Thomas team finds key to Michael Eyre

by Mike Love

Michael Eyre was an impressive maiden winner at Westport yesterday when he won the Sika Pace for Charring Cross trainers Jason and Ian Thomas.

Co-trainer Ian Thomas was not surprised by the 4 year old He’s Watching gelding's effort.

“It was very good. He’d been working well before we came over.”

Michael Eyre showed brilliant stand start manners to lead early with driver John Dunn. Dunn was able to dictate throughout before kicking away to win by one and a half lengths from My Skatjie, pacing the final 400 metres in 28.3 seconds.

Michael Eyre was brought to the attention of Thomas by his daughter Nicole who works for Mike Brown as a stud manager whom they lease the gelding off.

“We’ve had him for about 3 or 4 months. He had a few wee niggly things wrong when we got him, so we just sorted him out and went from there.

“She (Nicole) said he was coming up as available to lease. I know they thought a bit of him, but things just hadn’t gone right for him. So we thought we would just spend a bit of time on him. So far it’s working!”

Michael Eyre’s maiden win came in just his 7th start.

“I’ve left him in at Reefton but we will just wait and see what the weather’s doing.”

Jason and Ian Thomas work a team of 12 and have won 21 races with over $300,000 in stakes.

John Dunn also drove Donegal Luther for Mark and Kendra Gill to victory, making it a double in the sulky. Other doubles on the card included Blair Orange (Bella Lindenny for Rodger Austin and El Conqueror for Paul Nairn), while Greg and Nina Hope also scored a training double on the card with Anna’s Boy and Tremendous Lover, both driven by Ben Hope making it a double in the sulky for him.

El Conqueror’s victory gave Paul Nairn his 400th trotting winner.