Bill McDonald reckons his mother would have toasted Machinegun Kelly's win in race 3 at Cromwell yesterday with a drop of sherry.
McDonald, of Winton, races the Bettor's Delight 4yr-old with his children, Angus and Bridget, and his mother Iona (88), who lives in a rest-home at Gore.
''She'll be sitting there enjoying the win with a couple of sherries,'' McDonald said.
McDonald bred the gelding with his mother and after one start for Colin Baynes and Robin Swain last season, McDonald attempted to get Machinegun Kelly up and running himself.
But the lack of other horses to work with was not helping to get the best out of Machinegun Kelly, so McDonald sent him to the Roxburgh stables of Geoff and Jude Knight.
''He's training with three or four horses, he's swimming, and he's straight-line training - it's really good,'' McDonald said.
''After his races, he wouldn't pull up, so it was telling us there was improvement to be had. These guys [the Knights] have got it, which is great.''
The 4yr-old is the last foal out of the Holmes Hanover mare Sound Track, whose other progeny have had mixed success.
The Knights triumphed later in the day, when Expressionist won the Cromwell And District Businesses Cup.
The Live Or Die 4yr-old had found the going too rich in the Roxburgh Cup on Sunday, but once he got the lead early in the 1800m mobile pace, he proved too hard to run down.
''We put him in that race the other day to help the club and he was out of his depth, but today he was too good - he's a very fast horse,'' Geoff Knight said.
''We might go to Oamaru on the grass in a couple of weeks' time [on January 19].''
Oamaru driver Matthew Williamson drove Machinegun Kelly and Expressionist yesterday, and added further wins with Galleons Triumph and Afellas Boy.
The Cromwell Cup went the way of the Hamish Hunter-trained Devil May Care, who flashed down the extreme outside of the track to give junior driver Rory McIlwrick his best win in his career to date.
''The Cromwell Cup is the best race I've ever won and I'm privileged to win the race,'' McIlwrick said.
McIlwrick had a plan to get out wide in the straight despite being last with 400m to go.
''There was a wee strip down the outside which was a bit firmer than the rest of the track, and he's quite a high-speed horse who has got a good burst at the finish.''
200 up for BarclayThe Tisbury Terror provided Kirstin Barclay with her 200th career win at Cromwell yesterday.
Barclay (32) works full-time for trainer Tom Kilkelly at Tisbury, just east of Invercargill. Her work spans from breaking in younger horses to driving horses on race day.
''We pretty much do everything from scratch,'' she said.
Barclay was pleased the milestone did not take long to reach after she drove Ella Fitzgerald to a win at Omakau on January 2, taking her to 199.
Her 198th win had been at Ascot Park in early November, so she was keen to get the 200 wins up sooner, rather than later. Barclay drove her first winner, Miss Lyndal, at Forbury Park in June 1999.
