Selwyn_Times: December 07, 2022

Selwyn Times Wednesday December 7 2022
36
RACING
• By Jonny Turner
THE LEAST talked about of
Paul Nairn’s incredible talents
as a horseman shone through
when Confessional ran to a
commanding win in the group
one Ace Of Clubs at Addington
on Grand Prix Day.
All of Nairn’s skill with a
young trotter was on display
when the youngster powered
away from his rivals in a national-record
breaking victory.
Nairn’s drive was as good as
his horse’s brilliant performance.
Over the years, the Leeston
trainer has handed the reins of his
star horses to a line-up of top class
drivers, including David Butt.
These days it’s Butt sitting
in the stands as a successful
part-owner and breeder of
Confessional as Nairn is tasked
with making the decisions on the
track.
The result was Nairn producing
a steer as good as those Butt
produced for him behind his
champions of the past in Stig and
Call Me Now.
Though in typical Nairn style,
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Nairn’s skill drives Confessional to win
• By Johnny Turner
AKUTA TREATED harness
racing fans to the ultimate
display of power and brute
strength when brilliantly
winning the Group One New
Zealand Derby.
Settling many lengths off a
hot tempo mattered little to the
brilliant three-year-old who
put away a brave Republican
Party in an epic running of the
three-year-old colts and geldings
classic.
Akuta’s backers faced the sight
of the New Zealand Cup fourth
placegetter settling many lengths
off a hot early pace set up by an
early lead battle between Beach
Ball and Republican Party.
While it might not have been
what favourite punters were hoping
to see, Mark Purdon wasn’t
concerned that he had the entire
field in front of him.
the trainer-driver downplayed
his effort.
“Davey was happy enough for
me to drive him, especially with
young trotters it is an advantage
to train them and drive them,”
he said.
“Everything worked out good
EPIC: Nairn’s
drive was
as good as
Confessional’s
brilliant
performance.
PHOTO: HRNZ
today. It was a privilege to have
the drive, actually.”
Confessional not only beat his
rivals, he effectively gave them a
head-start in doing so by starting
from the unruly.
Though he had broken in just
one of his five prior starts, the
But there also wasn’t much he
could do about it.
“The speed was on so we were
flat keeping up, but once Blair
found the front they came back
to us,” Purdon said.
“Once Johnny Dunn came
out and the three wide line got
going we were able to get around
them.”
After tracking the three-wide
line, Akuta found the parked
position and from there he delivered
a crushing blow.
“It was a real staying event and
he is just in super form.”
Akuta will now head to the
spelling paddock for a short
break with North Island feature
races like the Taylor Mile, the NZ
Messenger Championship and
The Race in mind.
And he will do so having
already proven himself against
New Zealand’s best open class
pacers.
horse is far from foolproof and
wears plenty of gear to help him
get around.
Given he will eventually get
even better in his gait and come
off the unruly, Confessional will
be an even bigger force for his
rivals to contend with.
The trotter is the third foal
from David and Catherine
Butt’s brilliant trotting mare
Habibi.
The Butts bred and race Confessional
with Bolty and Lynne
Paterson.
Confessional stopped the clock
in 2-25.5, smashing the previous
1980m New Zealand record of
2-27.7 held by Ultimate Stride.
Nairn just missed out on the
quinella in the Ace Of Clubs
with Tectonic just a neck behind
runner-up Southern Diamond.
– Harness Racing Desk
Akuta in brilliant form to take out derby
“I will give him a bit of a break
now, he has had a big campaign
and he deserves it,” Purdon said.
“He won’t be out for too long,
we will want to have him ready
for the feature races in Auckland
coming up.”
Akuta went agonisingly close
to clinching a national record on
a record-smashing day, with his
3.05.6 time just 0.2sec outside the
all-comers record for 2600m.
– Harness Racing Desk
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