SA Harness Highlights - 15 October 2007

‘Buchfelde Bullet’ Amongst Nations Best

South Australian owned gelding Ndizani has stamped himself amongst the top rung of the country’s pacers when he was a gallant runner-up in the gruelling SEW Eurodrive The Gammalite at Moonee Valley last Saturday night.

Ndizani is owned by Buchfelde trainer Garry Connor, who prepared him from his first start as a four-year-old until June of this year when he was transferred to the Great Western stable of Australia’s leading reinswoman Kerryn Manning.

The Gammalite is a tough staying test under standing start conditions for pacers headed towards the $70,000 Group 2 Kilmore Cup later in the month and included the likes of early Kilmore Cup favourites Manwarra Goforgold and Smooth Crusa, along with former SA Cup winner The Warp Drive and Stawell, Shepparton, Ballarat, Bendigo and Hunter Cup winner Sting Lika Bee.

From a handy front row draw Manning put Ndizani straight to the front and was not headed until late in the race when Penny Veejay took advantage of the sprint lane and his cosy run on the pegs to grab victory by a head.

Ndizani was in no way disgraced with many of his higher credentialed rivals left in his wake after he made all the running with a 2:00.6 milerate for the 2575 metre journey, including a sizzling 56.9 second last half.

 

Industry Awards Function Soon

The 2007 SA Harness Racing Industry Awards function is fast approaching.

Harness Racing SA, the SA Harness Racing Club, SA BOTRA, the SA Reinswomens Association and the SA Square Trotters Association will join forces on Sunday afternoon, October 28, to recognise the achievements of industry participants during the season which concluded at the end of August.

Harness Racing SA released a list of nominations for their respective awards recently including the coveted SA Horse of the Year title which last year went to two-year-old sensation Oztreos.

This season’s award looks like a battle between Inter Dominion participant Conte De Cristo, the ultra-consistent Urjokin, Jim Jacques-owned pacer Roseworthy Lad and classy mare Larachelle. However two-year-old and three-year-old pacers as well as open class trotters are also eligible to be selected for the award, with Vicbred winner Elysees Crest in contention.

Two new awards have been introduced this year by Harness Racing SA. Juvenile Trotter of the Year will reward the achievements of a two or three-year-old squaregaiter and Claimer of the Year will honour a pacers success in the claiming ranks.

Tickets for the day, which includes a smorgasbord lunch starting at 12 noon in Globe Derby Park’s Paceway Restaurant, can be purchased from the secretary’s office at Globe Derby Park for just $25.

 

Wata Wata Girl Finally Secures Second Win

Many people will remember Wata Wata Girl’s first race. In a two-year-old Southern Cross heat in May of 2005, the dimunitive filly showed a brilliant turn of foot at the top of the straight to sprint home to grab victory in the shadows of the post.

It looked as though the filly had a big future in front of her. She was well-bred by John Cunningham out of his top US-bred mare Tarmark who won 31 races and in excess of $120,000, but as it turned out the debut victory was her first and only success until last Friday night.

Initially trained by Irvine Smyth, then spending time late last year with Reg Trevean, Wata Wata Girl showed she had the ability but could not transfer it into racetrack performances. She had a tendency to break gait when confronted with the smallest of excuses.

Bought by Lorraine Hryhorec, Frank Cavallaro and the All For Fun Syndicate, headed by Lewiston’s David Delbridge, in March this year she was transferred to the Globe Derby stables of Ryan Hryhorec.

Apart from a couple of occasions when there have been mitigating circumstances, Hryhorec seems to have worked out her problems and with three placings in the 12 starts since taking over her preparation was rewarded with a win last weekend.

With a small field aiding the cause Hryhorec had Wata Wata Girl positioned perfectly behind behind the leader for most of the event before making a run on the inside over the final 200 metres – in similar style to her first win some two years previous - to secure the victory by just over a metre.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

SA Harness Highlights - 8 October 2007

Justice ‘Holiday’ Proves Successful

Former leading South Australian reinswoman Lisa Justice seized on an opportunity to return ‘home’ and grab some spending money when first starter Wholelotasound and former top juvenile Elijah were impressive winners last weekend.

The school holidays presented Justice with the opportunity to visit family with her daughter and the decision to tack on the float and bring a couple of horses paid handsome dividends.

Lisa Justice, now training from Rockbank in Melbourne’s outer west, couldn’t get a start with three-year-old Wholelotasound late in his two-year-old year and brought him west for a debut run at Friday nights Globe Derby meeting.

Justice bred the gelding out of race-winning Classic Garry mare Wholelota Rosie, whom she also trained in a very short racetrack career, making him a half-brother to talented five-year-old Knowlsies Crown. Knowlsies Crown has won 10 races with the Lisa Justice polish plus a second placing in a Breeders Crown Consolation.

Wholelotasound was sent out an odds-on favourite in the final event last Friday night, highlighting the respect with which Justice is still held in SA, and after sitting parked outside the leader found an extra gear when the deafeners were released to win comfortably.

Justice returned to headquarters the following night with Elijah, a horse who local harness racing fans would be very familiar with from his days racing in the Neil Cavallaro stable.

Elijah won the Golden Nursery and Lordship Stakes at Globe Derby Park as a two-year-old as well as being placed in the Premiere and Youthful Stakes at Moonee Valley.

The In The Pocket five-year-old returned to Globe Derby for the first time in 20 months, after overcoming a stress fracture which threatened his career, but showed no signs of soreness by leading all the way to win by 10-metres.

In form pacers Angel Flyer, Smoke On The Water and Karion Kweeny were left in his wake as a 58.6 final 800 metres set up the impressive win and completed a very successful visit for Lisa Justice.

 

All The Way For Iris

Despite not winning since April last year and failing to fill a place in her last six starts, Iris had plenty of supporters when sent out a $3 favourite in the final race at Globe Derby Park last Saturday night and didn’t let them down with an all-the-way victory.

Iris, an eight-year-old by super sire Fake Left, had run a number of handy races from back row draws in the past couple of months without troubling the judge. A front row barrier in Saturday night’s event and a slightly easier class of opposition were all it took for the mare to record her sixth career win.

Trained and raced by Naomi Shelbourne at Lewiston and driven by her partner David Jolly, Iris looked decidedly keen to run along with her tail high in the air from the moment she sprung from the mobile. However Jolly was able to keep her mind on the job at hand and kept a genuine pace throughout, establishing a winning break off the back straight and holding off all challengers in the run to the line.

 

Jet’ From Last to First

Freeling trainer Rob Turner enjoyed his third win in just his second season of training when Jetpilot came from last to win the Barastoc – Calm Performer Pace at Globe Derby Park last Friday night.

Six-year-old gelding Jetpilot has provided Turner with each of those victories, and last weeks success was easily one of the best runs in his 55 start career.

With Danielle Hill in the cart, Jetpilot was last 400-metres from the finish but unleashed a finishing burst as the leaders struggled into a head breeze and grabbed a three-metre victory.

Turner only started training in his own right at the beginning of last season and took on a winless Jetpilot. While it took him 13 starts and six months to break his maiden status, Turner has enjoyed 10 placings and a further two wins in his 28 runs since then.

 

Changes to SA BOTRA Pace

SA BOTRA have reacted to the lack of nominations for the 2007 BOTRA Pace by introducing new conditions for the two-year-old event which will be conducted in March from this season forward.

The race was previously for horses sired by stallions standing in SA, but with the numbers of local stallions declining the race suffered from a lack of eligible young pacers.

The new guidelines establish that any two-year-old will be eligible for the race provided the owners or lessees are fully paid-up members of SABOTRA at the time the entry is lodged and a once-off entry fee of $137.50 is paid with the nomination by the closing time – which this season will be 5pm on December 14.

$2000 qualifying heats will be conducted in the month preceding the BOTRA Pace Final, which is expected to be run for $20,000 at its first edition scheduled for March 8, 2008.

Further details and a nomination form will soon be available on the HRSA Industry Pages on the harness.org.au website under the BOTRA link.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

SA Harness Highlights - October 1, 2007

Duke Of Cornwall Turns Form Around

Duke of Cornwall recovered from a disappointing last start performance two weeks ago in Saturday night company where he dropped out to finish last, by returning to the winners circle last Friday night at Globe Derby Park.

Penfield trainer John Craig blamed a poor preparation and better opposition for the performance.

“He got shod that week and missed a day of work, so that is all I can put it down to. His preparation wasn’t right, plus it was a step up in class” Craig said.

Duke Of Cornwall seemed to appreciate the return to Friday night racing, with driver Shaun Adams taking the sit behind the leader and using the sprint lane to record his third win in four starts.

The eight-year-old gelding was claimed by Craig for just $1000 in October last year and since then has won six of his 19 starts, for a career record of 10 wins from 65 starts.

Duke Of Cornwall is the fifth foal and first pacing progeny from trotting mare, Final Look. Final Look’s second foal is Missus Havachat, the dam of My Hero who recently made a successful transition from struggling trotter to successful pacer under the conditioning of Claire Goble.

 

Dream Lady Cruises to Three Straight

Dream Lady continued her brilliant form at Globe Derby Park on Saturday night by recording her third successive victory and fifth from her past seven starts.

The six-year-old daughter of US-bred sire Jet Laag had posted sub two-minute performances in her past two starts over the 1800-metre journey and went close to a similar time over last weekends 2230-metre trip, rating a smart 2:00.8.

Dream Lady has been prepared by Globe Derby trainer-driver Cheryl Herman for the past two years, and registered her first lifetime win and first for the stable in March last year. Dream Lady added a further two successes to her resume, at Port Pirie and Mildura, in July last year before a year-long winning drought, although she only started on 11 occasions in that 12 months.

Her next victory came at Globe Derby Park on July 9 this year in her first run for 2007 after a seven month break, and started a brilliant run of form which has included five wins and two seconds from seven attempts. Her career record now stands at eight wins and 16 placings from just 41 starts.

Dream Lady is the first of three foals from race winning Whats Next mare On Baller bred by Leo Newbound, and is now raced by her trainer-driver Cheryl Herman and husband Jim.

 

Love The Sound of Winning

Lightly raced mare Love The Sound scored an impressive victory a fortnight back despite being posted three wide for the final circuit, and backed up last Friday night to prove the win was no fluke with a tough, front-running win.

Love The Sound, a four-year-old mare by SA and Hunter Cup winning sire Safe And Sound, was bred by, and is still race by, her trainer Mark Koehn along with Richard Coates and David Schoolderman.

The mare debuted as a three-year-old earlier this year but had no luck in her initial three starts. Breaking in the score-up before finishing third at her first start, and racing three wide at various stages in her other two appearances.

She returned to the track two weeks ago with a very good win over Wroxton Witha Dash and Ultmate Decision.

In form reinsman Scott Ewen was in the sulky on that occasion, but due to suspension he was replaced by David Harding for last Friday nights race where Love The Sound was sent out a $1.70 favourite from barrier one.

Narrowly holding the lead after a first turn charge from horses on her outside and then withholding a mid-race challenge from last start winner Inouno, Harding was able to give his charge a chance to recover before urging her to the line to record a four-metre victory.

 

Wow, What a Weekend for Topnotch Harding

The new harness racing season has a fresh start, but some familiar names are already making their mark.

After a slower than usual start to the season, David Harding has launched himself back to the top of the state drivers premiership following a big weekend in which he landed himself seven winners across the two meetings.

South Australia’s leading reinsman for the past three seasons, Harding started the weekend behind early season premiership leader Paul Cavallaro, but finished in front courtesy of a quartet of winners at Globe Derby Park on Friday night and a treble on Saturday night.

Love The Sound, Mendacity, Four Carat and Wow What A Night provided the spoils on Friday night while Topnotch Sam, Stefanys Handshake and Cullens Hope gave Harding a running treble in successive races at the tail end of Saturday nights card.

Golden Grove Maestros, Peter Sergi and Joe Carbone, will campaign in the 2007-2008 season as a training partnership after previously preparing runners as separate stables.

Had the pair been officially training in partnership last season, they would have easily taken out the SA trainers premiership by preparing 76 winners for the term. As it stands Sergi finished second on 54 wins and Carbone equal eleventh with 22.

However the Maestros will officially be a joint force this season and despite Peter Sergi’s name featuring in the premierships, as it does now with him four wins clear of Bronte Giorgio on top of the state table, you can rest assured Joe Carbone is just as big a force in the stables operation.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

SA Harness Highlights - 24 September 2007

Highs and Lows for Ewen

Two Wells horseman Scott Ewen has experienced the highs and lows of harness racing in the past week.

Coming off his most successful season in the sulky to date with 58 winners – his previous best was 27 – Ewen has started 2007-2008 in a similar style recording six winners within the first three weeks of the season.

But unfortunately for Ewen, he will be watching from the sidelines now for a little over a week after ending his winning week with a suspension from the trotters event at Globe Derby on Saturday night.

Ewen’s run started with a treble and two seconds at last Monday afternoon’s meeting where he dominated the early part of the day.

Running second on Unique Style by the barest of margins in the opening race and then finishing in the same position aboard Tommy Thegun in the second race, Ewen followed with a winning treble in the next three races.

Teaming up with Globe Derby trainer Reg Trevean, Ewen partnered 10-year-old gelding Nutfield to a late charging victory before winning in a similar manner with the Trevean-trained trotter, Malhana Destroyer.

Dancing Silks, trained by Ewen himself, brought about the treble in race five, starting favourite and leading throughout the event before holding off Shy Lauren for the win.

The success continued on Friday night for Ewen with a ‘bookend’ double.

Chromeazone, another from Ewen’s own Two Wells stable, led throughout and saluted the judge in the opening event. Ewen was back in the winners circle in the final event, steering the Mark Koehn-trained mare Love The Sound to a maiden victory.

However the week ended on a sour note with Ewen earning a 10-day suspension aboard Stefanys Handshake on Saturday night and putting a short hold on his teams winning start to the new season.

 

Long Wait for ‘Winning’ Feeling

Prior to last Friday night’s Globe Derby Park meeting, Inouno and Physical Graffiti had gone a combined six years without tasting victory.

For the Michael Winning trained and driven Inouno, 3 September 2004 was the last time the seven-year-old mare had crossed the line first, while the Vince Albanese-prepared 11-year-old Physical Graffiti had not won since 15 June of the same year.

But within half and hour of each other on Friday night, both pacers were winners.

In similar style both horses came from the position behind the respective leaders to claim narrow victories over more fancied rivals and repay a small part of the faith shown in them by their very patient connections.

 

Rovers Returning Again And Again

Smart trotting mare Rovers Return has raced 52 times in the past two seasons for Penfield trainer-driver David Smith, recording six wins and 12 placings.

Rovers Return has not had an extended rest for 10 months, starting at least twice a month since December last year.

But if her last seven starts, in which the seven-year-old has won four races and finished runner-up on the other three occasions, are anything to go by Rovers Return loves the consistent racing routine.

A second win in three starts came last Friday night, with David Smith steering the mare to an effortless but impressive four-metre victory over Radiant Storm and Illumni.

 

SABOTRA Awards Function Next Sunday

SABOTRA will hold their Awards function at the Paceway Restaurant, Globe Derby Park on September 30.

Awards being presented on the day will include the SA Bred 2-year-old Finalist, Southern Cross 2-year-old Finalist, SA Bred 3-year-old Finalist, Southern Cross 3-year-old Finalist and the SA BOTRA 4-year-old and Older Horse of the Year.

The day will start at 11.30am for 12 noon and cost per person in $25 which includes a smorgasbord dinner.

SABOTRA will also conduct a Stallion Auction on the day. Stallions to be auctioned are Die Laughing, Conch De Ville, Sign Off, Flight N Irish, Wrath Of Pan, My Handsome Fella, Framework, Zooma, Armbro Oliver, Wind Cries Maori, Our Sir Vancelot, Jeremys Gambit, Mystical Shark, Wingspread, Whiteland Trouble, Satans Command and Righteous Hanover.

Tickets for the Awards Function can be obtained by contacting Jo Kuchel on (08) 8365 4888 or 0431 126 271, Sharen Hoogmoed on 0422 436 289, or any SA BOTRA Committee Member.

No tickets will be sold at the door.

 

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

SA Harness Highlights - 10 September 2007

Smith’s First Win For Boss

Young Kapunda reinsman Matthew smith recorded his first win for the Toby Ryan stable on Saturday night at Globe Derby Park, partnering Jet Laag mare Nancy Anne to a maiden victory.

Raced by Arrowcrest Standardbreds and Latengo Pty Ltd, the same partnership as stablemate and Vicbred winner Elysees Crest, Nancy Anne joined the Toby Ryan team in July after racing with Steven O’Donoghue in Victoria.

Matthew Smith has been spending his weekdays working with Ryan at his Roseworthy stables and picked up the drive much to his own surprise.

“It wasn’t until I looked at the fields that I saw Toby had put me on,” Smith said.

“I have been driving her a fair bit in work. She has been working with Capreolate and Toby has been driving her while I have been working with Nancy Anne,” he added.

The four-year-old mare had not been to the races since a Globe Derby race in early July, and had deliberately been kept fresh for Saturday nights engagement.

“In Victoria she had been running her best races at the trials, so this time in we decided it might be better not to trial her, just work her at home and take her to the races as fresh as possible,” Smith said.

Despite being sent out a $5.80 second elect, Nancy Anne looked the winner from the moment Smith steered her into a three-wide trail 1000-metres from home. Driving patiently, Smith kept the mare undercover until the home turn where she motored past the leaders to win by eight metres.

Although the win may be the breakthrough that kick-starts more success, it is likely Nancy Anne will only race until the end of the month before she is sent to the breeding barn where she will be served by Life Sign.

 

Triumphant Return To Form

Mollys Triumph burst back onto the winners list on Saturday night, registering an impressive, all-the-way eight-metre victory and putting a few ordinary performances behind her.

The seven-year-old mare was forced from the track in March following a quarter crack complaint that worsened during a close second placing in Country Graduation Final, and her three starts back had produced a best result of fifth.

Angaston trainer Gary Coombes partly blamed himself for her the poor form, but also recognised a minor but important gear change put her mind back on the job.

“She wasn’t quite fit enough before as I was working her with (then three-year-old) Theocracy and I was probably keeping her back to him, which wasn’t the best thing in the long run,” Coombes said.

“She slipped a crupper a few starts back so we put a tail tie on her and she just wouldn’t go.”

The tail tie came off prior to last Saturday nights race and that, along with a draw that allowed her to lead, were the keys to a change in attitude. A mid week hitout also showed Coombes she might be back in form.

“She is definitely better in front but I also think she is getting better with age,” Coombes said, “We went to Kapunda last week where I do a couple of miles pace work then a rest, and then a mile. She came home in 58 so I told Scotty she would zip home for him.”

While the recent break due to the equine influenza shut down may have disrupted the training regime of many horses around the state, and certainly forced an change in routine for Mollys Triumph, Coombes admitted it may have been a blessing.

“(The Equine Influenza) has impacted a little bit. I have been lunging her and driving her around a two acre paddock at home, and I probably lost a little bit with her. But she does race well fresh and she should hold that (form) for a little while now.”

Just like fellow mare Nancy Anne who also won on Saturday nights Globe Derby program, Mollys Triumph has a future in the breeding barn

“I would like to get one foal from her and then see what happens. She is a Vanston Hanover mare and I have already had an approach from Queensland as they have done all right up there,” Coombes said.

But while she is racing in good heart and showing the zip she displayed on the weekend, Gary Coombes will keep sending her to the racetrack.

 

Super Six Kicks Starts Season for Cav

Fresh from a great season in which he finished second on the Metropolitan Drivers Premiership and third on the State table, Paul Cavallaro dominated the opening Saturday night Metropolitan meeting of the 2007-2008 season with four winners, on top of a double at Friday night’s Globe Derby meeting.

In total, after the first three meetings of this current racing term, Cavallaro had 11 drives and finished no further back than fourth with six winners, four thirds and a fourth.

With the first ‘full strength’ race meeting of the season on Friday night, the Golden Grove based reinsman started with a winner courtesy of the Joe Puccini-prepared Per Sempre in race one, then kicked home Im Slippery When Wet later in the night for his father Neil.

The win by Im Slippery When Wet was the four-year-old mare’s first victory at her 47^th racetrack appearance and came on the back of two second placings at her most recent starts.

Cavallaro doubled his tally on Saturday night with a treble for his father-in-law Peter Sergi and added a further win with Smoke On The Water who he trains himself.

In a similar fashion to the previous nights program, Cavallaro kicked off the night with a win in the opening race, leading all the way aboard Johnny Doika for an easy eight metre victory.

Smoke On The Water brought up an early double in race two before another all the way win later in the night with giant pacer Conte De Cristo earned Cavallaro a treble. Conte De Cristo, in just his second race start since the Mildura Cup Final in April, cruised around the Globe Derby circuit with a pedestrian 65.4 second first half before scorching home in 56.6.

A third successive win by Assert brought up a second career quartet for Cavallaro, with his other foursome courtesy of Money Go Round, Kooross, Chatham Chatter and My Estate also at Globe Derby Park in June 1997.

In the ten years between the two quartets, Cavallaro has also driven 12 trebles to establish himself as one of the top drivers in the state.

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd

 

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.

 

* * *

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