Shoeing changes key to bargain buy’s turnaround

[Wandering Eyes]

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  

With typical modesty Bruce Negus brushes off his role in turning around his $700 bargain buy Mouton Cadet.

On Wednesday at Rangiora the Sir Lincoln gelding had his fourth career win and his third for Negus since he bought him in July.

It was a Team Negus special with Bruce training the seven-year-old and wife Colleen doing the steering on the short-priced favourite in the Remembering OK Oskar Amateur Drivers’ Mobile Pace.

After being last turning for home Mouton Cadet was brushed four and five wide before just getting home by a half neck after a dogged battle with the second-placed Kowhai Nugget. 

“We read that race correctly, there was a lot of speed inside him and Colleen had to wait and wait and wait,” says Bruce Negus, “it was a very competitive race and a great drive.

It was a bit of change for Mouton Cadet – his two previous starts had been two sixths during Cup week at Addington.

Since Negus bought the horse off Gavelhouse for $700 Mouton Cadet has since won $23,000 in stakes.

“I’ve just capitalised on other people’s hard work,” says Negus.

Among the people he credits for the horse’s turnaround is his farrier Paul Howlett.

“The blacksmith I’ve got has got some pretty good skills and some good ideas and he fixed them in one hit – cross-firing and brushing a knee.” 

“It’s down to centimetres and he got it right  … that remedial shoeing was very effective.”

Negus says he knew the horse had a “big engine” after watching his race footage.

“I saw the replay at Westport (March 2024), he was last at the 400 and got up to win,” says Negus, “so I thought he was worth the risk.”

“He’s got a lot of speed but he does have some characteristics that make him very unlikeable.”

“He has little respect for humans.”

And a decent appetite, by all accounts.

“He eats everything in sight so I work him 50 per cent harder than the average horse and being a seven-year-old he can cope with that.”

“He’s a good do-er .. an old style horse but a nice horse to drive.”
 
While Mouton Cadet has been a great earner in the last four or so months Negus says it’s very much a case of win some, lose some.

“He’s been a good buy alright but he just offsets the ones that weren’t and they have been a few of those over the years!”

Footnote : Mouton Cadet is an iconic French wine produced in Bordeaux.

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