Racing: Stable marks another milestone

The stable of Dawn and Peter Williams has set yet another training record at Riccarton Park but is keen to reach a different sort of milestone next month.

Juicy Fruit Mambo is headed straight into the $75,000 Winter Cup after his win in the Westenra Cup on Saturday. The winter feature is one which has eluded the Williams over many years.

"To be honest we haven't had many runners but it is a race I have always wanted to win," Peter Williams said.

The way the stable has been mulching through the records this season suggests it will not be beyond them.

Earlier, both partners had independently reached the 200 winners mark on the track, a feat achieved only once.

On Saturday it became the first to produce 30 winners in a season on the track. This is a clear margin over the next best effort (by Garth Jackson) who in turn shaded the 24-win record of Dave and Jan Kerr.

While increased racing on the track means that older trainers like Barrie Taggart and Ned Thistoll can remember being the leading trainers at the track with 10 or fewer winners, it is still an astonishing feat against keen competition.

"It is a nice thing to achieve. I can't say we set out to do it and I can honestly say training is not about trying to break records because you sometimes break horses doing it.

"But it was something which has been in the mix recently because we have had a bigger winter team than in some other years," Peter Williams said.

Things did not go quite according to plan on Saturday. The scratching of Imhappyabouthat in the morning reduced the Westenra field to just six, below the level at which the $35,000 bonus on the race for which Juicy Fruit Mambo was eligible could be won.

Owners Eric Parr and Paul Cunneen took the setback in sporting fashion. The gelding has already won two such bonuses and gone close to winning a third but this was the third and last time the bonus race had been shifted in four weeks.

Juicy Fruit Mambo had the Westenra won virtually after barrier rise, cruising along for Brian Hibberd and turning the race into a procession first time of asking.

"At 1600m I want him to be fresh so he will not have another race. He will not have much weight but Brian will waste to ride him."

Having Hibberd up in the cup is healthy plus. It is one of his "specialty" races, especially in his association with Rongonui.

The Williams stable, which is close to signing up the services of Daniel Bothamley through the rest of his apprenticeship in the new season, also won with Centarvo, though stablemate Spontaneity was unlucky not to relegate her to second.

Simon Sez, the talented son of Simon Snorkel, will head to Trentham after a quick return to winning form and Riccarton longshot specialist trainer Steven Woodsford did it again when Witching Hour just edged out Jovial Jock.

Apprentice Kazuki Ichikawa posted his most important win when Jamesmyname staged a belated return to form for the Paul Harris stable in the Brabazon Handicap.

The grey held out his former stablemate, the talented Crafty Decision.