Shepparton trainer-driver David Moran has taken another deep plunge with his rising superstar pacer Lochinvar Art.
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Moran has decided to run the four-year-old star in tomorrow night’s $500 000 Hunter Cup at Melton.
Lochinvar Art turned in a breathtaking track-shattering record to win the $100 000 Alabar Four Year Old Bonanza at Melton last Saturday night.
‘’You might never get a chance to have go at a race like this again, so we having a crack. We haven’t got a good draw but we will see how we go, I’ve been happy with him since last Saturday,’’ Moran said yesterday.
Lochinvar Art has drawn the outside (seven) barrier off the front row but, with an emergency inside him, is likely to get barrier six.
The other Shepparton-trained pacer in the lucrative race, San Carlo, also got no favours in the draw, with barrier 12, five off the second row.
A 1.48.6 mile rate, which included a mind-boggling 53.7 last half, left New Zealand’s rising star Self Assured unsuccessfully trying to run Lochinvar Art down in the home stretch in the Four Year Old Galaxy at Melton last Saturday night.
Moran was both pleasantly surprised and somewhat stunned by Lochinvar Art’s win: pleasantly surprised his star four-year-old was able to beat New Zealand’s touted new wonder horse, but equally mystified about Lochinvar Art paying over $15 for the win on the tote.
‘‘I really thought he would about a 5/1 or 6/1 chance in the race. His price was absurd really,’’ Moran said.
He said that while his horse obliterated the Melton track record with his scorching 1.48.6 performance, he also paid tribute to the runner-up, Self Assured.
‘‘Don’t worry, he went enormous. Mathematically he couldn’t win the way the race was run and what my bloke did.’’
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Lochinvar Art and San Carlo are not the only Shepparton-trained horses chasing the big money tomorrow night at Melton.
Tiny Steve Duffy trained and Noel Pattison owned trotter Sky Petite is tackling the richest race for trotters in Australasia, the $250 000 The Great Southern Star.
As expected Sky Petite bumps into a red-hot field from barrier five. But she hasn’t been far away in her past three outings and although will be one of the longshots has shown many times before she is not out of her depth in this company.
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Dave Farrar rated it the best and most satisfying win of his training career.
The veteran Shepparton horseman claimed one of Australia’s time-honoured events for two-year-old pacers when the pacer he trains, The Kew Legend, won the $30 000 Group 3 final of the Southern Central Engineering Breeders Plate at Leeton last Friday night.
Driven by in-form Damian Wilson, The Kew Legend zoomed to the front at the start of the 1758 m race and defied all efforts to be run down.
While beaten in his heat two weeks earlier by 57 m, Farrar explained the trip for his heat had been made in 45 degrees — which had affected The Kew Legend’s performance due to dehydration.
‘‘We were just trying to qualify (for the final) in the end and not knock him about too much when he was not a winning chance.
‘‘The trip up there this time was a lot more pleasant and I think that first trip away really made him,’’ Farrar said.
The Kew Legend, who is by Bettors Delight out of the winning Panorama mare Sexy Lady, is raced in the Estate of Jack Carr, a legendary South Australian sportsman who excelled at cricket, football and golf. He passed away in August of last year aged 92.
His sons Shane and Matt now race the pacer.
Farrar was confident The Kew Legend would improve vastly on his heat effort in the final and it certainly turned out that way.
Known to have a bet, Farrar admitted that he didn’t have quite the confidence to take a lot of the 60/1 on offer about The Kew Legend’s chances.
But he was over the moon with the win.
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One of my favourite race callers is hanging up his binoculars.
Alan Hull, 69, who has been the voice of racing in the Riverina for 50 years, will call his last race at the Albury trots meeting tonight (January 31).
I first heard the dulcet tones of Hull at Albury trots meetings in the 1980s and was immediately captivated by his descriptive and informative calls delivered with the clarity of any race caller in this country.
He would inform you about the weather and other interesting off-beat bits and pieces that added so much colour to his free-flowing calls and pre-race ramble.
I recall him calling a race at Albury in the 1980s in which a pacer I and owned and trained called Claudy Brown was in the field.
It was Claudys 35th try at winning a race and he finally did it.
I can still hear Allan Hull claiming after the race ‘‘the connections have been very, very patient with this horse.’’
Which of course was precisely the case.
I vividly remember that win, not only because of Allan’s comments but also for the fact that Claudy was a 25/1 chance and it was the first time I didn’t have a few bob each way on him!
Take a bow Allan Hull for entertaining so many racegoers so well over such a long time.
You are a true racing legend.
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Two longshot wins within a week — that’s what Kyabram trained trotter Rory McHinson has achieved.
After winning the Wedderburn Trotters Cup last Sunday week, the Mick Blackmore prepared six-year-old repeated the dose in a metropolitan class race at Melton last Saturday night.
Reinsman John Caldow settled Rory McHinson three back on the pegs in the run and when the leader Illawong Byron veered off the track in the home straight the Kyabram trotter pounced to take the honours with an inside run.
In his Wedderburn Cup win he was an 18/1 shot and at Melton a 26/1 chance.
With his latest win Rory McHinson has taken his record to seven wins and eight placings from just 24 starts with prize money earnings now nudging $50 000.
His next target will be the Jim Connelly Crystal Bucket at the Echuca Cup meeting.
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Shepparton trainers had a big night at the Wangaratta meeting last Sunday night.
Russell Jack, Steve Duffy and Amanda Turnbull all had winners.
Jack made it two wins from three starts with Sunshine Beach three-year-old filly Shez All Style, driven to victory by Bec Bartley.
Shez All Style won at the New Year’s Day meeting at Echuca two starts previously and held her form at her next outing when a close up fourth at Shepparton on January 11.
A half-brother to the multiple winner Dancing With Elvis, Shez All Fine posted a PB 1.59.8 mile rate over the 2210 m trip in her Wangaratta win.
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The Steve Duffy trained Boncel Benjamin made it 10 wins in 30 starts with six minor placings when he led all the way at Wangaratta.
Reinsman Ryan Duffy had to really shake up the five-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear to hold out a determined challenge from the Laura Crossland trained and driven Tally Operator in a good old-fashioned two-horse war to the wire.
The third placegetter, the Darryl Hill trained and Donna Castles driven Our Summer Bay, was over 33 m back.
The win lifted Boncel Benjamin’s prize money earnings over $50 000 and he’ll be trying to add to that total when he goes around at Melton tomorrow night.
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Shepparton horseman David Moran, fresh from a record-shattering win with Lochinvar Art the previous night at Melton, completed a good weekend by winning on the Amanda Turnbull trained Topsavski at the Wangaratta meeting.
The three-year-old son of Hes Watching pounced on the lead early in the 1800 m 46-51 class event from a poleline draw and was never in danger of being run down in a leisurely run race.
It was Topzavski’s third win with three placings from just 11 starts.
Out of the Whats Next mare Angelica Rose, Topsavski is a half-brother to multiple winning Courage Under Fire full brothers Currynroses and Overthorne.
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Stanhope horseman Gary Pekin’s recent run of success continued with a winner at the Wangaratta meeting.
Pekin saluted with Sporty Ben in a 30-47 class race over the 2210 m trip.
The four-year-old son of Sportwriter had been working up to his maiden with a fourth and third placings at his previous two starts and was sent out a $2 favourite.
Those responsible for that price wouldn’t have been on good terms with themselves in the run, with the pacer back on the pegs with the tailenders turning for home.
But Pekin was able to secure inside runs in the straight and after getting around the pacesetter close to home was able to spear to what turned out an easy win in the finish.
Sporty Ben was having just his ninth trip to the races and there may better things in store.
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Trainer David Aiken will be attempting a hat-trick of wins with Pirate Day at Melton tomorrow night after the pacer’s win at Kilmore on Tuesday night.
After transferring from the Gavin Lang stables, Pirate Bay won first-up for the Aiken barn at Cobram on January 17 and repeated the dose at Kilmore this week with a dominant all-the-way display with Kima Frenning in the sulky.
A six-year-old son of Washington VC, Pirate Bay’s slick 1.54.3 mile rate over the 1690 m trip was also a PB in his nine career wins from 52 starts.
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Shepparton’s 10-race meeting originally scheduled for this afternoon has now had two changes of date.
It was to be conducted this morning and early afternoon but because of the predicted high heat has now been transferred to Monday evening.
Meetings coming up:
Tomorrow: Melton (n)
Monday: Warragul (d), Shepparton (n)
Tuesday: Bendigo (n)
Wednesday: Geelong (n)
Thursday: Melton (d), Mildura (n)