Racing: Determined Whoshe wins

Whoshe won at Ellserslie yesterday. Photo / Thinkstock

Te Awamutu trainers Richard and Chris Otto landed local bragging rights in the finish of the $45,000 Great Northern Foal Stakes at Ellerslie yesterday.

The Otto-trained Whoshe sat three wide with cover throughout the running of the feature winter 2-Year-Old event and showed plenty of courage to post a determined long neck victory over A Cool Change.

The hot favourite Dollario was 3 lengths away third after racing three wide outside the leaders throughout and had no answer to the determined finishing burst from the winner.

A Cool Change is also trained at Te Awamutu by Keith and Brendon Hawtin.

Trudy Thornton timed her finishing burst to perfection aboard veteran race mare The Strutter to score a narrow victory at the end of a testing 2400m.

The Missing Link appeared to have a winning break on the field midway down the home stretch at Ellerslie but was reeled in over the closing 100m by the big looping strides of The Strutter.

The Strutter scored by a nose over The Missing Link with a further 2 lengths back to It's A Message.

Waipu trainer Dick Stevenson has the 7-year-old in good form at present clearly excelling in heavy track conditions as this followed a similar front running victory in her last-start.

Another well supported runner yesterday was the Trent Busuttin-trained 2-year-old Despicable Me.

The colt son of Bachelor Duke had three trial runs leading into yesterday's juvenile event at Trentham - the last of these an impressive victory - which prompted a stack of support.

The $2 shot gave his supporters - and there were plenty of them - plenty of moments of tension in the home stretch getting up in the final couple of strides to score by a long neck over Handsome Rascal and Gold 'N' Casino (third).

Perhaps the easiest winning ride at Trentham was recorded by Jonathan Parkes who combined with the impressive Casual to win the $30,000 Trentham Gold Cup.

Casual excelled in the heavy winter track conditions, running the opposition into submission in the home stretch clearing out to win by 3 lengths over Halls. A further length away in third position was Waitui Music.