By Duane Ranger
Putaruru brothers Craig and Tony Jamieson have a good chance of training their first winner together at Cambridge Raceway tonight (Friday).
The duo will line up Majestic mare, BK Superstar in the fifth event – the $6,000 St Patrick’s Day Handicap for the Up to R48-trained trotters.
BK Superstar is the brothers’ on horse at the races, and she has returned two seconds and a third from four starts since arriving in the North Island early this year. They have been a training partnership for a couple of months now.
“We bought her off the ‘Horse Trader’ website and lease the horse off her breeder Brent Smith. She comes from Greg and Nina Hope’s stable in Canterbury and has really thrived since she got here.
“I think she is enjoying the one-to-one care compared to the big stable where she started out,” Jamieson (Tony) said.
Tony is one of four Jamieson brothers involved in the horse. He is 29, while Craig is 36. Their two other brothers are also part of the ‘White Diamond Racing Syndicate’ that owns the 5-year-old bay.
“It’s a real family thing. Even our parents and kids are involved. I’ve always been keen on training and Craig has been driving them since the turn of the century (41 winners).
“I’d love to train my first winner with him, and I think the mare can go close,” Jamieson said.
BK Superstar has had eight career starts, and ninth was her best performance for the Hopes before coming north.
“I think the new surroundings has worked wonders for her. Just a bit like what The Last Gamble, who has gone from a big stable down south to Paul Springall at Thames. He has done a great job with that mare,” Jamieson said.
Jamieson said if BK Superstar could repeat her last start second at Cambridge on March 7, then she could go close tonight.
“She has the ace draw to work with and made up a lot of ground behind Megamind last start. I thought she could go 2:55 that night and that’s what she did.
“It’s all a matter of building up her confidence at this stage and that’s why we will probably keep racing her at Cambridge. I think we made a mistake lining her up at Alexandra Park (11th) two starts ago after she went two very nice races on the Tauranga and Wanganui grass,” said Jamieson.
BK Superstar finished third at Gate Pa when making her North Island debut on February 5 and then finished a sound second at Wanganui a week later.
Last start’s second at Cambridge was over tonight’s 2200m stand. She was the second favourite that night.
“I’ve been able to put a lot of work into the mare and Craig has also done a great job with her. If she steps I think she can give them a fright. She’s improving all the time,” said Jamieson, who is a farrier by trade.
Toughest for BK Superstar and driver Craig Jamieson to beat will be the Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett trained Donna May, who starts off the 30m back-mark.
The 5-year-old Pegasus Spur mare has been a model of consistency of late and is a R46-rated trotter and shouldn’t stay in this class for too long.
She will be driven by Maurice McKendry.
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