Back under the tutelage of Oamaru trainer Phil Williamson, Phil’s Gift held on to win the 6yr-old plus c2-c7 handicap race in very windy conditions last night.
Williamson said Phil’s Gift had always had potential but things had got in his way for the 9yr-old.
"I got him back from Greg Hope up in Canterbury. He was up against some very talented horses up there and finding it a bit difficult," Williamson said.
"He’s always been a very talented horse but he’s had a lot of issues throughout his career, just with soreness and that. We’ve tried a lot of different things with him.
"Greg Hope is a very good trainer and I haven’t really done anything different with him."
Williamson has had the horse back for a couple of months and said it was a bit of a test for Phil’s Gift last night.
"It’s good to see him at his best. It was his last chance, really, to shape up when we had this sort of preparation."
Phil’s Gift started off 40m last night but overcame the handicap, although he had to hang on from a fast-finishing Kowhai Whiz and Feather Boyz.
Williamson had sold Phil’s Gift when young and the new owner had promptly called him Phil’s Gift.
He would look to continue Phil’s Gift around the southern circuit in coming weeks although that was providing the gelding remained sound.
● Temuka trainer Brent White could not have done better from his visit to Forbury Park last night.
He had two horses lining up — Franco Hamilton in the 3yr-old c0 mobile pace and Dark Ops in the 4yr-old c1 trot — and both came away winners.
White, naturally enough, was thrilled.
"It’s been a good night, all right. They’ve both been knocking away for a while now so it had to come," he said.
Franco Hamilton almost won last week at Forbury Park and was due for a win, he said.
Dark Ops had been a contender for a while and timed his run to perfection last night.
Driver Stephen McNally said both horses handled the head wind into the straight well and were well parked throughout the race.
White said he would continue through the summer circuit and the wins last night in the build-up to Christmas showed they should be contenders.
Dark Ops won the Viv Anngow Memorial Trot, named after the former two-term president of the Forbury Park Trotting Club, who died last month, aged 91.
● Jack Harrington scored his first win as a trainer of pacers last night.
Harrington (22), formerly of Australia but now living in Swannanoa in North Canterbury, also piloted Buffy Bay in the c0 pace.
Harrington had won five races as a trainer of trotters. He said Buffy Bay had been working well but just needed to transfer that to race day.
He had bought the 5yr-old mare in July with family and friends.
