Bests secure Winter Rewards

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk

Make My Sundon was rewarded for her consistency at Addington Raceway on Sunday when taking out the Paul Renwick Joinery Winter Rewards Handicap Trot (2600m).

Inherited from breeder Wayne Jennens, Make My Sundon has proven to be somewhat of a headache for trainer-owners Anne-Marie and Jack Best over the last few seasons but she has finally matured and on Sunday recorded her third win in the last two months.

“We have always known that she had the ability but every now and then she would get stuck in her head and let us down, but now she has really picked up,” Anne-Marie Best said.

“We have done a few alterations like different shoeing. John Dunn has done an amazing job driving her and helping out Jack and I.”

Dunn drove the six-year-old mare to perfection on Sunday, settling handy three back in the running line before presenting her at the turn where she was able to run away to a 2-1/2 length victory.

It was a great result for the Bests who enjoyed the added bonus of running for a $20,000 purse as a result of the Winter Rewards series.

“It is great that they have created the series because they really needed to do something to keep us excited and keep the game going,” Best said.

While Make My Sundon is in a purple patch of form, Best said she is keen to progress through the winter with the mare.

“We will sit down and make a plan. She seems to race better in the winter, she does come into season quite a lot in the summer,” Best said.

“She is in a really good place at the moment, so we will box on and keep her going.”

The Bests only have a couple of horses in work at present, but they are set to welcome a few youngsters back to their Rolleston barn in the coming weeks.

“I am not keen getting up early in the morning working a lot of horses at the moment, it is so cold here,” Best said.

“We have only got two in at the moment and we have got quite a few young ones that will come back in August.”

The day's other Winter Rewards winners were The Bloss, Smiffy's Terror, Kingsdown Atom and The Hornet.