Dave Phillips back in the winner’s circle with Spiritual Bliss, lauding Lincoln Farms

One of New Zealand’s first big syndicators, Dave Phillips, paid the ultimate homage to Lincoln Farms’ owner John Street after Spiritual Bliss’ off-the-canvas win at Auckland on Friday night.

Phillips, 76, who these days lives in the small republic of Abkhazia on the Black Sea, at Russia’s southern border, was at Alexandra Park to watch his mare Spritual Bliss continue her remarkable transformation since joining Lincoln Farms’ team at Pukekohe.

And after the mare notched her fifth win from only seven starts with Ray Green and Nathan Delany, making it three wins for the night for Lincoln Farms, Phillips praised both the trainers and Street.

“You’ve turned her from an also-ran into a horse that’s going up and up and up.

John Street, second from left, joins in the celebrations with Dave Phillips.“And I want to thank John who has funded and backed what Ray’s doing. He’s brought us modern-day syndicates, probably the best syndicates I’ve ever seen in harness racing.

“You just about can’t lose because if your horse is no good, you either get some of your money back or another horse.”

Phillips, a one-time high-flyer in the industry here, as the founder of National Bloodstock and Pacer Pacific and Pacer Kerridge Corporations, introduced big syndicates into the country with his Redvale Standardbreds in the early 1980s.

And, incredibly, one of the first horses he syndicated, Tabella Beth, was the great great grand dam of Spiritual Bliss.

And, therein, lies a convoluted tale which Phillips will happily tell you - if you have half an hour to spare.

It starts with an old, empty mare he “probably foolishly” bought for $400 from the late Don Hayes. Great Evander mare Double Tested hadn’t left a foal for five years and, after discovering she was a “lesbian”, Phillips says it took lots of veterinary advice and herbal treatments to get her cycling again.

Long story short, she got in foal to Able Bye Bye and left Tabella Beth, who won five races here in 1983, trained by the late John Butcher and driven by his son David, a junior then in only his second season.

The irony of Spiritual Bliss’ winning a race named the “Zachary Bucher Leading Driver Pace” after David’s son did not escape Phillips.

Ray Green looks on as Spiritual Bliss fights back to beat Final Change, inner, and Blazing Louie, obscured.Tabella Beth, who was sold to America for $100,000, was subsequently bought back by Phillips and returned to New Zealand where she famously became the third dam of champion pacer, now sire Lazarus.

Phillips said he was buoyed by the emergence of Spiritual Bliss - “It shows my mare is still capable of leaving something as good as herself, which three months ago I was doubting.”

Phillips, who bred and owns Spiritual Bliss outright, said the recent successess come after a relatively bleak last 15 or 20 years as an owner.

He does, however, share in the ownership of two other family members, cup day winner Spirit Downunder and also Spirit Of Anarchy, now racing in Australia.

Phillips, who has basically lived in Russia for the last 26 years, said part of his property in Abkhazia is devoted to spiritual matters, hence his naming of the mare.

He told Green he had given up on Spiritual Bliss winning turning for home.

“I thought she was going to run last. She’d been three wide on the first bend, pulling hard a lap out, and was seemingly struggling at the 400.”

Trackside presenter Nicole Sims interviews driver Harrison Orange after their off-the-canvas win.But, after struggling to make the home bend, Spiritual Bliss picked up again in the home straight for Harrison Orange to narrowly outstay Final Change and Blazing Louie in 2:43.4.

“You’ve done something to make her want to win again,” Phillips told Green.

Green, however, said he’d done nothing inherently different to instigate the form turnaround.

“We’ve just slotted her into our normal routine. She’s a really nice mare, not that many are better than her.

“We’ll look for some mares’ races for her. She’s probably better left-handed and there are a couple of nice races in Christchurch but that might be premature.”

There was no way of pricking the balloon on this special night for Phillips, however, especially after ATC steward Denise McCaslin, in presenting the trophy, revealed she’d got her start in harness racing in the 1980s with a Redvale syndicate horse.

The author didn’t declare it at the time but he, too, started his ownership experience in 1990 with a trotter leased from Phillips’ National Bloodstock!