By MIKE DILLON
You have to have confidence to enter into a deal with a car sales-man and an ex-copper.
Particularly a horse deal.
Terry Jarvis had that confidence and on Saturday it won for him and three partners the $120,000 Ford Dealership Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes with rising star Winged Foot.
Jarvis is a board member of Thoroughbred Marketing, a re-sponsibility of which is to promote ownership of the New Zealand horse.
The former topline cricketer did just that by including into the own-ership of Winged Foot, one of a sizable band of horse he races, high profile Auckland car franchise holder Jerry Clayton, former chief detective John Hughes and Brian Osmand, who runs a signwriting business.
Golf was the common denomi-nator. The quartet haggle regularly and if the stories are true, it is a group you don't play in while half asleep.
The four are fanatics about golf. Winged Foot is a famous New York course on which the US Open has been played.
The four are just as fanatical about fun and humour. Winged Foot is by ill-fated Cambridge Stud stallion Maroof.
The Australian in Clayton read Maroof as Me Roof and he was adamant he wanted the colt named Needs Painting.
The irony is that Jarvis, as insti-gator of the syndicate, was the only one of the foursome not at Ellerslie. He was in Sydney watch-ing everything go wrong for his class filly Hill of Grace in the $A700,000 AJC Oaks.
He did not make it back for the partners' round at North Shore course yesterday, where no doubt some of the winnings changed hands.
John Hughes is the only one of the new partners who is not new to ownership. He eased some of the stress as one of New Zealand's most senior detectives by breeding and racing from the Colin Jillings stable Cherie's Pride, winner of six, and three-time winner Princess Cherie.
"But neither of them won black type races, so I couldn't see much point in breeding further from them," said Hughes.
"Getting back into ownership with this horse came right out of the blue."
This was no fluke win assisted by the fact favourites Spring Rain (5th), Alberton Star (7th) and Trin-ity College (9th) ran below par - Winged Foot is a high class young-ster who has unlimited 3-year-old potential.
Although not particularly tall, Winged Foot takes an exceptional-ly long stride and can sustain an extraordinarily long sprint.
Trainer Robert Priscott bought him at the yearling sales because of a striking resemblance to Quorum, who won for him the Magic Mil-lions at Trentham after being sold to Singaporean ownership.
Vinny Colgan said he knew he was in trouble in front on the home turn on the hot favourite Spring Rain.
"I had wanted to lead, but that other horse Hurricane Strike half-necked us the whole way and she had run her race by the 400m.
"She has done a fair bit this campaign and deserves her spell."
Lance O'Sullivan claimed the fact the track cut out late in the day was right against Trinity College.
"She was not entirely happy go-ing right-handed for the first time, but definitely needs firm ground. She has a low head carriage and needs the right footing to stretch out."
Rider Peter Johnson was de-lighted with the third placing of gusty filly Ma Victoire.
"She's crying out for more dis-tance. She'll spell now and will be a good 1600m-2000m filly next season."
Racing: Confidence in deal pays off as rising star scores in Sire's
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