Durham Town has spent most of his career doing battle with the country’s top sprinters and he continues to prove more than a match for most of them.
The seven-year-old served further notice of that at Ellerslie on Saturday when he thumped his Gr.3 Darley Plate rivals, and not for the first time.
Durham Town beat the Group One winner Vonusti in the 2012 edition, was runner-up the following year and was third 12 months ago.The seven-year-old also has victories in the Gr.2 Concorde Handicap and the Gr.3 Stewards’ Stakes to his credit.
He has also placed no fewer than five times at the highest level in multiple Railway Stakes and Telegraph appearances for trainers Dean and Donna Logan.“He’s such an amazing horse and with a good draw, a lighter weight and a top jockey it all worked in our favour,” stable representative Sam Logan said. “He loves being in work and still wants to do it.”
Durham Town went straight to the front on Saturday and when rider Opie Bosson asked him to lengthen stride 250 metres from home the response was immediate.“There was no way they were going to beat him today,” Bosson said. “All credit to the Logan team, he’s a lovely old horse.”
The Falkirk gelding has now won eight of his 29 starts for a syndicate that includes Donna Logan, former master trainer Jim Gibbs and his wife Ann and former All Black coach John Hart.Durham Town won easing down by three and a quarter lengths from Shelford with Hannah Mary shading Shezhardtocatch for third money.
