SA Harness Highlights - 19 November 2007

Smith Celebrates Early

Kapunda reinsman Matthew Smith celebrated his birthday a few hours early when he steered six-year-old Bizzell to the horses second successive victory at Gawler Landscaping Supplies Sportspark for fellow-Kapunda local Peta Brown.

Just a fortnight after John Hurrell partnered the gelding to an all the way Saturday night victory at Globe Derby Park, Smith used similar tactics by punching out from barrier one and leading throughout for a two-metre victory.

The win was an early birthday present for the Port Pirie-born youngster who turned 18 the following day. Smith had just one drive at Globe Derby Park on the night of his birthday, steering outsider Safe Ebony to fifth place for Toby Ryan in the last event.

Matthew Smith has now recorded three winners for the season after racking up 10 winners in each of his first two seasons in the sulky.

 

Kearney and Thuen Return to Fire Again

Return Fire survived a small mishap on Saturday night and proceeded to record his third straight victory for the Linwood-based Kearney family. At the luxurious UniTAB price of $9.30, the eight-year-old had to pass a vets examination to take his place in the field after slipping in the float on the way to the track.

The Andrew Kearney-trained gelding has dominated November, winning at every attempt this month despite being relatively unfancied on each occasion. Return Fire started at his shortest quote of $6 last week when he won his second Saturday night race for the year after winning at $12.60 eight days previous.

With 20-year-old Kearney only holding a B-Grade drivers licence and unable to drive the eight-year-old on Saturday night metropolitan meetings, experienced reinsman David Thuen has taken the reins the past two weeks.

In almost identical circumstances Thuen sat Return Fire on the back of the leader before outsprinting them in the home straight. Last week it was Just Trumps who was outgunned with an outside run, this week Precipation was overhauled with an inside dash.

The recent success of Return Fire may be due to Kearney picking up some handy training tips from Australia’s premier trainer David Hayes, for whom he has worked at Lindsay Park for nearly 12 months.

 

Caffe Primo Serve Up Trotting Feast

Italian Cup Night at Globe Derby Park on Saturday, December 1, continues to grow with another sponsor and feature event added this week by Harness Racing South Australia.

Danny Silvestri from Caffé Primo at Salisbury has jumped on board to sponsor the 'Rome Trotting Cup', a new feature race on the program.

The Caffé Primo Salisbury Rome Trotting Cup will be a T3 or better event for the best squaregaiters in the state over the testing 2645-metre journey under discretionary handicap conditions.

The $8,000 stake for event means it will compliment the $8,000 'Access Civil' Italian Cup as a co-feature on the first Saturday night in December.

 

Finally It’s Freddy

Before last Saturday night veteran pacer Freddy Rama had not won a race since April 2003 when he defeated Vanlo Yorker and The Falcon Strike in a handicap event at Gloucester Park.

Backmarker, The Falcon Strike, had just returned from a creditable fifth in the AG Hunter Cup and started an odds-on favourite. Following the defeat to Freddy Rama, The Falcon Strike went on to win a Newcastle Mile, Fremantle Pacing Cup, two Australian Pacing Championships, two WA Pacing Cups and ran second in an Inter Dominion Final on his way to banking more than $1.2 million in stakes.

Freddy Rama didn’t win another race.

That was until Two Wells trainer-driver Pat Carbone led on him from start to finish at Globe Derby Park last Saturday night breaking and four and a half year drought.

The eleven-year-old was claimed by Murray Bandick two months ago and transferred to Carbone’s stable. Freddy Rama is now a veteran of 217 starts, from which he has won 13 times and placed on a further 37 occassions.

 

Fitzy Off To A Flyer

Ahead of Port Pirie’s season opening Phoenix Park meeting this Friday night, local trainer Paul Fitzgerald got a head start with three-year-old pacers Art For The Heart and Cha Cha Charlie winning at Globe Derby Park last Monday afternoon.

Both youngsters were winners during their two-year-old seasons – Art For The Heart scoring four times and Cha Cha Charlie once – and started off their three-year-old campaigns in the best possible style.

Art For The Heart, the only racing progeny of Vicbred placegetter and Ouyen Cup winning mare Meet Me In Paris, was the first of the duo to win. With Paul Cavallaro in the cart, the filly worked hard out of the mobile before settling behind the leader, and then using the sprint lane the last time for victory.   

Fitzgerald’s purple and gold colours were back in the winners circle the very next race with Cha Cha Charlie saluting, again with Paul Cavallaro steering. A half brother to 2006 SA Horse of the Year Oztreos, Cha Cha Charlie nearly threw the race away with some erratic racing in the home straight, but held off his challengers to give Fitzgerald and Cavallaro the running double.

With the first Port Pirie meeting for the season on their front door this Friday night, both pacers look set to line up in a three-year-old event, while a rarity for Northern harness racing enthusiasts will be a trot on the program. Squaregaiters have not been seen at Port Pirie for a couple of seasons and the race should generate plenty of interest.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd