Northern Victorian-trained pacers and trotters landed several feature events during the long weekend, headlined by Avenel trotter My Jack Hammer completing a hat-trick of Group One longshot wins.
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Trained by David Aiken and driven by his son Josh, My Jack Hammer upset some big names in taking the $100000 Hygain Australian Trotting Grand Prix.
Coming off wins at big odds in the Dullard Cup at Melton on February 2 and the Aquagait Mile on Miracle Mile night at Menangle the previous week, Big Jack Hammer tracked one of the top fancies Dance Craze into the race three wide over the concluding stages to go on to notch his biggest win to date.
Despite his two previous wins in elite company, punters again were not keen on his chances and he was a 25-1 shot on the tote.
Aiken is looking for another big weekend this weekend.
He has Shelby Bromac chasing the $75000 Tasmanian Pacing Cup from barrier four and recent NSW Derby winner Max Delight taking on a small field from barrier two in the $30000 Tasmanian Derby at Hobart tomorrow night.
Buster is king
The Kima Frenning-trained and driven Buster Brady notched his fourth country cup for the season with an effortless win in the $35000 Maryborough Pacing Cup last Friday.
With another aggressive Frenning drive, Buster Brady surged to the lead early and then ran his rivals ragged with a track record 1:55.4 mile rate over the testing 2690m trip.
Buster Brady is a clear leader in the race for the $25000 country cups championship bonus in which the trainer of the winner receives $10000 and connections $15000.
Buster Brady has 22 points, six points clear of the Shepparton-trained pacer San Carlo on 16 points.
Reigning supreme
The Wangaratta and Birchip cup meetings last Sunday also produced positive results for district trainers.
Avenel horseman Wayne Potter claimed the Wangaratta Pacing Cup with underrated pacer Shadow Reign.
The seven-year-old gelding was up to the challenge of racing wide over the final 1000m on the tight track and still being too good for his rivals.
Shadow Reign had recently finished second in the Echuca Pacing Cup and was fifth at his previous start in the Albury Cup.
He was driven to his latest victory by Bendigo horsewoman Ellen Tormey, who had made the dash from Wagga where she had driven a winner during the day.
The other feature at the well-attended Wangaratta Cup meeting, the $25000 George Croxford Tribute, was claimed by Shepparton horsewoman Laura Crossland and reinsman David Moran with the consistent lightly-raced filly Vena May.
The Art Major filly was having only her eighth start and now has three wins and four second placings to her credit.
The syndicate that races the talented filly includes popular Shepparton trots stalwart and commentator Rod Booker.
Crossland landed a winning training double at the meeting, also winning with recent stable addition Cosar Delight who proved too tough for his rivals in a C0 class race.
Earlier in the day, Rochester trainer Mark Thompson produced talented pacer Dunrobbin to win the feature event, the Mallee Bull Pacing Cup, at Birchip.
A four-year-old gelding by We Will See and driven by a treat by Rod Petroff , Dunrobbin notched his fifth win from 12 starts.
Thomson had a fruitful couple of days, producing Gone And Forgotten for a win on Tuesday night at Kilmore when driven by Michelle Phillips.
Hands on some cash
While Big Jack Hammer nailed the main feature and was the only Goulburn Valley-trained winner at Melton last Saturday night at the all trots meeting there were still some good placed efforts from district trotters.
Each division of the trotting mares Breed for Speed series produced placegetters from the northern area.
Rochester-trained Moonshine Linda put up a commendable run for a third placing for trainer Neville Pangrazio and reinsman Chris Alford in the $50000 Lyn McPherson Gold Series finals for trotting mares, beaten 2.4m by the Gavin Lang-trained and driven Pantzup.
Ardmona horsewoman Donna Castles was also in the placings with Fatouche, third in the Silver Series final at odds of 50-1.
Tatura trainer David Abrahams also figured in the minor money with Theresastormcoming, who finished second in the Bronze Series final.
Paceway impresses
The new Wagga track — The Riverina Paceway — has got the thumbs up from Kyabram trainer Mark Watson.
Watson may be a little biased after producing a winner and runner-up at the official opening of the track, but liked what he saw.
‘‘It was a bit loose and soft, but when it consolidates I’m sure they’ll be running 1:51 and 1:52 times there for sure,’’ Watson said.
‘‘The infrastructure is state-of-the-art. It’s a tremendous facility really.’’
At the meeting Watson’s fast class performer Brallos Pass stepped out for the first time since January 11 to record his 18th win, while impressive three-year-old Prosecco Boy just failed to complete a hat-trick of wins, finishing second in a big run from a second row draw.
Both pacers were driven by Bendigo reinswoman Ellen Tormey who later that evening won the Wangaratta Pacers Cup on the Wayne Potter-trained Shadow Reign.
Flight finally arrives
A woman’s touch did the trick when Tatura reinswoman Abbey Turnbull drove a well-judged front-running race to land the honours in a concession drivers race on Tuesday night at Kilmore.
Turnbull partnered the Kevin Chisholm-trained Last Flight In to an all-the-way win, zipping home in 57.5 seconds in the 2180m event which her rivals couldn’t match.
Connections were naturally happy with the win as Last Flight In’s previous three starts had produced third placings.
The win also ending a 24-race losing streak with the mare with her last win recorded a year ago at Albury.
Pantzup heads up
Brett Bunfield tells connections every time Pantzup wins a race that he toughened her up.
Pantzup had a couple of training preps with the Merrigum horseman who admits it wasn’t all straightforward.
When he acquired Pantzup to work up for top reinsman Gavin Lang she was as a pacer.
But Lang also knew she could trot.
Pantzup gave Bunfield his share of worries with some of her antics, one when she ripped her leg open on a terracotta pipe which necessitated a few months in the spelling paddock.
But Bunfield believes that spell may have been the making of her.
‘‘She wasn’t very big and she was very light. Although she will never be big she did well while in the paddock and filled out a fair bit,’’ Bunfield said.
It’s history now Pantzup is one of the most talented trotters in the land.
The five-year-old Always A Virgin mare reached a new pinnacle in her spectacular surge to prominence as a trotter when she claimed the $50000 Breed For Speed Gold final for trotting mares at Melton last Saturday night.
Pantzup had 14 starts as pacer to start her career in which she showed she had ability with six minor placings.
Transferred to the Lang stables she has been a revelation as a trotter.
Her latest win was her 10th from 14 starts since Lang took over her training.
At one stage she strung together seven consecutive wins.
‘‘The owners are really good people and it’s just great to see them get a good horse,’’ Bunfield said.
Crocodile rocks
Nathalia pacer Crocodile Kid chalked up his sixth win for the season courtesy of a perfect drive from his breeder, owner, trainer and driver Noel Tyndall at Wangaratta.
Tyndall had the five-year-old Armbro Operative gelding parked in the one-one sit and he finished strongly to beat the veteran Lights And Music and Lombo Idle Belief in the R3 or better class pacers race over 1800m.
Crocodile Kid was coming off a second at his previous start at Shepparton and was the $3.80 second favourite in the race.
Something to Ponder
It has been a long time between drinks for pacer Ears Ponder, but those punters who stuck with him were finally rewarded at Wangaratta.
The John Woodham-trained and Tony Xiriha-driven Ponder gelding put in a tough run, sitting in the death throughout and outstaying his rivals in a C1 only class race at odds of nearly 80-1.
Punters could have been excused for shying away from Ears Ponder’s chances as he had not won for 50 starts and in his 81-race career had saluted only twice previously.
But if they delved far enough, the track and form watchers would have discovered that one of those two wins was actually at Wangaratta.
Admittedly that was 64 starts and three years ago in March 2016, but it did suggest he liked the track.
Coming up
Today: Cobram (d), Ballarat (n).
Tomorrow: Melton (n).
Sunday: Boort Cup (d).
Monday: Warragul (d).
Tuesday: Terang (n).
Wednesday: Kilmore (n).
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Bendigo (n).