Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Toby Lynn is a young sportsman of many talents. He was a dominant ruckman at Aquinas College and at 16 was a member of a State football development squad before he turned his hand to volleyball and quickly developed into a member of the West Australian senior side.
Then a couple of years ago the 6ft. 4in. Lynn decided to help his father Brad with his team of pacers, and he notched his 23RD win as a reinsman at Gloucester Park on Friday night when he brought Callmewhatuwant home with a spirited burst to snatch victory in the $21,000 HTA Taking You To New Heights Pace over 2130m.
This gave the 23-year-old Lynn his first metropolitan-class winner and his father his 113TH winner as a trainer with a five-year-old stallion who is fortunate to have survived after a variety of problems.
Callmewhatuwant, a $15.40 chance, began from the No. 3 barrier and settled down in third place in an Indian file affair, with the $2.60 favourite Chasing Hill setting the pace.
A patient Lynn bided his time before he brought Callmewhatuwant home with a fast sprint to get up in the final stride to beat $5.50 chance Vanderbilt by a head after that pacer had hit the front in the straight. Chasing Hill was a neck away in third place.
Brad Lynn said that Callmewhatuwant was lucky to be racing. “Two years ago, he had surgery on both hind legs to remove bone chips and since then has struggled with arthritis.
“Earlier, as a late two-year-old he had a cold for seven months and it was that bad that the vets thought he would not survive and that he would have to be put down.
“He has had everything, arthritis and scarring in his lungs. However, he is just a lovely horse, a really talented animal, but no one will ever see the best of him.
“I bought him for $8000 as a yearling because he was so athletic and good looking, and he is raced by Toby and Graham Eddy.” His win on Friday night improved his record to 36 starts for eight wins, eleven placings and stakes of $69,553. He is by American sire Shadow Play and is the fifth foal out of unraced mare Keep Grinning, whose first foal Keep Playing earned $123,178 from 17 wins (15 in Tasmania and two in NSW) and 44 placings from 202 starts.