Callaway claims fitting win in inaugural Chris Johnson Sprinters Challenge

Lee Callaway shared many jockeys’ rooms with Chris Johnson throughout his riding career, so it was only fitting that the Waikouaiti trainer took out the inaugural running of the Chris Johnson Three-Year-Old Sprinters Challenge (1200m) at Riccarton on Wednesday with Doing Time (NZ) (Ribchester).

“I spoke with him (Johnson) earlier on and he said he would like to see me win it,” Callaway said. “It is a dream come true.”

Callaway has held a high opinion of Doing Time for some time, and the Ribchester gelding was able to display his talent when winning on debut at Wingatui earlier this month.

Following that win, Callaway set his sights toward New Zealand Cup Week with his charge and identified the Chris Johnson on Wednesday, where Doing Time impressed once again when leading from go to whoa in the hands of Daniel Bothamley, and scored by 2-1/4 lengths.

With victory, Doing Time earned his connections the lion’s share of the $100,000 purse on offer, as well as a golden ticket into the Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m) at Trentham on January 9.

Bothamley has ridden Doing Time in all his public outings, and while impressed with the gelding, he said he is still doing plenty wrong, and he is only going to get better with time.”

“He is a lovely horse,” Bothamley said. “I have ridden him a couple of times at the jump outs. In his first race he wanted to do everything wrong, he over raced and still won, and today he has done the same thing.

“He would be one of the best three-year-olds I have ridden in the past 15 years.”

Callaway shares the same assessment of Doing Time, and he was rapt with what he saw on Wednesday.

“I have thought a lot of this horse,” he said. “I was quite impressed with that. He showed them what he has got.

“Daniel rode him a treat. He knows the horse, he has ridden him in a couple of jump outs, and I was very happy to have Dan on.”

There was plenty of interest in Doing Time following his debut win, and Callaway expects that to increase following his dominant display at Riccarton.

“We have had a couple of offers and someone said we would get a bit more if we won,” he said. “We will just have to have a discussion about that.”

In the meantime, Callaway intends to savour the win before plotting his next targets, which could now include a ferry trip across the Cook Strait to contest the Levin Classic.