A different approach to ownership led to Christchurch owner Graham Beirne racing Five Star Anvil, winner of the $300,000 PGG Wrightson Yearling Sale Pace for 2yr-olds at Addington on Saturday.
"I had 85 horses and told my trainers I didn't want any more bills. I told them I was prepared to spend a certain amount of dollars on a yearling and they could have a half share," Beirne said.
Beirne, through his company Small Car World Ltd, has horses trained by Doug Gale and Wendy Williams, Nigel McGrath and Cran Dalgety.
Beirne teamed with Gale to race Five Star Anvil and outlaid $31,000 for the McArdle-Alta Vista colt at the 2008 Australasian Classic Sale at Karaka.
He also took a half share in a colt by Elsu from Roserredviletsrblue bought for $26,000 by McGrath at the 2008 Australasian Sale.
The colt was Anvils Best Ever and is raced in partnership with Ann Seaton.
He won the $150,000 Young Guns Final at Alexandra Park in March.
Anvils Best Ever faded to sixth on Saturday after leading, indicating he was in need of the race after a setback with a virus.
Beirne races Five Star Anvil with Wendy Gale, wife of the trainer.
Gale trains at Helensville and has another stable operated by Williams at Fernside.
It was the third win in nine starts for Five Star Anvil, who outfinished Smiling Shard by three-quarters of a length after being given the run of the race by Mark Jones.
Gale trained Kate's First to win 19 races, including the 1997 Auckland Cup and New Zealand Oaks, for Beirne and Paul Bielby.
Beirne and Wendy Gale also raced Anvil Gale, winner of the 1996 Sires' Stakes Final for 2yr-olds at Addington.
Five Star Anvil is the second foal of Alta Vista, a winner and half-sister by Soky's Atom to Alta Sirocco, who won a heat of the Sires' Stakes.
• Leading reinsman Dexter Dunn reached 148 wins for the season at the Timaru meeting yesterday, surpassing his tally of last season.
Dunn drove three winners, Smoke N Mirrors, On N On and Bubba Ho Tep yesterday.
He led the premiership with 146 wins last season.
He has 11 weeks to drive 14 winners and better the record of 161 wins in a season set by Maurice McKendry in 1988-89.
