Six year old Bettors Delight/Frosty Mattina gelding Abettorpunt was a most impressive winner of the $30,000 (Group 3) Sew-Eurodrive Geelong Rocket for M0 or better class over 1609 metres at Geelong on Saturday October 12, much to the delight of owners - the Lewis and Krause family who also bred him.
Trained at Hamilton by part-owner David Lewis, Abettorpunt driven by Terang’s Matt Craven settled mid-field in the moving line from gate two on the second line, with the heavily supported Mildura Pacing Cup and recent Tabcorp Park victor Five Star Anvil safely retaining the inside running from the pole.
Set alight racing for the bell to park outside Five Star Anvil for the final circuit, Craven applied plenty of pressure to the favourite approaching the home turn, before gainingthe upper hand halfway up the running to record a 1.3 metre victory (last half 55.7 – quarter 27.2) over the roughie Garnet River along the sprint lane after trailing the pacemaker which finished a further 1.5 metres away in third place.
The mile rate 1-55.3 which was a second outside Penny Veejay’s track record of 1-54.3 set in 2007.
Abettorpunt has been troubled by feet problems throughout his career limiting his starts to 46, winning 20.
Geelong’s Nott family scored a unique double at Geelong when 5-Y-0 Yankee Paco/Galleons Bliss mare Red Hot Chilli landed the SEW Galaxy Vicbred Platinum Country Series E (1st Heat) for Trotters T0 & T1 class over 2100 metres and 7-Y-0 Village Jasper/Any Danger gelding Arber the SEW Meteor Pace for C3 & C4 class over 1609 metres
Red Hot Chilli part-owned by Craig Nott, trained and driven by Bolinda’s Chris Alford came from near last to score in a rate of 2-05.1 from Slowly Does It and Desert Spur which led, while Arber trained locally by Tim Bolitho, bred and raced by father Philip Nott scored in almost identical fashion, coming from last to defeat Kisartis which followed him home and Manningham Park which led in 1-55.7.
