Trish Dunell
A month-long holiday in America may have cost Matamata’s Mark Lupton the opportunity to embellish his season’s tally in the training ranks with promising mare Yearn, who made it back-to-back victories at Hastings on Saturday.
Not that he is complaining mind you, as while he has foregone his winning percentage as the mare’s trainer, he and wife Cath are reaping the major spoils as owners of the Savabeel four-year-old who is currently being prepared by Karen Fursdon.
Yearn had convincingly broken her maiden status with a six-length victory at Te Rapa last month which Lupton had missed while he was out of the country. He was quietly confident about a repeat performance when interviewed prior to a start in Saturday’s rating 65 1200 metre contest.
“She won a trial for me at Te Teko before she had her first run in this campaign,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, we were heading to America for a month so I was apprehensive about what to do with her.
“I nearly pulled the pin on my ticket and stayed back as I thought she would win first -up. Karen does a great job and is a good friend of ours so we gave Yearn to her and she got the job done.
“She is supposed to come back to my stable next week but I’m told Karen has the gate locked so we will just have to see.”
Settled nicely in mid-field by rider Troy Harris, Yearn was always travelling comfortably as she closed on the leading pack approaching the home turn. Angled for an inside run behind a wall of horses in the final 200 metres, Yearn produced an electric burst to charge along the fence and snatch victory by a neck from a game Lasting Friendship who looked the winner until the final few bounds.
Lupton was full of praise for the effort as he admitted he may well have lost the training rights to the mare for good after the performance.
“Karen has been in full control and has done a great job,” he said.
“To step from maiden class to a premier rating 65 win is just amazing and a great effort.
“I think the people in the grandstand thought I’d gone mad I was yelling that hard. To win on a premier day is pretty special and you don’t get to race for $40,000 in this grade too often.
“I’ve always thought we might be able to pick up some black type with her so that’s what the aim will be for her now.” – NZ Racing Desk