SA Harness Highlights - 26 November 2007

Surgery Continues Amazing Northern Record

Two Wells trainer-driver Gary Buckley re-ignited an unimpressive season for his five-year-old mare Surgery by making the trip to Port Pirie last Friday night.

Surgery started the season with an honest record of 10 wins and 14 placings from 42 starts, but in four starts since September, all at Globe Derby Park, had finished no better than fifth.

The first meeting of the year at Port Pirie’s Phoenix Park came about just in time for the daughter of Armbro Operative, who has an outstanding record at the northern circuit. In 10 starts there prior to last weekend, Surgery has won six times and finished runner-up at the other four.

The mare obviously appreciates the wide-open spaces of the Port Pirie track and kept her record intact with a two-metre victory in the final event on the program.

Buckley registered a running-double of sorts by winning the first race at Globe Derby Park the following night with Debutante Ball. Aided by the poor manners of favourite Art And Soul, Debutante Ball led throughout for a three-metre victory.

 

Huge Crowds Ahead of Schedule

The recent warm weather and onset of daylight saving has encouraged big crowds to attend Globe Derby Park’s Saturday night meetings in the past month.

With the Paceway Restaurant enjoying their busiest period of the year, many families have also seized on the opportunity to take in the exciting harness racing action in the comfortable summer conditions.

Eskys, deckchairs and kids have plentiful on the expansive lawns, well ahead of the usual influx of fans over the traditional Christmas-Summer Carnival period later in the year.

 

Mighty Run by Mighty Aslan

The Shane Young-trained and Gina Bell-driven Mighty Aslan showed his class at Globe Derby Park last Saturday night with a ‘mighty’ performance.

Parked three-wide for the entire trip, the eight-year-old gelding had the audacity to kick clear of his rivals in the home straight to register a 1.5-metre victory in a rate of 1:59.1 which was just 0.3 seconds outside his career best.

Mighty Aslan appreciated the drop in class from his last start where he was far from disgraced with a ninth placing in a Moonee Valley stand start event. Bell also drove the veteran of 103 races like he was the best horse in the race and didn’t panic when stranded wide on the track.

Mighty Aslan returned to SA recently after 12 months in Western Australia and his form has steadily improved under Shane Young’s care which culminated in last weekend’s super effort.

 

Access Civil Italian Cup Night

South Australia’s fast class pacers will step onto the Globe Derby Park track this Saturday to contest a new look Italian Cup night.

The fixture has regularly been held around the New Year period, but this year has been switched back to the early December in a move to revive what used to be one of South Australian harness racing’s biggest nights.

The honour roll includes names such as Bonamax, Carvils Choice, Keep It Up, Ryans Day and Friends For Life, with last years winner Free Loader embarking on a successful Victorian campaign following his Italian Cup win.

In recent years the event has been lost in the spotlight of the Group 1 South Australian Cup, but will create it’s own mark on the calendar this year thanks to the support of Access Civil along with Access Aluminium and Glass Pty Ltd.

Access Civil will be the naming rights sponsors for the 2007 Italian Cup and Access Aluminium and Glass will have their name on a support race, while Caffe Primo at Salisbury have also jumped onboard to sponsor the co-feature Rome Trotting Cup.

The lone local contender at this years SA Inter Dominion, Conte De Cristo, will no doubt be the horse to beat in the Access Civil Italian Cup. The big striding seven-year-old enjoyed a week off from the track in preparation for the event that will also reward fast times with $3500 in speed incentives.

Another Inter Dominion class pacer in Dee Dees Dream scorched the track in Conte De Cristo’s absence last Saturday night recording an effortless 17-metre victory off a sizzling 57.4 second last half. However connections are likely to miss a return effort in preference to an attempt at three consecutive City of Launceston Cups in Tasmania the following week. That is unless horse restrictions on the Apple Isle force a rethink.

Whatever the make-up of the field, the race and the entire program should showcase some sensational South Australian harness racing.

 

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd