Harness racing who’s who pay tribute to Pitt at Shepparton
Golden oldies of the sport of harness racing and some new kids on the block made for a memorable night at last Friday night’s Shepparton trots meeting.
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Reinsman Mark Pitt’s fabulous feat of driving nine winners from nine drives in Launceston in April for trainer Emma Stewart was celebrated by a huge crowd, including many legendary names in the sport.
They included Inter Dominion-winning drivers and trainers in Jim O’Sullivan, Brian Gath, David Aiken and Scott Stewart as well as other household harness racing names in Kerryn Manning, Russell Jack, Carl O’Dwyer, Peter Walsh, Stephen Dove, Geoff Hill, Craig Demmler, Patsy Abraham, Kima Frenning, John and Chris Yeomans and Helen Head.
The future of the sport, a host of young pony trot drivers, who raced on the night were also acknowledged.
Guest of honour Mark Pitt and another young gun reinsman in James Herbertson were also interviewed in a memorable evening, which was hosted by legendary race-caller Dan Mielicki.
With his boundless knowledge of the sport, Mielicki was able to extract some wonderful accounts of their experiences from the host of guest interviewees.
Another of the highlights of the evening was the unveiling of a feature board display of Mark Pitt’s driving feat.
Organiser of the evening and local trainer Dave Farrar said he was ‘‘stoked’’ with how the evening had unfolded and said he had received a lot of congratulatory messages.
‘‘It took a lot of phone calls and a lot of organising, but from the feedback I’ve received it was all well worth it,’’ Farrar said.
Pitt shone on and off the track
While Mark Pitt was the off-track star at the Shepparton meeting he also left his mark out on the track.
Pitt piloted the pacer The Wolf to victory in what was arguably the run of the program.
Having just his third start for Pitt’s partner Lisa Bartley, and his 18th career start, The Wolf rounded the entire field over the last 600 metres to smash his rivals, beating the runner-up Galactic Girl by over 18 metres with Artistic Cowboy filling the minor placing.
By Rock N Roll Heaven out of the lightly-raced and winning Elsu mare Scarlet Falcon, The Wolf pulled out a 26.8 final quarter much to the delight of punters who had to bet up big as he was a $1.22 chance on the tote at the jump.
The Wolf has raced only at Menangle and Penrith before joining the Bartley barn at Stanhope East and had displayed his ability with three wins, including a 1.53.6 effort at Menangle, and six minor placings from 15 starts.
Early bird gets the worm
A ‘bird’ is an old racing term that applies to a horse who can’t, or rather shouldn’t, get beaten.
One of the feature races for trotters at the Shepparton meeting was claimed literally by a ‘bird’ called Egret.
Shepparton reinsman Leigh Sutton won the Aldebaran Park Shepparton Trotters Oaks on the Anton Golino-trained trotter.
A daughter of Father Patrick, Egret was an all the way winner, but had to dig deep in the concluding stages to hold off a gallant Aldebaran Keepa with Illawong Larjay a distant third.
The win pleased most punters as Egret was a warm favourite whose mile rate of 2.01.0 for the 2190m trip was outstanding considering the wet conditions.
Egret’s dam, the CR Commando mare Moyamba, was a prolific winner who has left two other winners, Sobomba and Red White An Bloom, from just the four foals to race.
In the other feature trots race on the program Just Believe claimed the Shepparton Saddleworld Trotters Cup for trainer Jess Tubbs and her reinsman husband Greg Sugars.
The Abrahams Two Year Old Trotters Classic was won by the David Miles-trained and Jayden Barker-driven Rockinwithattitude, who is a daughter of Aldebaran Eagle who produced the quinella in the race with another of his fillies, Dichotomy, in very smart mile rate time of 2.01.1 for the 2190m trip.
Pleasure-able success
Extra smart trotting mare Sheza Pleasure joined the $100,000 Prizemoney Earners Club when she outclassed some talented rivals at last Saturday night’s Melton meeting.
It was the four-year-old Bacardi Lindy mare’s ninth career win from 33 starts with five minor placings.
David Aiken has given Sheza Pleasure 10 starts since taking over the training of the mare midway through this season, which have now produced five wins and five other top five finishes.
Night School in session
Shepparton-trained pacer Night School gave his rivals a lesson at the Melton meeting.
The Steve Boyington-prepared and driven pacer, having his third start from a long spell, powered home to beat the runner-up Musztang by a whopping 18-plus metres with the favourite Shady Azz filling the minor placing.
A four-year-old mare by Blissfull Hall Night School was having his 24th trip to the races which have now produced five wins and nine minor placings.
So he has been a consistent earner for connections with the possibility of bigger and better things to come.
Northern odyssey reaps rewards
A trip north has worked wonders for Nanneella pacer Sayitaintso, a winner at the Shepparton meeting.
Prepared by Col Godden and driven by Josh Duggan, Sayitaintso came from last at the 1000m mark and with a three-wide tow up finished too strongly for his rivals.
After being purchased by his present trainer, Sayitaintso, a four-year-old Roll With Joe gelding, spent July and August in the Sunshine State, where he had a win and a placing at Albion Park from four starts.
Since returning from up north he has three starts, all on the Shepparton track, for two wins and a fifth to take his career record to six wins and four placings from 26 career starts.
Sam slams his rivals
New Zealand raider Simply Sam opened his Australian winning account at the Shepparton meeting.
Driven by Shepparton reinsman Nathan Jack for Kiwi trainer Ray Green, the American Ideal colt had to earn his win, getting home by a head from Villacci with Dangerzone a close-up third.
Simply Dam is a travelling companion for another of the Green team, Copy That, who claimed The Gammalite Free For All feature at Melton last Saturday night when driven by Jack.
Moran returns with a winner
While the future of superstar pacer Lochinvar Art is clouded at the moment the man who put him on the map made a dream return to the racing ranks earlier this week.
In his first drive after returning from suspension David Moran got the flying start he needed in his return to the sulky with a winner at his first drive back.
Moran partnered the in-form Viking to win the first race at the Yarra Valley meeting on Monday.
Coming off a win at his previous start at Wagga on September 9, the Rod Lakey-prepared Viking turned in another impressive winning performance at his sixth race start and third outing in this campaign.
Moran led on Viking early before handing up and then sprint-laned to victory with a slick 1.56.4 mile rate over the 1650m trip.
It has been a busy time for Moran in his return to racing with him moving from his former base at the Shepparton training complex to Greg Fleming’s state-of-the-art training complex at Murchison East.
Lochinvar Art, who has been trained by Lakey while Moran was suspended, may have run his last race, in Australia at least, after suffering a grade four pulmonary haemorrhage (acute bleeding from the lung) in the Gammalite Free For All at Melton last Saturday night.
After dashing for home off the final bend after going off stride early Lochinvar Art tired over the concluding stages to be beaten 19 metres by the winner, the New Zealander Copy That.
Lochinvar Art has been imposed with a 28-day mandatory ‘rest’ from racing which rules him out his chances of defending the upcoming Victoria Cup with talk he may be retired or head for America.
Lochinvar Art is a winner of 28 of his 56 starts and $1.4m in prizemoney earnings.
Life’s a Beach
Trainer Rod Lakey came up with a winning double at the Yarra Valley meeting, also producing the talented filly Beach Memories for a well deserved win.
Driven by Chris Alford, Beach Memories rolled to the front early and had no trouble fending off the favourite District Attorney with a scorching 55.2 last half.
The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere had two seconds since resuming form a six-month spell and is a very smart pacer when at the top of her game, right which she seems to be at the moment.
Alford completed a race-to-race driving double at the meeting, scoring with Lopez for veteran Avenel horseman Col Duncan in the last two races.
The four-year-old daughter of A Rocknoll Dance, Lopez has been racing in consistent form with two wins and two placings in her last five starts.
She has now four races with nine minor placings from 29 starts for prizemoney earnings of more than $34,000.
Bryant’s Gift
Merrigum trainer Luke Bryant also enjoyed a win at the Yarra Valley meeting with trotter Violetta Gift.
The six-year-old Andover Gift mare took up the front running early in the race and defied a host of challengers with less than eight metres separating the first eight place-getters at the finishing post.
Those who backed the mare were pretty happy with the result as she was a 25/1 shot.
It was her second win in her last three starts, having won two starts previously at Cranbourne on August 28.
Violetta Gift has been a consistent trotter with her 29 starts producing four wins and 12 placings and more than $28,000 in prizemoney earnings.
Sweet success
Trotter Berriesandcherries was the flavour in a trotters race at the Wedderburn meeting at Maryborough last Sunday.
And trainer-driver of the trotter Donna Castles kept her knack of producing long-priced winners with the victory.
The five-year-old mare by Crazed paid $17 for the win which was achieved with a stirring finishing burst in which she accounted for the Elmore-trained Jay Bee Flex and Bicardi Chick in a crowded finish.
Berriesandcherries doesn’t win out of turn and it was her fourth win from 26 tries with four minor placings.
Win was Guaranteed
Former topline pacer Guaranteed has produced his ninth individual winner from 21 starters to get to the races so far when the omen bet of the Bendigo meeting on Tuesday night, Royal Appointment, saluted.
Trained by Rochester’s Mark Thompson and driven by Ellen Tormey, Royal Appointment was having just his fourth race start. But having had three top four finishes in his previous three outings he was a popular winner with most punters as he was an odds-on favourite.
He is the only foal out of the unraced Changeover mare Lost In The System.
Meetings coming up
They are back racing at Shepparton next Tuesday night.
Today: Horsham (d) Kilmore (n)
Saturday: Mildura (n)
Sunday: Cranbourne (d)
Monday: Maryborough (d)
Tuesday: Shepparton (n)
Wednesday: Bendigo (n)
Thursday: Melton (d), Swan Hill (n)
Friday: Geelong (n)
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