SA Harness Highlights - 5 November 2007

Convinced She’s A Winner

Paralowie trainer-reinsman Barry Preston pulled off one of the training performances of the year when he piloted trotting mare Shedontnosheslitle to a maiden victory at Globe Derby Park last Monday afternoon.

Despite placing at three of her four starts as a two-year-old, Shedontnosheslitle developed an inclination for breaking gait early in races, and failed to pick up another cheque in a further 18 starts for her trainer, driver and owner Peter Tidswell.

Preston, an Account Manager with Cadbury-Schweppes when not training winners, bought the talented but erratic five-year-old from Tidswell early in the season and immediately set about reforming her manners.

Preston bypassed the trials with Shedontnosheslitle and the pair made their first appearance at the track last week where Preston was quietly confident of a promising result.

The first hurdle was out of the way when she safely negotiated the start and rolled to the front. The odds-on favourite, Four Carat, settled on Preston’s back but he kept his charge rolling along in front at a genuine speed and they were never headed.

The only hiccup came within the shadows of the post, when Preston got a little anxious in the cart and Shedontnosheslitle galloped across the line.

“I thought I was driving Wrekognize,” Preston said, in reference to his veteran trotter who may have handled the vigorous driving a little better.

A subsequent protest from the David Harding, driver of second placegetter Four Carat, was dismissed and Shedontnosheslitle had officially recorded her first victory.

 

Giorgio Doubles Up

Honours went to SA Harness Racing Club vice-president Bronte Giorgio at last Friday night’s Globe Derby Park meeting, with the local horseman recording a driving double and a training double, through three different races.

Giorgio kicked off the night in style with confident winning drive – a third consective victory and fourth for the season - on five-year-old mare Art And Soul for Two Wells trainer Kevin Dempsey.

In race three on the program, Giorgio was again in the winners circle with Karamea Dreamin, another mare but this time trained by himself. It was the six-year-old’s first win since July last year and came after five placings from her first seven starts for Giorgio.

With a driving double already in the bag, Giorgio was presented with a training double when Tony Calabria piloted Burningthebreeze to an all the way victory in race five on the program.

 

Ups and Downs of Racing – Part 1

Going home with an empty float is one of the hardest things to deal with when entering horses in claiming races, however if your charge wins the race in your colours before going elsewhere it makes the task a little easier.

For those not familiar with a claiming race, it requires an owner to put a price on his horse – within the conditions of the event – and any other person can lodge a ‘claim’ for that horse and take immediate possession of the horse following the race if their claim is successful.

Exuberant Poplar entered the Barastoc Phar Lap Claiming Pace having his 44^th start for the Gawler Belt-based Shane Young and Gina Bell team since joining them in April 2006, with the nine-year-old a regular earner for the stable due to three wins and 15 placings in those 44 starts.

The veteran won a fourth race for his trainer and driver partnership of Young and Bell on Friday night at Globe Derby Park, however Exuberant Poplar was claimed from the race by a Whyalla stable.

The positives of claiming racing is it gives horses that have reached their mark the opportunity to continue racing with the trainer setting their handicap, but you just never know when your horse may be racing for someone else the following week.

 

Ups and Downs of Racing – Part 2

Dublin trainer-reinsman John Hurrell experienced the highs and lows of harness racing within 24 hours last weekend, with a tailed off last on Friday night quickly erased by an all the way victory on Saturday night.

Hurrell went to Globe Derby Park on Friday night with four-year-old gelding Don Belard, who previously had just the one infamous start when he broke in the score up and was placed out of the draw.

Despite trialling well since, Don Belard was up to the same tricks last weekend when causing a false start at the first attempt and then missing the start again at the second attempt before trailing throughout and finishing 77 metres from the winner.

However Hurrell’s disappointment only lasted 24 hours when he teamed with the Peta Brown trained Bizzell to win at Globe Derby Park the following evening. Leading all the way, Hurrell gave the six-year-old a comfortable first half before holding off Flight Edition and Sweet Chilli at the finish.

The win by Bizzell was his first since joining Brown’s Kapunda stable in the middle of the year and just his second from 25 career starts.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd