SPORT: Sulky Snippets with Len Baker
• Popular Maryborough commenced the week on Monday March 31 with a most interesting seven race card.
Kilmore breeder/owner/trainer Bill Milner had a great day after snaring the quinella in the Peter Egan Bi-Rite Electrical Trotters Mobile over 1690 metres when Wallis defeated The Night Queen in a mile rate of 2-00.5. A 4Y0 Used To Me-Aurvalley gelding, Wallis who broke his maiden status at start number at start number 30 a week earlier at Cobram repeated the dose with Ellen Tormey in the sulky.
Enjoying a sweet passage one/one from gate three as polemarker The Night Queen led. Wallis after angling three wide on the final bend, finished with a rush to blouse the stablemate by 1.5 metres. Casa Alberta first up since December used the sprint lane off the back of the leader for third 1.9 metres back.
n Six year old Yankee Spider-Ima Thrill Seeker gelding Alfie Always also first up since December landed the 2190 metre Redpath Tyre And Battery Service Trotters Mobile. Trained at Marong by David Van Ryn, Alfie Always driven by James Herbertson began fast from gate five to lead and ran along giving his rivals something to chase.
Holding a margin approaching the final bend, Alfie Always showed no sign of stopping, reaching the wire 7.8 metres in advance of At The Distance (gate two – one/one – three wide home turn) returning a mile rate of two minutes even. Midnite Muscle (gate three – three pegs) was third 12.2 metres away.
• Tasmanian (Westbury) based trainer Michael Laugher who has a satellite stable in Bendigo was successful with 6Y0 Hurrikane Kingcole-Miss Ruthless mare I Of The Hurrikane to capture the 1690 metre Benstud Standardbreds Mare Pace.
Driven by son Jack, I Of The Hurrikane was taken back from gate six to settle three back in the moving line as Alcatraz Girl led from gate two.
When Connor Ronan set sole second liner Dancin With Lush (one/two) alight with a rush from mid-field in the last lap to lead on the home turn, I Of The Hurrikane followed her forward to join her on the home turn with the pair drawing right away from their rivals.
Gaining the upper hand in the straight, I Of The Hurrikane greeted the judge 1.3 metres clear of Dancin With Lush who was brave, with Tap To Pay coming from a long way back for third from gate seven 18.2 metres away. The mile rate 1-57.5.
• Girgarre part-owner/trainer Kevin Covington’s 8Y0 Down Under Muscle-Madiskita mare Montana Muscle cracked her first victory since May last year when taking out the Aldebaran Park Trotters Mobile over 2190 metres.
Driven by Gary Pekin, Montana Muscle who has a tendency to gallop over the concluding stages, did everything right on this occasion and nursed to the wire, scored by 2 metres in advance of Col Du Granon (three pegs from inside the second line – four wide home turn) returning a 2-05.8 mile rate. Gunny Tee (gate six – three wide to outside the winner – one/one at bell – three wide home turn) was third a head away.
Sky disappoints
• Tuesday was the opening night of the long standing Mildura Cup Carnival and what a disappointment it was for Sky Channel viewers and the club when the opening race of the night was shafted to Sky 2 30 seconds before the start due to a Doomben gallops race running very late – no split screen and no shifting of the gallops to Sky 2 – another Sky decision to rile viewers.
The were two heats of the cup named in honour of former Club President Barry Bottams who gave so much to the club over a long period of time.
• Heat one went to Horsham part-owner/trainer/driver Aaron Dunn’s very smart Art Major-Ark Monroe 4Y0 entire Dee Roe. Following a rough first lap where both Young Bluey (gate three second line) and Dee Roe (extreme draw) were checked when polemarker Duffy Hollow galloped shortly after the start disorganizing the field, Young Bluey was sent forward to park outside the well supported Jackson Painting (Narrandera) trained and driven pacemaker Catchafire which had began fast from gate three. Following Young Bluey forward, Dee Roe sprinting hard was able to cross the leader looking the winner a long way out.
Despite racing uncovered, Young Bluey tried valiantly on turning only to be relegated to third by Catchafire on the inside in the last stride. The margins 3.6 by a nose in 2-02.3.
• Heat two saw Charlton’s favourite son Joey Thompson successful with 5Y0 Roll With Joe-Helens In Paradise mare Joe Got Rolled who has been racing into form of late.
Trained by the former club President, Joe Got Rolled with another Charltonian Luke Dunne in the sulky retained the led from the pole before being eased to take a trail on Matty Craven’s Crime Writer with the raging hot favourite Catalpa Rescue the last start Charlton Cup winner shuffled back from gate three on the second line to be last approaching the bell.
Sent forward with a circuit to travel by Ryan Sanderson, Catalpa Rescue raced three wide until moving outside the leader Crime Writer in the back straight on the last occasion before struggling on turning.
Gaining a fluke inside passage in the straight, Joe Got Rolled scored by 1.3 metres over Crime Writer, with South Australian hope Assassinator at 13 years of age (four pegs – four wide home turn) from mid-field third 1.8 metres away when having start number 261. The mile rate a lot faster 1-57.9.
Double Day
• Double day Wednesday saw Maryborough race during the afternoon and Bendigo at night. It was a favourites day at Maryborough with most winners the public elect and leading throughout.
Ardmona trainer/driver Doc Wilson trained and reined 5Y0 Fly Like An Eagle-Our Dream Girl gelding Eagle Major bred and raced by the Apple Isle Group to land the Redpath Battery and Tyre Service Pace over 1690 metres.
Starting from gate two, Eagle Major defied all challengers to run out a 5.7 metre victor over Torque Power (gate five) which had moved to race outside him at the bell. Polemarker Cresco Threepeat after trailing the winner was third 1.7 metres back. The mile rate 1-56.1.
• Tooleen based Alby Ashwood snared a double on the day with 3Y0 Jetter Son (Rock N Roll World-Ashi Jetsun) taking the 1690 Carisbrook Motors Pace in a slick 1-53.5 and the Avoca Co-Op Community Bank 4Y0 & Older Maiden Pace over the same trip with Whitehaven Beach, a 4Y0 Sunshine Beach-Spy Games gelding bred and raced by Barham’s John Morris. Starting inside the second line, Whitehaven Beach was immediately eased at the start to settle mid-field in the moving line before going forward racing for the bell to join the leaders Keayang Moscato which had crossed stablemate Jilliby Justify from the pole and Lilstrepo in the open.
Despite racing wide for the last lap, Whitehaven Beach was too strong over the concluding stages to register a 1.1 metre margin over Jilliby Justify which had eased three wide on the final bend. Keayang Moscato held third 1.2 metres away. The mile rate 1-58.2.
• At Bendigo, Girgarra duo Lisa and Mark Pitt provided a double with Lather Up-Scarlett Brew filly Soap And Bubbles taking the Results Financial Services 3Y0 Maiden Pace over 1650 metres and 6Y0 Art Major-Miranda Maguire gelding Sir Sonny Maguire The Douglas Deck Pace over 2150 metres, both driven by Mark. Soap And Bubbles after an unplaced effort at Shepparton on March 18, began brilliantly from outside the front line to run her rivals ragged in defeating Korengal Valley (gate four) after trailing and Maxbeca (gate two on the second line) which moved to race parked mid-race.
The margins 7.4 by 4.2 metres in a mile rate of 1-55.4. Kiwi bred Sir Sonny Maguire settled a long way back from gate two on the second line as Heston Cash (gate five) led. Going forward approaching the bell to join the pacemaker, Sir Sonny Maguire raced clear with 400 metres to run, scoring impressively in advance of Alabama Ice and Marako Shark from mid-field passages. The margins 3.9 metres by a neck in 1-59.5.
• The Nigel Milne Harness Racing (Insanity Lodge) Trotters Mobile saw Marong duo Terry and Jacinta Allan Grange successful with above average 7Y0 Changeover-Jomeka gelding Bullapark Beno.
Driven by James Herberton, Bullapark Beno starting from gate two on the second line was able to come away from the markers to settle near last a long way off the leader Kalarney Prince (gate two).
Going forward four wide in the last lap, Bullapark Beno sprinted brilliantly to lead on the final bend and record a huge 11.6 metre margin in 2-01.3 over Stick With Me (one/three from gate five) and Jessicas Story (one/one from gate four) who was 9.7 metres back.
Sweet trip
• At Ballarat on Thursday, Western District (Skibo) trainer/driver Rory Coverdale sent punters home on a sour note when 8Y0 A Rocknroll Dance-Miss Toolern mare Ona Merry Dance was successful in the 1710 metre ballarattrottingclub.com.au Pace paying odds of $26.00.
Given a sweet trip one/one from gate three, Ona Merry Dance eased three wide approaching the final bend to give chase to the leader Reinder (gate five) and finished strongly to prevail by 1.4 metres from Reinder, with Silver Domino (gate four) third 2.8 metres away third after leading out and taking a trail on Reinder. The mile rate 2-00.2.
Raced by members of the Coverdale family, it was Ona Merry Dance’s 5th win in 85 outings with her last being at Ararat in June 2023.
Mildura Pacing Cup
• All eyes were on Sunraysia on Friday when the Barry Bottams Memorial Mildura Pacing Cup Final was held over the long distance of 2600 metres – the victor Ecklin South trainer/driver Matty Craven’s very reliable 5Y0 Betting Line-Lota A Blue gelding Young Bluey raced by the Hey Blue Syndicate who would have been stoked by the victory. Coming off a great third in the heats on Tuesday following a Mt Gambier victory. Young Bluey starting from gate four on the second line was off and running from near last early with a lightning burst of speed to cross the leader Catchafire (gate two) which again led electing to once again take a sit as he had done in the heat when a held up third. The pressure was on mid-race after both Catalpa Rescue (one/four) and Dee Roe from the extreme draw both went forward with Catalpa Rescue taking a trail on Dee Roe. With the major four chances all looking a chance on turning, Dee Roe was the first to crack allowing Young Bluey to give a kick and reach the judge by 1.9 metres in a most exciting finish from Catalpa Rescue who showed that his disappointing fifth on Tuesday was not his true form. Crime Writer stablemate of the winner ran home strongly from four back in the moving line last lap for third 1.8 metres away, with Catchafire failing to run the journey out fourth two metres back. The mile rate 1-58.9 (last half 59.1 – quarter 29.8) which was 2.2 seconds outside Phoenix Prince’s 1-56.7 set in 2022.
• Next year the Cup will be a one off event.