Anderton set for busy Cup Day

[Wandering Eyes]

Tuesday promises to be a big day for veteran Mosgiel horseman Brian Anderton.

Training in partnership with son Shane, Anderton has 14 runners set to line up at their home track meeting at Wingatui.

Additionally, the master of famed Southern nursery White Robe Lodge will be keeping a close eye on the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), where Smokin’ Romans (NZ) (Ghibellines), a horse he bred with wife Loraine, will contest the great race.

Although White Robe Lodge is already linked to Melbourne Cup success, the octogenarian breeder would dearly love to have his name listed as a Cup winning breeder.

Smokin’ Romans, a son of resident stallion Ghibellines, gives Anderton a solid chance of achieving that goal.

Smokin’ Romans pictured as a weanling at White Rob Lodge
Photo: supplied

Prior to a last start seventh in a slowly run Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), Smokin’ Romans had triumphed in both the Gr.1 Turbull Stakes (2000m) and Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m).

Prepared by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Smokin’ Romans will be ridden by star jockey Jamie Kah and has just 51.5kgs in the two-mile feature.

“It will be a big day on Tuesday. I am not sure if I will go to the races and I will watch the Cup at home. There will be a few that will call in I’d say,” Anderton said.

“I gave that Caulfield Cup run away. He didn’t look like the horse he had been at his previous starts. I don’t know why, but he didn’t seem to have that bit of vigor about him that he had.

“I watched the replay and when they sprinted, he got left a bit flat footed and was battling from then on. It seemed to be a slowly run race and you can put a line through the run for a lot of the horses in it.

“We prepared Tawrrific (1989 Melbourne Cup winner), who was born and raised here at White Robe and Baghdad Note (1970 winner) was foaled here.

“Lomondy and Swell Time both won the Caulfield Cup and hopefully we can go one better and breed a Melbourne Cup winner,” Anderton said.

While the barriers will crash back in the Melbourne Cup at 5pm New Zealand time, Anderton will have half of his racing team stepping out at their bumper home-track meeting, including last-start winner Exchange (NZ) (Ghibellines) in the Grand Casino Open Handicap (1400m).

Like Smokin’ Romans, Exchange is a son of Ghibellines and the six-year-old gedling is only just coming into his prime with the long-range plan is the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge (1600m) in early February next year.

“We are a bit slower getting going down here in the spring and all of our good racing starts from here on and we have good autumn meetings too,” Anderton said.

“Exchange has only just matured now, both mentally and physically.

“It was a good win fresh up. It wasn’t a strong field but you can’t beat the way he did it. I am not sure as to how he will be in the ground (heavy). He has done very well since he raced and I expect a big run from him again.”

Anderton also believes Ruby’s Lad and Haggle are others that can retrun to form.

“Ruby’s Lad seems to be alright again. The first-up win seemed to flatten him and then we had a few problems with his teeth, but he is over it all now and Shane said yesterday that he was very happy with him,” he said.

“Haggle will be an interesting one. We have a fair opinion of him. He did disappoint at his last two starts but once again he seems to have turned a corner and the three-kilo allowance will help a bit.”

Ghibellines will be represented by 19 runners at the Dunedin racemeeting and Anderton is delighted with the job the well credentialed Shamardal stallion is doing.

“He is at the stage now where he has got enough runners about to represent him and they are big horses that are a bit slower maturing. They are late growers.

“He is doing the job and has got enough around now to keep doing it.”

Brian Anderton of White Robe Lodge
Photo: Trish Dunell

Meanwhile, Anderton was buoyed by further New Zealand bred success across the Tasman on Saturday, where Icebath won the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), I Wish I Win took out the A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m), and young Cambridge Stud stallion Almanzor sired his first Group One winner when Manzoice landed the VRC Derby (2500m).

“It might have turned a little bit back towards the New Zealand breds, whereas the Aussies were tending to get European horses in,” Anderton said. “I have got three young horses by Almanzor so it was good to see him get a Derby winner and great to see New Zealand breeders doing so well.”

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