Burgie and Corey Campbell charge to victory in the Valachi Downs With 400 metres left to run in Saturday’s Gr. 3 Valachi Downs South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, Brian Anderton had visions of yet another hard-luck story.
In the same race 12 months ago, the White Robe Lodge Ghibellines mare had hit the line late for second, while her fortunes had been even worse in more recent appearances. In mid-January she had flashed home late for third at Wingatui, followed a fortnight later by a luckless eighth at Riccarton when starved of galloping room.
It didn’t get any better when Burgie lined up in the feature event on her home track – and the prize most sought-after by her connections – the Gr. 3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age. It all went pear-shaped when her rider Terry Moseley’s right iron struck the side of the starting gate and he was unceremoniously dumped.
Back to the drawing board five weeks later in Rating 75 grade at Gore, things looked up when Burgie finished second under a big weight, confirming a trip to Riccarton for last Saturday’s fillies and mares’ feature.
Shane Anderton, the younger member of the White Robe training partnership, headed north with former stable apprentice Corey Campbell while his father opted for the comfort of his lounge to watch proceedings. The day began well when the first of the stable’s three runners, previous start winner Mayor Of Norwood, carried topweight to a repeat success in a Rating 75 2000m.
Two races later the promising Almanzor mare Patraine followed up on her Wingatui maiden win with a photo-finish third in a Rating 65 1600. Then to the Breeders’ Stakes, but it was anything but an easy watch for the man known as BJ.
“She got away okay but was then squeezed back on the inside and things didn’t look too promising when she was near enough to last at the top of the straight with no sign of a run,” Anderton recalled when RaceForm caught up with him on Monday.
“Corey didn’t panic though, he eased her across and had her balanced up when the gaps finally appeared. It was great to see her round them up and win like that – and well done to Corey, that was a very good ride.”
Wingatui-born and raised Campbell served his apprenticeship at White Robe Lodge and now at 22 years old with 202 wins to his credit, he remains an integral part of the operation.
“Corey has been with us from the start and he’s like family, he’s a good lad and very reliable,” says his Hall of Fame mentor. “He grew up nearby with his family and before he had a car, he used to ride a little scooter to work, which is how he got his nickname Scooter.
“He rode his 200th winner on Bauble earlier in the month for us here at Wingatui and as well as riding trackwork he also does all our breaking-in and educational work with the young ones.”
Now aged 87 and widowed when Lorraine, his wife of 63 years, passed away last August, Brian continues to engage in stable and stud activities.
“I still head down to the track in the morning, mainly poking around the tie-up stalls and catching up on any gallops I want to see, but I’m happy to leave the hard work to Shane.
“He’s doing a great job along with the staff and it’s always very satisfying when you have days like Saturday – it makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Home-bred racehorses have been integral to White Robe success for decades, dating even beyond champion stallions Mellay and Noble Bijou and continuing through the progeny of current stallions Raise The Flag, Gallant Guru and Ghibellines.
Riccarton winners Burgie and Mayor Of Norwood were both bred on the Ghibellines-Gallant Guru cross, which as Anderton points out delivers time and again with a patient approach.
“My father was a great believer in not pushing them as young horses and giving them the time they needed. With the horses we own ourselves we’re quite happy to let them mature and grow into themselves, and the same goes for the people we train for, most of them for decades.
“Burgie’s family has been here for generations, back to the early 1980s when I bought a Ribotlight mare called Josie at an auction after the races one day at Riccarton. We trained her and her dam for a client by the name of Mr Savill, and since then we’ve raced horses from the line with a group of people who were originally connected to the Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin. The syndicate was set up all of 50 years ago by a man with great foresight, the late Merv Lawson.
“Burgie is named after a member of the syndicate, Brian Burgess, whose wife Nora let us name Burgie’s dam after her. We often name horses like that – we’ve also got a younger sister to Burgie named Mabel, which is the name we all knew Lorraine by.”
With stud activities under the management of Anderton’s daughter Karen and her husband Wayne Stewart, Anderton senior allows himself to indulge in the future prospects of White Robe’s latest stallion recruit, the well-performed Invincible Spirit horse Ancient Spirit.
“He’s off to a good start with some smart looking progeny and the results he got at the Karaka sales were wonderful with good trainers like Roger James and Mike Moroney buying his yearlings.”
As for White Robe’s latest feature winner, who as an autumn three-year-old won the Listed Warstep Stakes at Riccarton, two upcoming races at South Island headquarters are under consideration.
“I like the idea of running her in that new race, the Southern Alps Challenge, which has a very worthwhile stake ($350,000),” says BJ.
“The handicapper hasn’t missed her though – she got 13 points for that win the other day – and we might have to look at the Canterbury Gold Cup instead.”
