While leading trainer Emma Stewart has qualified a mind boggling number of horses for the Vicbred Super Series finals this weekend, Acardia trainer Patrick Ryan has done pretty well for himself in the series.
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He doesn’t train anywhere near the mega numbers Stewart prepares, but will have four runners — three trotters and a pacer — contesting Group One finals tonight and tomorrow night.
Not a bad effort for a trainer who currently has only eight horses in his stable.
Tonight he will line-up All The Muscles in the $100000 three-year-old boys trotters final and Dizzysjet and The Best Dream in the $100000 two-year-old fillies trotters final.
Tomorrow night he will be represented by Starsbythebeach in the $130000 two-year-old fillies pacers final from barrier six.
All four are owned by Sheron Park boss Kevin Riseley and three of them — All The Muscles, Dizzysjet and Starsbythebeach — will be driven by in-form Shepparton reinsman David Moran.
Moran is coming off driving three winners at Melton last Saturday night and a gallant second placing on the Laura Crossland-prepared Lochinvar Art in the Breeders Challenge final at Menangle last Sunday.
Record breaking reinsman Chris Alford will partner The Best Dream.
Ryan rates All The Muscles, the NSW Derby runner-up, as his best winning chance, despite an outside front row draw.
‘‘He’s going really well and I expect him to run a big race,’’ Ryan said.
He also believes Starsbythebeach, despite drawing barrier six, is capable of a big showing at bolter odds.
‘‘She got home really well from last in her semi-final and I rate her a blow-out chance,’’ Ryan said.
Ryan also isn’t discounting the chances of Dizzysjet, an impressive heat winner, and The Best Dream, despite both horses drawing badly in barriers seven and 12 respectively.
‘‘All will need some luck from their draws, although I’m not overly concerned because anything can happen in finals when there’s big money to be won. I’m very happy with my team going into the finals,’’ he said.
Jaxn the others
Apart from the four-horse assault by Patrick Ryan on the Vicbred Super Series finals, several northern district trainers will also be chasing the big money in this weekend’s finals.
Shepparton’s Russell Jack and Laura Crossland and Avenel mentor David Aiken have multiple runners.
Jack has the exciting Jaxnme, a winner of her last three outings, in the two-year-old fillies trotters final tonight and Three Summas contesting the $130000 four-year-old entires and geldings pacers final tomorrow night.
Both have drawn barrier three and are primed to run big races with outstanding recent form.
In the two-year-old trotters fillies tonight Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs will be represented by the promising Venkman who went close to running down Jaxnme in their heat.
Girgarre East horseman Dennis Paton has also qualified Millys Magic for this final.
Also tonight Congupna horseman Scott Stewart will line-up Kraze for his second start in a race in the two-year-old colts and geldings final, while Shepparton’s Steve Duffy and Aiken have Flingandwingit and Hateitwhenyourrite respectively contesting the three-year-old colts and geldings final.
In the three-year-old fillies final Shepparton’s Clive Dalton will be represented by Imperial Countess and Echuca horsewoman Fay McEwan by Wanda.
In tomorrow night’s pacers finals Aiken has Jimmy Locke in the four-year-old entires and geldings final and Malcolms Image, one of the top fancies, in the three-year-old colts and geldings final.
Crossland has also qualified The Tiger Army for the two-year-old colts and geldings final and Vena May for the three-year-old fillies final.
Elmore trainer Keith Cotchin will line-up the consistent Brackenreid in the four-year-old entires and geldings final, while trainer Amanda Turnbull will journey south from her NSW base to drive Catch A Moment in the three-year-old colts and geldings final.
Industry legend dies
Trotting and northern Victoria lost a true stalwart with the passing on June 29 of Roy Mick Cormican at the grand old age of 101.
Cormican died peacefully at Mercy Place, Shepparton.
His service to Shepparton Harness Racing Club spanned several decades and he was one of the first life members of the club.
The club thought enough of him to initially name the judges’ box in his honour.
It has since been changed to the Mick Cormican Corporate Box.
His wife Edna predeceased him and he has two sons, Laurie and Colin.
His funeral takes place today at 11am at Owen Mohan Memorial Chapel, corner of Corio and Nixon Sts, Shepparton.
Storm blows ’em away
Bunbartha-trained Starlight Storm completed a hat-trick of wins on the Shepparton track with another commanding performance at last week’s meeting.
Coming off a backmark of 30m again proved no barrier for the Brian Bourke-prepared seven-year-old son of Yankee Spider who also had to overcome backmark handicaps to win at his two previous starts at Shepparton when Laura Crossland did the driving honours.
This time David Moran was in the driver’s seat and he made his winning move at the bell lap when he took Starlight Storm from three back on the outside to the front in daring, catch-me-if-you-can tactics.
None of his rivals could and Starlight Storm went to the finishing line clear of Wattalottafray and the Mark Lee-trained and Stacy Towers-driven Col Du Galbier.
Starlight Storm’s mile rate of 2:02 for the 2190m trip was a PB and it was the trotter’s 11th win with 18 placings from 74 starts.
Lots of self confidence
Everything didn’t quite go the plan, but the desired result was still achieved when Ilikemebettor claimed the honours in last week’s Shepparton race for two-year-olds.
Having his second start for Laura Crossland and driven by David Moran the Bettors Delight colt had to do some work in the run after racing roughly in the score up.
But he proved more than equal to the challenge in beating the Russell Jack-trained Shez All Style and the Amanda Turnbull-trained Miradero.
Formerly trained by NSW horseman Craig Cross, Ilikemebettor had form before joining the Crossland barn with a win at Bankstown and three minor placings from six starts on NSW tracks.
On Ward and upward
Consistent pacer Corsini made it two wins and four seconds from her past six starts when she saluted last week at Shepparton.
The Ian Ward-trained and Tania Ward-driven four-year-old daughter of Sportswriter, who raced four back on the pegs in the run, made up a tremendous amount of ground from the top of the straight once into clear running and got up to beat the Donna Castles-trained Penitente with the Damian Wilson-trained and driven pacesetter Phelingood Philtra filling the minor placing.
The winning mile rate of 1:59.6 for the 2190m trip was a PB and and from 15 starts Corsini has had two wins, five seconds and a third.
Eyre to the throne
Kyabram-trained Glen Eyre repeated the win of the previous week with a tough win in a 1690m CI Only class race last week at Shepparton.
Jayden Barker again partnered the Gary Payne-trained son of Ohaka Arizona who had to work early before racing in the death seat outside the pacemaker Hayjoshandco for the remainder of the race.
But Glen Eyre was able to dig deep in the home straight and ward off challengers from Nelbell and the Donna Castles-trained and Doc Wilson-driven Its Blue For Boys.
A winner of his first two starts in Hobart, Payne has now produced Glen Eyre for four wins and six minor placings from 23 starts he has given the six-year-old on Victorian tracks.
Rollecks on time
Well travelled pacer Rollecks was rewarded for his consistency when he returned to the winners’ list last week at Shepparton.
Trained by Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs the three-year-old gelded son of the former champion juvenile pacer Lombo Pocket Watch was coming off five top five finishes since his previous win at Albury in early May.
Maggs made his move from three back on the outside going off the back straight and, while forced to race three deep over the concluding stages of the 1690m dash, Rollecks was able to collar the odds-on favourite and pacemaker Puntarno Stride in the run to the judge.
Maggs has not been afraid to travel with Rollecks who has raced at Bathurst on Riverina tracks in a 23 starts career which have produced four wins and five minor placings.
Coming up
Today: Mildura (d), Melton (n).
Tomorrow: Melton (n).
Sunday: Cranbourne (t).
Monday: Maryborough (d).
Tuesday: Melton (n), Albury (n).
Wednesday: Cobram (d), Ballarat (n).
Thursday: Swan Hill (n).