SA Harness Highlights - 27 August 2007

Late Freight Just In Time

The Late Freight Syndicate were in good voice at Globe Derby Park last Friday night as their trotter Parkland Magpie got the judges nod by the barest of margins in the Pay Me Christian Nevele R Stud Trot.

Parkland Magpie is trained at Hewett by Ross Smith and driven by son Ian who is the manager of the 22-strong Late Freight Syndicate. And there was good reason the syndicate members on course were happy with the win, as it was their first at Globe Derby in over 2 years.

The Late Freight team had good success with another trotter in Are Cee Darcy who won four races in 2005 but didn’t see any further success until March this year when Parkland Magpie was a winner at Kapunda.

Parkland Magpie had 13 starts for four minor placings between the Kapunda win and last weekends when he got the decision by only millimetres in a tight photo finish over a fast finishing Thanksforasking.

 

Harding Record Cut-Short

David Harding looks set to record a new season record of 174 wins with the current racing term set to end on Friday night and doubts as to his chances of getting in the sulky again before the new season officially starts on Saturday night.

As well as breaking his record for wins in a season by a South Australian driver, the talented Globe Derby reinsman also managed to break his record for wins in SA by recording win number 170 on the exciting four-year-old Fleet Magic at headquarters last Monday afternoon.

Harding came away without a victory at last Friday night’s Globe Derby meeting, but managed three seconds and three thirds from his only six drives on the card.

 

Industry Awards Function Announced

Keep October 28 free in your diaries, as that will be the date for this seasons SA Harness Racing Industry Awards Day.

In keeping a similar format to last years successful event, the SA Reinswomens Association, SA Square Trotters Association, BOTRA, the SA Harness Racing Club and Harness Racing SA will combine for an afternoon of awards to recognise the industry’s achievers.

The day, which includes a smorgasbord lunch, will start at 12 noon and further information include tickets prices and details be available in the coming weeks.

 

Equine Influenza Virus Disrupts Racing

On Saturday morning Harness Racing SA acted on a report regarding preliminary tests that showed a number horses at Sydney’s Centennial Park were likely to be affected with the highly contagious exotic Equine Influenza virus.

HRSA Chairman of Stewards Gerrard Lalor, in consultation with HRSA Veterinary Surgeon Dr Peter Horridge, made the decision on the postponement of that evenings meeting and Sunday’s trials fixture.

Through his roles with both the thoroughbred and harness racing industries Dr Horridge had been a part of the cross-country discussions that were carried out on Saturday morning which came to the conclusion that the only way to address the situation safely and control the spread was to cancel the days meetings nationwide.

The upcoming Gawler and Royal Adelaide Shows also presented a worrying factor for the decision-makers in SA.

By lunchtime on Saturday, the federal government had declared a 72-hour lock down on all horse movements across Australia, with owners and trainers not able to move any horses off the properties they were currently stable on. Both the Globe Derby and Gawler training tracks also fell under this order and both facilities were locked up early on Saturday afternoon.

That order was set to be reviewed on Tuesday with the hope that if no further outbreaks were reported, it could be lifted for racing to resume by the weekend. However if further cases of equine influenza were detected, the horse industry in Australia could face further suspension on any transport or movements and subsequently racing.

 

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COMMENT: Our harness racing industry, and the racing and horse industries in general, are often taken for granted. People sometimes overlook the time, energy and enthusiasm it takes from everybody involved, to keep the various cogs moving.

Australia has been built on the deeds of our equine heroes and horse racing has been a major part of the landscape since the First Fleet landed over 200 years ago. Despite the various pressures of privatisation, the competing gambling dollar, rising insurance and in-house conflicts, the off-hand comment that ‘racing will be around forever’ is often made.

It takes the events of this past weekend to highlight how fragile we really are.

The whole industry – participants, punters, employees and reciprocal businesses alike – will take a very hard hit from this Equine Influenza scare, but hopefully will come out of it thankful that we can still go to the races each week and united in taking the sport forwards.

 

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

SA Harness Highlights - 20 August 2007

Lucky Knight for Green

Our Lucky Knight won his second race in a month, and his first win for new owners Phil Westbury and Kerry Green, in the www.atkinsphotography.com.au Pace on Saturday night at Globe Derby Park.

Our Lucky Knight was officially purchased by Green and Westbury just after he won a heat of the Salisbury Cup on 23 July despite being trained by the Mallala-based Green since the end of April.

The five-year-old gelding subsequently ran fourth in the Salisbury Cup Final behind brilliant mare Larachelle, but has continued on in consistent form before being rewarded with last weekends victory.

The win was in part due to some luck and a patient drive from Kerry Green. Green went to the pegs at the first opportunity from a back row draw and got a dream run throughout. As Ryan Hryhorec on, Gunbarrel Straight, moved off the pegs in front of her just prior to the home turn Green was able to get through behind the leader with Our Lucky Knight and then urge the gelding along the sprint lane for a 2 metre victory.

 

Sergi In Control

Despite one half of the Golden Grove Maestros being overseas, the stable enjoyed a very successful weekend with three winners and two second placings including the welcome returns of a couple of top class horses.

While both stable stars, Conte De Cristo and The Upper Crust, started warm favourites in their respective events, neither was able to salute the judge. Instead the wins were left to the support cast of Safe Ridge, Johnny Doika and Assert.

Peter Sergi is in full control of the ship while Joe Carbone enjoys an overseas holiday and kicked off the weekend with the win of the Tony Calabria-driven Safe Ridge at Port Pirie on Friday night.

The success kept coming at Globe Derby Park on Saturday evening with Johnny Doika winning impressively by 18-metres in a milerate of 1:58.5. Cavallaro pushed the three-year-old gelding to the front in the early stages of the event and the pair were never headed.

The Sergi double, and weekend treble, was completed when Assert also led all the way in the hands of Tony Calabria. Calabria held off the early challenges of Steven Mowday on Amber Vision and despite posting a quick leadtime he was able to give Assert a breather in the middle stages of the event and record a 2 metre win.

Conte De Cristo, in his first race start since the Mildura Cup in April, had to settle for equal third placing earlier in the night. The big pacer was forced to work three-wide, although with cover, for the final 1200 metres of the event but Fire And Brimstone was too good at the finish courtesy of a sweet run behind the leader. Conte De Cristo finished the race off well to dead-heat for third with Jaccka Lon, behind stablemate Dr Dre who had led throughout the race and held on for second.

The Upper Crust was rushed back for the Caltex-Bolivar Gramel Series earlier in the year but performed below his best and was given another short break from the track before returning last weekend where a text book drive from Ryan Hryhorec on Wrekognize cost him a first-up victory.

Off the backmark of 40 metres, Paul Cavallaro settled The Upper Crust towards the rear of the field before making his run at the bell. In what proved to be a race winning move, Hryhorec took the opportunity to come off the pegs and take a sit behind The Upper Crust over the final circuit before Wrekognize sprinted too sharply for The Upper Crust at the finish. The Sergi runner had to content with second placing but the run proved the talented young trotter will be back to his best very soon.

 

No Crown Glory for South Australia

South Australian horses performed respectably at Australia’s Richest Raceday, the Australasian Breeders Crown Finals, but none of them were able to upstage their more fancied rivals.

The Toby Ryan-trained Elysees Crest had the best result with a fifth behind Queenslander Fleur De Lil in the three-year-old fillies final. Elysees Crest drew barrier one but nearly threw that advantage away when galloping prior to the first dispatch but luckily a false start was declared. She did everything right the second time to hold the position behind the leader however couldn’t get enough momentum at the business end of the race and had to settle for fifth.

Later in the day, adopted local Lombo Limmo from the recently relocated Tony Pullicino camp, was a gallant sixth behind star Kiwi colt Changeover. Pullicino pushed his charge from the gate to lead the one-out line for a short time before handing it up. As every driver angled for a run in the home straight, Lombo Limmo was briefly held up for a run but finished off well to grab sixth spot just 11 metres from the winner.

South Australian-owned filly Celebrity Ball was a favoured runner in the two-year-old fillies consolation and showed great speed to lead and held that position for most of the event. However, having just her seventh lifetime start, she weakened over the concluding stages of the race to finish in seventh spot.

Fifty Gorillas was the fourth South Australian representative at the Breeders Crown Finals last Sunday when he competed in the three-year-old colts and gelding consolation. The Port Pirie trained pacer had little luck with a wide barrier draw and was forced to go back to the rear of the field. From that position he never threatened the leaders and finished sixth.

All the SA runners will now enjoy a well earned break before continuing their promising careers next season.

 

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

SA Harness Racing Highlights - 13 August 2007

Owners Having A Ball

The Cremorne Hotel in Unley will be jumping on Tuesday night, as a group of local owners cheer on their filly in a heat of the lucrative Australasian Breeders Crown at Ballarat.

Led by the horses part-owner Bruce Cameron, the syndicate leases a two-year-old filly by the name of Celebrity Ball and are making the most of their chances after missing out on a share in quality youngster Secret Life a few years ago.

“When I put the first syndicate together there was a reserve list that missed out on racing Secret Life, the reserve list were then offered Celebrity Ball to race which now looks as though the wait has certainly been worthwhile,” Cameron said.

Worthwhile indeed, with the freshman filly winning three of her first five starts. Her latest effort was a win in a heat of the Breeders Crown which secured a position in Tuesday nights Semi-Finals at Ballarat and hopefully a spot in the $305,000 Australasian Breeders Crown Final at the same track on Sunday week.

Celebrity Ball, trained and driven by Australia’s top reinswoman Kerryn Manning, has a quality pedigree being out of top producing mare Larrakeyah Lady which makes her a half sister to SA and A. G. Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound.

South Australia will also be represented in the Breeders Crown Semi-Finals on Tuesday by the Toby Ryan-trained Elysees Crest (3YO Fillies) and Fifty Gorillas (3YO Colts and Geldings) for Port Pirie’s Lyndon Hall.

Tuesday nights Ballarat program should not be missed by any harness racing enthusiasts with the best young horses in the Southern Hemisphere competing in eight semi-finals for a chance to take part in Australia’s only $1 million raceday of any code at the same venue on Sunday.

 

Babe On Track

Penfield trainer David Smith breathed a sigh of relief when two-year-old filly Bridal Track Babe finally cracked it for a win in the John Rothe Video Pace at Globe Derby on Friday night with just weeks remaining in her debut season.

Bridal Track Babe, bred and owned by former Member of Parliament Ron Roberts, was having her 15^th start and the breakthrough win in a rate of 2:05.4 comes after placing in eight of her previous 14 efforts.

Following a string of five fast-finishing placings, the daughter of Jet Laag used her customary late burst to run away from her rivals, including placegetters Loadedbelle and Take To Pledge, after a tough final lap when heading the three-wide line.

Bridal Track Babe would have been a chance in the Alabar Southern Cross final three weeks ago had she gained a run, but unfortunately a tenth placing in an initial heat damaged her points tally for the series and a third and fourth in later qualifiers couldn’t secure a berth.

 

Whisky Puts Spring in Keightley’s Step

On Friday night at Globe Derby Park Two Wells trainer Graham Keightley prepared a winner for the first time since SA Oaks night in February 2001. Mind you, since then Keightley has only harness up 43 runners.

On that occasion Barry Ewen piloted Athlos to victory and it was Ewen in the sulky again seven and a half years later, partnering Whisky Spring to an all the way win at headquarters on Friday night.

Whiskey Spring, a former New South Wales trained pacer, arrived in SA two months ago with a record of just three minor placings from 18 starts, but has put in some honest efforts in four starts for Keightley since debuting for the stable in early July.

On Friday night Barry Ewen worked Whisky Spring to the lead from barrier three and fought off pressure from eventual runner-up and race favourite Pierre Peitou to fight on strongly and record the victory in a rate of 2:05.8 for the 2230-metre journey.

 

Harding Does It Again

David Harding, by driving a quartet at the Globe Derby Park meeting on Saturday night, broke his record for winners in a season with over half a month of the current season yet to run.

Despite pairing with the favourite in each of the first three races on Saturday night’s ten-race card, Harding could only manage to register three second placings before kick-starting his night by upsetting the odds-on favourite in the fourth race.

Piloting Kiwi-bred five-year-old Deep Pockets in his first real crack at open class racing, Harding allowed Garry Butler to take the lead on $1.60 favourite Touch Of Pearl and waited patiently for his run to come late in the race. That run presented itself just as the field straightened for home, with Butler attempting to kick away however a fresh Deep Pockets ran him down over the concluding stages to record the geldings third straight win.

Deep Pockets has only finished outside the placings on five occasion in 32 starts for Les and David Harding.

Later in the evening Harding partnered Larachelle to her fifth straight victory – and tenth in 11 starts for Joe Buttigieg – then equalled his 2005-2006 record of 170 wins for a South Australian reinsman when he led all the way in the trot with Some Glory for Lance Holberton.

However, the night was far from finished and Harding recorded win number 171 in the last event on the program with a confident drive aboard Fake Dunbar. Fake Dunbar, a seven-year-old gelded son of Fake Left, was having his first start for Ray Fewings and started favourite despite not winning for nearly 12 months.

Harding has been aided in his last two record seasons by incurring just one suspension and has also avoided time out through injury. The latter point was brought home a few weeks ago when David’s brother Matthew was involved in a serious fall at Globe Derby Park and will spend an extended period on the sidelines with a broken arm.

Eight further meetings are programmed for South Australia and it appears to be a mere formality that Harding will drive another three local winners to break the 169-win record for winners in South Australia and add to his amazing overall achievement.

 

Eastern Raiders

South Australians performed well at Mildura last Friday, with five horses making the trip and three returning home as winners from the afternoon program.

Golden Grove reinsman Tony Calabria scored a double with Chriscott for Neil Cavallaro and Assert for Peter Sergi, while earlier in the day Zed continued his good recent form with an impressive win for Evanston Park trainer Jenny Johnson.

The other two SA runners were Gunbarrel Straight, who finished third after meeting with some interference on the home turn, and Sheez Maid Magic who ran eighth in the same event.

At Moonee Valley, later on Friday, tough SA-owned mare Perfect Lignum brought up her 40th career victory and won her second metro class event in four starts during a campaign with Victorian horsewoman Lisa Miles.

Perfect Lignum has shown superior toughness in her two Moonee Valley wins over the past month with both victories from standing start races despite the mare not winning any stand start events previously in her career.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd