races. We first won with her and that in this country is difficult because of the handicappers system. The new drop -back (system) helped her and win a penalty -free race like last night is a great help. Buffy North -Inveltjes who follows her last night. If you have a little racing.”
The victory was Thornley’s 200one And thirty -seven of them are for Fletcher and those victories that have been thirty with the stock of royal ambitions.
“Sam knows her reasonably well. He drove her three weeks ago during the tests and we waited for this race to come along.”
It was the second time that Thornley won the Darren Defilippi monument. He won the light of the moon in 2023 for Robbie Holmes. Fletcher also won the race twice with Amber Gambler powered by Sam Smolenski who won the Junior Drivers function in 2007.
“Sam is very good with the carriers.”
Of the 555 winners, Fletcher 283 trained trotters and 51 have been by Royal Ambitions.
“I have almost all the carriers at work. I wouldn’t know how to put hops on a horse now.”
It was Royal Gypsy’s second victory in four starts.
She is from CC Commando Mare Commander del, whose mother del’s head won it, won seven while her mother Gypsy del also won seven.
“I bought her (commander del) at the sale. The first from her was Royal del who won thirteen for us. She was a funny mare who could trot a little, but was always in the season, so in the finish I finally brewing her knowing that she had the power and a good heart.”
The winners of eighteen races and the fastest two -year -old Trotter van Nieuw -Zeeland, Royal Aspirations is at Phoebe Standardreds at Broadfields in Canterbury. His oldest offspring is seven and in 2022 he served 107 mares, so his biggest crop will be two -year -olds next season.
“Nice horse. Probably not the highest speed trotter I had, but the man he could stay all day. He had a big heart and went 1-56 like two years old and he ran well afterwards.”
Royal del, Sunny Louie and Paris Prince all trained by Fletcher set Royal Aspiration on the way to a road to early success.
“I have only grown four horses (through royal ambitions) to start with and they all have won more than $ 100,000. They are good bread and butter horses, they try their best and they now slowly get the tighter class races.”
But Fletcher admits hard work that promotes a colonial stallion.
“It is a funny old company. They like to pay the big reimbursements for the American stations. They (breeders) don’t really like everything that has raced in Zeeland.”
Fletcher belief in royal ambitions is unwavering. One of Royal Aspirations Sons Royal Pride has served a handful of mares, including commander del.
Royal Pride won more than 3200 meters in 4-05.6 on Cup Day in 2022.
“On that day he was not entirely right and I tried twelve months to get him back, but I couldn’t get him well. I think he was one of the best thresholds I had had in a long time. It will be interesting to see how he comes by.”
The seven -year -old Fletcher nowadays does not train outside of horses and currently has fifteen horses at work. They are all through royal ambitions.
“I am too old to tolerate people who wonder why they don’t always win (laughter).”
Fletcher bought the property of his weeds twenty years ago.
“Everyone wants to buy it from me for housing, but I will continue to continue with this racing team for a little longer.”
One of the most important concerns of the experienced trainers about the sports in which he spent a lifetime is the handicap system.
“I can’t see why you should go to a country meeting and get the same number of points you do in Addington. During the weak races at Addington if you only got two or three points for winning people there would be in line and run their horses. They would get full fields all the time.”
He says the breeding numbers are worried.
“In the past, every farmer had a horse. Nowadays there would hardly be a farmer with a horse anymore. There are only a few they own and the horses are mainly syndicated. It is so expensive to train them.”
Another thing that Fletcher is passionate is Harness racing that encourage and support more young people to go into sport and to succeed.
“It has been a great sport for many years. We have to get through the young people, but they cannot afford to buy land and racing horses. I think the clubs should look at opening a few stable areas to help the young people get through.”
For complete race results, Click here.
Through Bruce StewartFor Harnesslink
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