Donna’s Crunch may have only one race start next to her name but she has already produced the sort of closing sectionals that make people take notice.
The three-year-old Captain Crunch filly was a stunning debut winner at Addington on Friday night, coming from what looked an almost hopeless position to win for trainer Andrew Fitzgerald and driver Robbie Close.
And the clock says the performance was every bit as good as it looked.
Donna’s Crunch paced the 1980m in 2:23.3, a 1:56.4 mile rate, but it was what she did at the end of that which really caught the eye.
She paced her own last 800m in 56.82 seconds, the final 400m in 26.86 and ripped home her last 200m in just 12.82 seconds.
Those are serious numbers for a filly having her first start.
Especially when you consider where she was when the race really started.
From barrier one, Close was able to give Donna’s Crunch a cosy run on the markers but with 800m to go that economical trip had become a problem.
She was four back on the inside and looking for somewhere to go.
Close eventually managed to get away from the markers but was then held up behind a pack of horses at precisely the wrong time.
Up front, Aardie’s Memphis (Kim Butt) and Last Honours (John Dunn) weren't waiting around.
They put close to 10 lengths on Donna’s Crunch and for a few moments the race looked gone.
Then the gap came.
And Donna’s Crunch exploded.
Once Close got her into clear air she quickly gathered up the leaders, turning what had looked like an impossible task into a debut victory.
The overall time makes those closing sectionals even more impressive.
This wasn't a slowly-run maiden in which Donna’s Crunch was able to sit back and produce one short sprint.
A 1:56.4 mile rate ensured there was substance to the performance and she still found enough speed to pace her final quarter in 26.86 seconds after having to negotiate traffic.
It was a pretty emphatic way to announce herself.
Fitzgerald probably shouldn't have been completely surprised.
Donna’s Crunch had provided a warning at the Rangiora workouts just a week earlier when she settled last before making a solo move from the 600m.
She kept coming around the field and finished strongly onto the backs of the leaders in a handy 2:29.5 for the 2000m.
There were only a handful of people on track to see it.
Fitzgerald was one of them — and he had the best seat in the house.
“I thought after her workout at Rangiora, and the time she went there, that she’d be competitive against them,” Fitzgerald said.
“I just hoped she’d bring her trackwork to the racetrack and that’s what she did.
“Plus, I drove her myself at the workouts, so getting Robbie Close on was only going to be even more of a help,” Fitzgerald laughed.
But his confidence in Donna’s Crunch goes back further than that.
Fitzgerald purchased the filly privately from West Melton horseman Robert Anderson several months ago after spotting her trialling at Ashburton.
“Over the years we’d had a couple off Rob and they’re a full credit to him,” Fitzgerald said.
“They come with fantastic manners and they’ve had plenty of education under them too.
“I spotted this girl trialling nicely for Rob at Ashburton and rang him up.
“He named his price and it was done.”
Sometimes racing's best deals really are that simple.
Anderson also provided Fitzgerald with a reminder on Friday that selling a horse doesn't necessarily mean you stop wanting it to succeed.
“Rob rang me at lunchtime to wish me luck with the filly and said he’d be tuning in,” Fitzgerald said.
“I can’t say I’ve ever had anyone else we’ve bought a horse off do that.”
A few hours later Anderson would have liked what he saw.
So too would anybody else watching closely.
There is a long way between winning a maiden and tackling the better fillies in Canterbury racing and Donna’s Crunch will ultimately have to prove where she belongs.
But horses can't do much more than win.
And debutants who can overcome traffic, chase down rivals with a sizeable head start and still produce a 26.86-second final 400m tend to earn themselves another look.
Donna’s Crunch has done that already.
Chiggsy loses little in defeat
There was no victory for Chiggsy later on Friday's card but there was certainly no reason for his connections to leave Addington disappointed either.
If anything, his performance was considerably better than his finishing position might suggest.
The Hayden and Amanda Cullen-trained colt was dealt a poor barrier and had little option but to settle back in the field.
That became the worst possible place to be.
Tour Party was allowed to control the race in front and, crucially, nobody came around to put pressure into the contest.
That left Chiggsy and the other horses near the rear facing a mathematical problem rather than simply a racing one.
Tour Party and the trailing Faith Not Fear were able to sprint home in around 54 seconds for their final 800m and 26 seconds for the last 400m.
When horses of that quality are running those sorts of sectionals while saving every inch of ground against the Addington markers, those spotting them several lengths and being forced wide on the home bend simply aren't going to make up much ground.
Chiggsy, Travel Agent and Fanfare all recorded fast closing sectionals on the Addington timing system.
The result was another reminder of just how valuable track position can be at Addington when those in front are allowed to conserve energy before sprinting home.
More importantly for Chiggsy's connections, he did everything they wanted him to do.
Hayden and Amanda Cullen and driver Blair Orange were delighted with the performance and the colt came through the race in excellent order.
He pulled up superbly and cleaned up everything put in front of him afterwards.
That matters because Friday night wasn't the grand final.
The bigger targets are still ahead.
Chiggsy now heads towards the upcoming Sires’ Stakes heats before the Harness Million Final later in the campaign.
And after Friday night's effort, there is every reason for his connections to head towards those races with confidence.
