RACING - Northlanders all smiles after the Ruakaka races

MORE than 7000 people enjoyed a racing carnival atmosphere in brilliant sunshine at the combined Whangarei Racing Club and Northland Harness Racing Club meeting at Ruakaka yesterday.
The combined early New Year meeting is traditionally the largest of the nine meetings at Ruakaka annually, and the big crowd brought along tents to provide shade as they quaffed bubbly and other drinks and enthusiastically cheered home the winners of the 15 races.
Racing Minister Winston Peters was in the "champagne circle" in front of the main stand, which he said should be turned around to face the sea so Ruakaka would have "the most magnificent racing vista in New Zealand".
"It's a pity it's facing the wrong way," he said, explaining how in future he would like to see well-appointed racing facilities running 365 days a year.
It was all Northlanders smiling in the winner's circle after Fibrulator won the 1600m Spire Summer Mile, collecting the victor's share of the $8500 purse, the largest on offer from the Whangarei Racing Club.
The gelding, bred at Ruakaka where it is trained by Donna and Dean Logan and Chris Gibbs, was kicked home by Sam Sprat in 1m 35.62s with Quetzalcoatl a head behind. The win paid $4.20 with places $2.20 and $2.60.
Fibrulator used to be solely owned by Donna Logan, who offered the Northland Rugby Union a free 20 per cent share which was auctioned as a fundraiser and sold to ITM manager Shane Heape and Caltex service station proprietor Gary Hannam.
These owners were in the winner's circle with Bryce Moffat and Jason Prisk representing the inaugural sponsors of the race, Spire Chartered Accountants. Dean Logan was there too as president of the racing club, and so were his and Donna's children, Samantha, 16, and Robert, 11.
The Logans had further cause to cheer soon after when they watched a television report showing another horse they and Cris Gibb train, Happywifehappylife, winning race seven at the Kurow Racing Club meeting in Central Otago yesterday.
Other Northland-trained victors in the gallops included Pin Power, trained by Sue Martin of Pakiri Beach, which won the Cowley's Hire Centre 1400, and Kandy Lane, trained by Kenny Rae of Ruakaka, which won the 1200m Oceanz Seafood Summer Six Pack. Ms Martin showed her versatility in training both gallops and harness racers with another of her horses, Idler, winning the 2200m Kea Campers Mobile Pace.
The biggest of the eight harness races at Ruakaka, the 2700m $10,000 Oxford Trust Northland Cup, was won by Our Fred, driven by Gavin Smith. They beat the favourite, Allin On The River, driven by Jay Abernethy, by a neck with Ochiltree Boy, driven by Maurice McKendry, a length and a quarter behind in third place. The tight finish between the front pair had the crowd roaring. The win paid $7.40 and places $2.20, $1.60 and $3.60.
Our Fred is owned by the Claiming to Win syndicate, represented yesterday by Rob and Jan Demsey of Kumeu.