Parnham runners Bustler and Zipaway are the notable movers in early betting for the Group 1 Northerly Stakes on December 9 after their respective feature wins at Ascot yesterday.
It was a day to remember for the Parnham family yesterday as they came away with a feature race to race double courtesy of Zipaway in the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m) followed by Bustler in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m).
Both Neville Parnham-trained winners were ridden by his son Steven who now has the enviable decision on who to partner in next fortnight’s $1.5million feature.
“It’s going to be a tough two weeks or a week before I have to decide that,” Steven Parnham said.
“I did ponder over that a little bit in the days leading up to what would happen if I won both races (WA Guineas & Railway Stakes). But then as my wife said to me, ‘Well, if you have that problem, you’ve had a really good day on Saturday’. I can’t complain with having that dilemma.”
Zipaway was the first Parnham runner on Railway Stakes Day to stamp himself as a key contender in the Northerly Stakes, prominent throughout to hold off the swooping duo of A Lot Of Good Men and odds-on favourite Super Smink.
The son of Playing God will attempt to follow in his sires’ footsteps who claimed the WA Guineas – Northerly Stakes (Kingston Town) double in 2010.
“They’re both very athletic horses, him and Playing God,” Neville Parnham said.
“This guy’s a gelding so Playing God held a bit more condition.
“I think he’s the perfect horse for a three-year-old. He can race on pace, he’s got a turn a foot at, at the end of it, so I don’t think 1800m is a problem so that’s (Northerly) the way we’re headed.”
Second in the 2022 WA Guineas before a fifth in the Northerly Stakes, Bustler has worked into his latest campaign strongly and on Saturday provided both Neville and Steven Parnham a previously elusive Railway Stakes victory.
“I’ve said for a few years now that this is a race I want to win before I finish riding, not that I plan on finish riding soon but it’s our most historic race and I feel the hardest one to win,” Steven Parnham said post race.
“There are just so many things that needed to go right and he just had the right thing – the right weight, the right barrier, ended up with the right run and got the right result. So I was on the right horse.
“He (Bustler) was a tremendous three-year-old and would’ve been a Guineas winner had it not been Amelia’s Jewel’s year.
“It’s the way the cookie crumbles, you run into some champions sometimes and he performed very well but he has come back much bigger, stronger and mature as a four-year-old.
“His first few runs were building. He didn’t draw the right gates, didn’t have the right conditions, it was a process to get to today. He wasn’t peaking until this run and dad’s a master.”
After Saturday, Zipaway and Bustler have firmed noticeably for the 2023 Northerly Stakes. Zipaway is now a clear $7.00 second elect behind $2.80 online bookmakers favourite Zaaki with Dabble while stablemate Bustler is an $8.00 equal third elect with Ladbrokes alongside the likes of Alsephina, Keshi Boom and Tuvalu.