Brian Anderton’s association with Burgie’s family goes back decades and it’s one that continues to deliver stakes successes.
With son and training partner Shane, the New Zealand Hall of Famer celebrated another satisfying victory with the Ghibellines mare when she won the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday in the hands of Corey Campbell.
It also signalled a deserved change of fortune for Burgie, who lost her rider at barrier rise in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m) before she was narrowly denied at Gore.
“It’s been pretty frustrating with her, but we got the prize and it was a good ride by Corey,” Anderton said.
“Shane puts a hell of a lot of work into the training now, I’m more of an observer, so I’m thrilled for him.
“Burgie’s a great autumn mare as she comes in season a lot during the summer and can be quite difficult, but at this time of the year she’s a different horse altogether.
“Unfortunately, there’s not a lot more coming up for her so we’ll probably look at the weight-for-age race at Christchurch (Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup, 2000m).”
Anderton bred Burgie at the family’s White Robe Lodge operation with his late wife Lorraine and races her with long-standing clients BJ’s Southern Syndicate.
“That all goes back to a horse called Master Mellay, that’s when I first started training for that syndicate and they’ve had a lot of nice horses along the way,” he said.
Master Mellay entered Anderton’s stable half a decade ago as a four-year-old and was a winner on the flat and over hurdles.
“It’s the longest I’ve ever trained for a syndicate, it was yonks ago,” he said.
Anderton’s entry into the Burgie family began in 1992 at a New Zealand Bloodstock Sale in the South Island.
“One of my best mates Dennis Roughan and Jack Mears, who were clients of mine years and years ago, said they wouldn’t mind buying a broodmare,” he said.
“Two mares sold after the sale, one was the Mellay mare Bright Girl who I bought for them.
“Then Josie came up and she was by Ribotlight, who I loved, out of Bright Girl and I bought her to breed out of and have had a lot of luck.”
Dam of the Gr.3 Stewards’ Handicap winner Renee, Josie was successful on four occasions and is the granddam of the Gallant Guru mare Norah.
She won six races and is the mother of Burgie, who has now added the Breeders’ Stakes to her previous black type victory in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m).
Norah also has a four-year-old sister to Burgie named Mabel, who has placed in a brief career.
“She has got the ability but isn’t strong enough, so we decided to leave her until next autumn and give her a good, long break,” Anderton said.
The mare also has a juvenile colt by Jon Snow, a Ghibellines yearling and is in foal to associate White Robe sire Ancient Spirit.
