Shepparton father-son team Russell and Nathan Jack combined for memorable country cup victories at the weekend.
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They claimed the Albury Pacing Cup last Friday night with One Two Many and the Ararat Pacing Cup on Sunday with Perfect Stride.
The Jacks pulled off a double kill of feature events at Albury, also winning the Albury Derby with Just Hope.
Nathan piloted One Two Many to win the $19,850 Albury Pacing Cup and also the $14,290 Pacers Derby on Just Hope in successive races for trainer Russell.
Both were all-the-way winners.
In a training feat One Two Many was stepping out for the first time since October in taking the cup.
Nathan was able to hold the front on the four-year-old Captain Treacherous gelding who was able to see off a dogged Egodan, trained by Inter Dominion-winning trainer Jason Grimson, with the Riverina-prepared Nerano, who is trained by former Goulburn Valley woman Ellen Bartley, filling the minor placing.
It was Nathan’s first winner since returning to race driving two weeks ago and his first success in an Albury Cup.
But Russell has had an Albury Cup winner in the past, scoring with Direct Silver in his days training in the Riverina.
It was One Two Many’s fourth win in six starts since joining the Jack stable and the pacer is now a six-time winner from 17 outings.
Just Hope, who won the Bathurst Gold Tiara in March, took her prizemoney earnings to more than $100,000 with her dominant win in the Albury Derby, in which four of the five runners were fillies.
Nathan found the front early on the Bettors Delight filly, who ran away from her rivals at the finish, beating the runner-up Couldn’t Recommend by nearly 18m, with another of the Russell Jack team, Choir Queen, driven by Leigh Sutton, filling the minor placing a further 10m astern.
Just Hope, who is part-owned by longtime local trots stalwart Laurie Cormican, was having her 12th start in a career that has produced four wins and three minor placings.
Perfect Stride collected the $30,000 Ararat Pacing Cup on Sunday after a dashing Nathan Jack drive.
Jack made his move on Perfect Stride 1300m from the judge, whipping the son of Bettors Delight around the field to take up the lead and remaining there for the remainder of the 2195m trip, gamely holding off Better Be The Bomb and Demon Delight in a track record mile rate time of 1:55.7.
It was Perfect Stride’s first win in 11 starts for the Jack stable.
The cup winner was a first for the trainer, but Nathan had previously won the race on Amadmancomesundone in 2012 and Road To Rock in 2015.
The Jacks continued their success this week, with trotter Patriot Stride scoring on Monday at Warragul.
Much to the delight of his followers, Nathan also drove another aggressive race on Wednesday night at Shepparton to win on Kilmore-trained Tetra, who was a 25/1 shot.
The Jacks have another big weekend coming up with Just Hope and Captains Queen contesting heats of the NSW Oaks and Spring In His Step the $250,000 Chariots Of Fire at Menangle tomorrow night.
Warrior makes it two straight
It was another good night for Goulburn Valley horsemen at the Albury meeting, with Shepparton’s David Moran also producing a winner.
The Moran-trained and driven Botany Bay Warrior made it two wins from his past two starts with an all-the-way triumph.
A three-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere, Botany Bay Warrior is bred to be good.
He is out of the Armbro Operative mare Indigenous, a winner of 14 races who has left eight other winners including Lifeinthefastlane, a winner of 18 races and more than $264,000.
Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs also drove a winner at the meeting, saluting on the Peter Romero-trained Misskontiki, who had won two starts previously at Wagga.
Sirius gets serious
Four-year-old pacer Sirius Major made a serious statement with an impressive debut for Echuca horseman Wayne Lear last week at Bendigo.
Top reinsman Greg Sugars settled the son of Major Bronski near the end of the field before getting a three-wide cart into the race over the final 800m.
Once into the clear in the home stretch Sirius Major mowed down his rivals in dashing style with a 28.5 final quarter.
Lear said he had a good opinion of the pacer, who has been in his stable for the past four months after a couple of years maturing in a spelling paddock.
‘‘He’s as good as any horse I’ve worked at the Echuca track and has really come along in the last six weeks,“ Lear said.
“He has some high speed.’’
Lear said Sirius Major won trials at Cobram and Echuca in preparation for his debut and the trainer is now looking at the Gunbower meeting on Sunday to unleash him again.
Hammer delivers blow
The David Aiken-prepared trotter Hes A Hammer scored his debut win at Bendigo.
The three-year-old son of Andover Hall showed early speed to find the front for reinsman Josh Aiken and comfortably held off all challengers in the run to the judge to beat Mumpaysthebills and stablemate Pesco Pollo, who was driven by David Aiken.
Hes A Hammer is out of the former extra smart trotting mare Shes An Image, a 20-time winner from 56 starts, who has also left other winners in Evas Image and Builder Bob.
Hes A Hammer’s win was popular with punters, as he was sent out at $2.25 after second placings at two of his previous three starts.
Crossland springs a shock
Young concession reinsman Cody Crossland continues to drive winners, saluting on a long shot at Bendigo.
Crossland, who works for Murchison trainer Shaun Kittel, steered the Basil Tooley-trained Aussiepride to victory at 20/1.
Crossland gave the son of Watch The Aces the run of the race on the back of pacemaker What A Journey.
He made a winning move turning for home when he got Aussiepride into clear running and prevailed in a photo finish from the Elmore-trained Madam Reactor, who put in a gallant effort after sitting in the death seat for the race.
Freo, way to go
Shepparton’s Steve Duffy struck an early blow for district trainers when he produced Wemade Freo for a runaway win in the opening event at Shepparton on Wednesday night.
The four-year-old son of McArdle was rushed straight to the front by reinsman Leigh Sutton — and that was the last they saw of him.
He cruised to the line with 10m to spare over the runner-up, the John Newberry-trained and driven Amber Light, with the Trevor Muir-prepared and reined Skippers Swan Song filling the minor placing over the 2190m trip.
Owned by Shepparton committeeman Owen Flynn it was the pacer’s second win from 16 starts, but with three second placings from his previous five starts he had been knocking loudly on the door for another win.
The Duffy family will be looking to finish the week on a high tonight when their pacer Boncel Benjamin tackles the $100,000 Newcastle Mile in his first run since winning the Inter Dominion Championship on protest in mid December.
The David Aiken-prepared Max Delight has drawn the pole in the race.
Nightmare result
Former Queensland pacer Lils Nightmare notched his second Victorian win for Ardmona trainer-driver Donna Castles at the Shepparton meeting.
Castles took the four-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover straight to the front and he held off the Craig Turnbull-trained and Mark Pitt-driven Jannali and the Paul Weidenbach-trained and driven 125/1 shot Reckon Im Smart in the dash to the finishing line.
Lils Nightmare saluted five starts earlier at the Gunbower Cup meeting in early December after having his first three starts in Queensland.
Mae’s day
The David Moran-trained and driven Our Lola Mae made it two wins from two starts when she scored at Shepparton.
Reinsman Rod Lakey, who drove the Betting Line three-year-old filly to win at the previous Shepparton meeting, was again in the sulky for the latest win, achieved in pillar-to-post fashion after a dashing getaway over the 2190m trip.
Punters were suitably impressed with her debut win on the track and she was sent out a $1.30 chance on the tote.
Night goes all right
Pacer Night School left his rivals with a lot of homework to do after a blitzing win at Shepparton.
The Steve Boyington-trained and driven Blissfull Hall gelding was overdue for a win after placings at his past four starts and this time he made no mistake.
After being sent to the front early by Boyington, Night School left his rivals legless, cruising home with 18m to spare over the Echuca-trained roughie Franks Very Much and Believe In Forever in the easiest win of the meeting.
It was the pacer’s third win from 17 tries and there have also been nine minor placings.
Warfare blows ’em away
Girgarre East-trained Junior Warfare continued his consistent form at Shepparton to record his seventh win.
Driven a treat in the one-one sit by Brad Chisholm, the Village Jolt five-year-old finished strongly to account for Beach Time and NSW visitor Honour Bender.
Prepared by Greg Lewis, Junior Warfare had close-up finishes, including a second, at his previous three starts since winning at Cobram on January 21 and was well found by punters, who supported him into a $3.50 favourite.
Apart from his seven wins he also has 12 minor placings in his 55 starts, so has more than paid his way.
Little Tedey shows big heart
Trotter Little Tedey certainly dug deep on Wednesday at Maryborough to score his second win.
Trained by Laura Crossland and driven by her son Cody, the son of Danish sire Peak had to sit in the death seat for most of the race and then hold of challenges from the favourite Bella Lucy and Bacardi Wood, which he did in determined fashion in a 2:03.3 mile rate time for the 2180m trip from the mobile.
Out of the multi-winning S J’s Photo mare Mother Nature, Little Tedey was having his 16th start.
Class drop pays off
The Craig Turnbull-trained and Abbey Turnbull-driven National News appreciated a sharp drop in class to make it three wins in five starts when he scored at Maryborough.
National News was coming off an eighth placing behind the potential champion Heza Son Of Agun in the recent Group One Three-Year-Old Classic at Melton.
But form followers would have noted National News finished less than 14m from the winner in what was a scorching 1:52.5 mile rate, which made his effort meritorious.
Once Abbey let National News find his feet at Maryborough she pushed forward on the three-year-old son of Sportswriter to take the front-running position and then dictated terms to suit, outclassing his rivals in a 1:55.0 mile rate for the 1690m trip.
National News won his first two starts as a two-year-old late last year, at Maryborough and in a heat of the MIA Breeders Plate at Leeton, before finishing second in the final to the raging hot favourite Sugar Apple to show he was a smart performer.
Coming up
Today: Melton (n)
Tomorrow: Terang (n)
Sunday: Gunbower (t)
Monday: Cranbourne (d)
Tuesday: Mildura (n)
Wednesday: Bendigo (n)
Thursday: Melton (d), Echuca (n)
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