All harness racing eyes will be on Menangle tomorrow night when heats of the NSW Derby and NSW Oaks and two Group One Miracle Mile qualifiers feature on a star-studded program.
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Goulburn Valley trainers are well represented at the meeting with the Shepparton-trained pacing hero San Carlo again on the cruel end of the draw, coming from the extreme outside front row in one of the $100000 Miracle Mile qualifiers.
And the pacer he chased home when running third in the recent Hunter Cup, Tiger Tara, has come up with the one alley in his race.
Avenel trainer David Aiken has a busy night with Malcolms Rhythm and Max Delight contesting Derby heats and Divine Diva in a heat of the Oaks, also all from wide draws.
Nagambie horsewoman Kima Frenning is tackling a Miracle Mile qualifier with her star, the recent Echuca Cup winner Buster Brady who has drawn barrier five in a winnable race.
Shepparton trainer Laura Crossland has the exciting Lochinvar Art in a Derby heat, but again has copped a visitor’s draw in barrier eight.
Crossland has had a little more luck in the draw with Share The Road who will come from gate two in the Group Two $50000 Robin Dundee for mares.
Cup and Pearls set
Goulburn Valley reinsmen scooped the two feature events at the Albury Pacing Cup meeting on Saturday night.
Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs landed the Albury Pacing Cup with the locally-trained Carla Clare, while Byrneside horseman Damian Wilson won the String Of Pearls on the Sunbury-trained Delightful Jazz.
Maggs partnered Carla Clare to a thrilling cup win over recent Leeton Cup winner Ned Pepper with Halle Maruia, third in the Leeton Cup, filling the minor placing.
Maggs has now won six races on Carla Clare who is prepared by North Albury horseman Ian Livermore.
The five-year-old Art Major mare was sent out a $4 second favourite after sound recent form including a third placing at Melton at her previous start.
In that Melton race she finished third to Miss Graceland, a winner at the Terang Cup meeting on Saturday night and the David Aiken-trained She Envy, who won at Melton last Friday night, so it was a good formline going into the Albury Cup assignment.
The Wayne Potter-trained Shadow Reign started favourite in the race and ran a bold race, but looked to have trouble in handling the tight track.
Wilson picked up the drive on the Ahmed Taiba-trained Delightful Jazz in the String Of Pearls for three-year-old fillies and made the most of it.
Wilson drove an aggressive race early to get the favourite to the front and she was never in danger of being run down, beating the Laura Crossland-trained and David Moran-driven Celerina, who stuck on bravely for second, with another of the Taiba runners and the omen bet in the race My Girl Pearl filling the minor placing.
Good Yole times roll
Tasmanian trainer Ben Yole knew what he was doing when he made the trip across Bass Strait with nine-year-old gelding No Apachemee to contest a claimers race at Melton last Friday night.
The rank outsider in the field at 22/1 on the tote, the son of Tomahawk sliced up his rivals with a blistering front running performance with Kima Frenning in the sulky.
No Apachemee left the mobile flying from barrier six and peeled off sectionals which left his rivals in his wake in a dashing front running performance.
His 1:52.3 mile rate over the 1720m trip was the slickest of his 185-race career which has now produced 20 wins and 38 placings and more than $144000 in prizemoney.
No Apachemee hadn’t won in eight previous starts on Tasmanian tracks, but had had four top five finishes in his previous four starts.
No Apachemee’s win was the start of a big night for Frenning who later drove Higherthananeagle and She Envy to wins for Avenel trainer David Aiken.
Both were popular wins with punters as they started favourites.
Living up to her name
It was a good night for Goulburn Valley trainers at Melton last Friday night with Patrick Ryan producing the Sheron Park-owned and bred three-year-old filly She Is The One to win a $10000 race for three-year-old trotting fillies.
In the process She Is The One upset a confident betting move on the speedy South Australian visitor Kitsilano who made a valiant effort to lead all the way in the 1720m dash.
Reinsman Greg Sugars had She Is The One sitting third for most of the race and she was able to run down the favourite in the final stages.
A daughter of boom sire Muscle Hill, She Is The One has now won three of her eight starts.
Flash Kyvalley was another trotter with district connections to win on the night for Kyvalley owner-breeder Jim Connolly.
Prince gains crown
Kyabram trainers were well to the fore in the trotters race last week at Shepparton.
Mick Blackmore produced the winner Claudys Prince, while fellow Kyabram trainer Graham Lyon had the runner-up in the race, Getthenet.
It was somewhat of a nostalgic win as the race was named in honour of Koyuga’s Yvonne Child for her involvement in Victoria’s annual County Week Tennis tournament in which she has had a continuous 30-year association as a competitor.
Child was one of the Country Week tennis legends honoured at the meeting in which hundreds of tennis players attended as it coincided with Country Week in Shepparton last week.
Child also has a keen interest in harness racing through her late father, Len Schmedje, who bred and raced trotters for many years.
Another Kyabram-based trainer to enjoy a win in the past week was Mark Watson who produced the lightly-raced three-year-old Prosecco Drive for a win at Bendigo last Sunday.
Turnbull rings a Bell
Dual state trainer Amanda Turnbull made a triumphant trip to her Shepparton base at last week’s meeting.
Turnbull-trained and drove a winner at the meeting — with two different pacers.
Turnbull trains Cmon Pretty Mumma who was driven to victory by Corey Bell to score her first win in 23 tries.
A four-year-old daughter of Modern Art, Cmon Pretty Mumma, owned by Shepparton’s Cotterell clan, put the writing on the wall for her maiden win at her previous start when second at Wangaratta when having her first start for Turnbull.
Turnbull was back in the winner’s circle later in the program, steering the Emma Stewart-trained superstar three-year-old Hurricane Harley to victory in a memorable clash with the Laura Crossland-trained star Lochinvar Art.
Turnbull also had another winner on Monday at Cobram scoring with the Bell-driven debutant Blissfullabbey who was a bit uncertain in his action early, but was never headed once he found the front.
The win was also pleasing for the driver who has an ownership interest in the Blissfull Hall four-year-old mare.
Duff is the man
Former Shepparton boy Ryan Duffy was the star of Monday’s Cobram meeting with a driving treble which was a first for the gifted reinsman.
The most satisfying win in his treble no doubt was reining home pacer Interest Me for his popular Shepparton trainer father Steve.
A three-year-old Mach Three filly, Interest Me, was having her second start and led from pillar to post to beat the Junee-trained pacer Pearls For Tash who also had to be content with a second at the Albury Cup meeting last Saturday night.
Ryan Duffy’s other two winners were on the Glenn Douglas-trained Flight Officer and Wotchawaitingfor who deserved the win after four second placings at his previous four starts.
That’s the third Time
District trainers had a good day at Cobram on Monday with five winners on the eight-race card.
Trainers Fay McEwan, Wayne Potter and David Aiken joined Steve Duffy and Amanda Turnbull with winners.
McEwan produced in-form trotter Majestic Time for his third successive win, while the Aiken-trained and Kima Frenning-driven Shelby Bromac hoisted his fifth Aussie win in succession.
Potter enjoyed his win with the Ellen Tormey-driven Roll Along Styx who was overdue for his second win with some good recent efforts. His only other win was also on the Cobram track.
Stewart spoiler
It took Congupna horseman Scott Stewart to break the winning stranglehold trainer Emma Stewart (no relation) held on last week’s Shepparton meeting.
Emma Stewart had brought four pacers from her training base near Ballarat to the meeting and won successive races with three of them — Liftntorque, Demon Delight and Hurricane Harley.
The Ballarat horsewoman was looking to complete the main quaddie with the Damian Wilson-driven Flying Moth in the final leg, but the bid was thwarted by Scott Stewart and his consistent pacer Alpe De Huez.
Flying Moth was headed by the veteran Yerrington Bob, who had sat in the death seat throughout, on the home bend, but fought back to retain the lead until Alpe De Huez launched from the one-one sit and bloused the long odds-on favourite on the finishing line.
Day rises on new era
The new Wagga Wagga track was unveiled last Monday with the first of two test meetings before the official opening on Sunday, March 10.
Goulburn trainer Neil Day had the honour of training and driving the first winner, El Aguila, in a race on the 1070m track designed on the Bathurst track dimensions.
El Aguila, a Presidential Ball colt, produced the quickest mile rate of 1:54.6 for the 1740m trip on the six-race program which ushered in a new era of racing in the Riverina.
Former Goulburn Valley horsewoman Ellen Bartley also enjoyed a win with the pacer she trains and drives Hunza Valley in which all winners ran sub two-minute mile rate times.
Feedback from the meeting according to Wagga Harness Racing Club chief executive Graeme White was terrific.
‘‘It (track) will take a little time to completely settle, but the times were good,’’ White said.
The new track is situated in north Wagga.
Gunning for the Pistol
The David Abrahams-trained Fabrication will fly the flag for northern Victorian trainers in tomorrow night’s Melton feature, the Group One Knight Pistol trot.
Fabrication, who will be driven by John Caldow, has drawn barrier five in the $50000 event.
Another of tomorrow night’s features, the $24000 Two-Year-Old Classic, has plenty of district interest.
Patrick Ryan lines up Somebeachsomewhere debutante, Starsbythebeach from barrier six in the two-year-fillies event, while Wahring horseman Daniel Jack has two runners.
Jack has Im Delightful, who has had just the one start for a second placing, coming from barrier seven and to be driven by Cameron Maggs.
His other runner which he will drive, Sheza Mamacita, third at her only racetrack appearance, has drawn nine, barrier two on the second row.
Coming up
Today: Ararat (n).
Tomorrow: Melton (n).
Sunday: Gunbower (d).
Monday: Kilmore (d).
Tuesday: Geelong (n).
Wednesday: Mildura (n).
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Shepparton (n).