KEY POINTS:
David Smyth got his hands on the $50,000 winner's cheque from Saturday's Taumarunui Cup at Te Rapa and had one thought as he walked out the gate - not to give up his day job.
The splash Smyth has made in the racing game in only a handful
of years would be enough to make some think about dropping that day job.
Saturday's Cup winner Strapped For Cash is one of the small group of horses Smyth breeds from just two broodmares and trains himself at Te Aroha.
Smyth is a cattle buyer and wife Kate runs her own travel agency in Morrinsville.
Their first dabble in racing was Strapped For Cash's dam Elfa Leather, who won five races when trained at Matamata by Ray and Sharon Johnson.
Their second was Valiant Dream.
There is only one horse they've bred from those two mares that has not won a race, Hold The Fort and with two placings from just five starts there's time for him. Elfa Leather's only other foal to so far race, Luck's A Fortune, won four races at $54,000, and Strapped For Cash took his earnings to $102,500 on Saturday.
Valiant's Dream's first foal Not A Word has won four races and $27,000.
The Smyths know they've beaten the national average for winners out of sight, but the Te Aroha couple are happy doing things at their own pace.
"It's nice working three horses in the morning, going home then heading to work," said David Smyth.
Smyth is continually surprised by his luck.
"When I put the entry in for this race I thought perhaps I was punching well above my weight, but he just killed them."
Strapped For Cash and Michelle Wenn raced away to win by nearly seven lengths.
"That's certainly the biggest thrill we've had in racing."
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There should be plenty of spring opportunities for Tootsie, who had to be brave to pull punters through narrowly in the opener at Te Rapa.
Tootsie was unhappy in the heavy footing and had to lump 58kg.
Worse, the Pins filly had to work very hard to get past the pacemaking Sandblaster, which softened her up when a late challenge came from outsider Watch My Step.
"She'd prefer better footing," said rider Michael Coleman who was impressed by the win.
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Jockeys Reese Jones and Vinny Colgan have each been suspended for one month and fined $1125 for failing an alcohol breath test at Ruakaka races two weeks ago.
Racecourse inspector John McKenzie said Colgan and Jones were "substantially over" the 100mg of alcohol per litre of breath when tested on the Saturday morning of the Friday/Saturday Ruakaka meeting.
Both were stood down from riding.
The 100mg level for riders is considerably less than the 400mg limit set for New Zealand car drivers.
