Spin'N Grin did her Irish emerald green colours proud with her fighting finish to grab victory in yesterday's $100,000 Eight Carat Classic.
It was appropriate - the colours she wore were the boxing gym colours of the late Gib Rowan, who trained several New Zealand title-holding fighters from his Tauranga
base.
His son Tom Rowan races Spin'N Grin.
"Dad died a couple of years ago and I decided to do something in his memory, something he hadn't done, race a horse in his colours.
"He loved racing and in the early days he held a gentleman rider's (amateur) licence."
Tom Rowan is a Tauranga property investor who now has a deep love of racing through being a shareholder in any number of Te Akau syndicates in the past decade.
Huge winners King's Chapel and Maroofity are among those he has an interest in.
He admitted that level of success had influenced him to strike out on his own and pay $65,000 for Spin'N Grin at the yearling sales.
Trainer Mark Walker describes Spin'N Grin as a delicate filly, but it didn't show when she pinned her ears back to head out after and catch the tearaway pacemaker Vamperalla.
The sprint she produced from the 120m is going to win her many more.
"The best is ahead of her," predicted Walker.
The Matamata trainer thanked his staff for the amount of walking required to compliment Spin'N Grin's light training.
The Oaks at Trentham is the aim.
"I won't run her in the Royal Stakes, but I'll have to find a race for her before the Oaks."
The hot favourite La Sizeranne over-raced behind the speed and did well to fight hard for third after looking likely to be completely swamped.
"I gave her a bit of a nudge just after the start to get a run up behind the leaders and she over-raced after that," said rider Bruce Herd.
* Noel Harris has ridden two tight finishes with his son Troy.
"That's two from two," said Harris senior after he landed Lynisky home a narrow winner over Tony The Pony, ridden by Troy.
Neither knew who had won. "I was hoping, but that was all," said Noel Harris.
The race was twice delayed. Three horses were locked in their gates when the start was made, then just before a re-run was about to take place, the favourite Starliner broke away from her rider and had to be scratched.
