Group glory for Goulburn Valley horsemen
Goulburn Valley horsemen featured in group glory wins in an eventful few days late last week.
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David Moran started a memorable few days personally guiding Our Millionaire to a runaway win in the Group Three $35,000 Swan Hill Pacing Cup triumph last Friday night.
The Emma Stewart-trained pacer ran his rivals ragged in a relentless front running display over the 2790m marathon trip, returning a blistering 1.56.3 mile rate.
At the meeting Moran also partnered the Greg Fleming-trained Red Hot Assassin to victory to complete a hat-trick of wins for that horse, trainer and driver after winning at Wagga and Kilmore at his previous two starts.
Moran’s weekend got even better on Saturday night at the Melton meeting when he reined home three winners for the Stewart stable including the Benstud Standardbreds Group One $100,000 Queen Of The Pacific winner Ladies In Red.
With the win the four-year-old champion mare took her record to 21 wins from 26 starts with five second placings and her prizemoney earnings to more than $886,000.
Moran’s other winners on Stewart-trained horses at the Melton meeting were Hector and Khafaji.
Former Queensland-trained Hector made it five successive wins — three in the Sunshine State and two since joining the Stewart stables — with the victory.
While Moran was making his mark at Melton, Mark Pitt chalked up another Group One win for the Stewart stable at the Menangle meeting, partnering Major Delight to win the Group One $150,000 NSW Breeders Challenge for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Major Delight put up a giant run, sitting parked outside the pacemaker for the entire 1609m, or mile, trip and rating a scorching 1.50.3 PB.
Not to be outdone by his talented local driving peers, Nathan Jack gave a reminder he is one of the best in the business in the sulky by winning the Group One $75,000 Victorian Trotters Derby at last Sunday’s Redwood Day meeting.
Jack partnered the Anton Golino-prepared Cravache Dor to a runaway win in absurd 1.58.9 mile rate time, including a mind-boggling 55.7 last half, over the arduous 2690m trip to break his rivals’ hearts.
Jack also partnered another of the Golino team, three-year-old Aroha Koe and the Sydney visitor Suga Daddy to win on the same program.
Metropolitan firsts for Lisa and Jordan
A couple of bucket list ambitions were ticked off for two Goulburn Valley horsewomen with pacer Just Ralph’s win at last Saturday night’s meeting.
For the pacer’s trainer Lisa Bartley it was her first metropolitan winner in her short training career.
And for Jordan Chibnall who drove Just Ralph to victory in a heat of the Rising Stars Pace final it was also her first success at metropolitan level.
A 16/1 shot, Just Ralph was given the run of the race by Chibnall on the back of the pacemaker Musztang and sprinted clear of her rivals over the concluding stages of the 2240m event to qualify for the $30,000 final at Melton tomorrow night.
Bartley will have two pacers contesting the final with The Wolf also qualifying with his third placing in the other heat at Melton on Saturday night, won by the Emma Stewart-trained Hector.
The Wolf has drawn the pole and will be driven by Mark Pitt while Just Ralph, who has drawn gate six, will again be driven by Chibnall.
Sutton’s brace
Apart from David Moran, another Shepparton reinsman to enjoy a successful Swan Hill Cup meeting in the sulky was Leigh Sutton.
Sutton produced a driving double at the meeting, partnering the Emma Stewart-trained pacers So Art I and The Raconteur to wins.
So Art I made it four wins on the trot and kept her unbeaten Australian record intact since joining the Stewart barn after one win in 18 starts In New Zealand.
The Raconteur completed successive wins after scoring at Melton at his previous start.
The girls dominate at Shepparton
Women power in trotting was at its most potent at last week’s Shepparton meeting with female drivers reining home seven winners on the 11-race card.
Three of the first five winners were driven by lady drivers and the last five races were also claimed by the fairer sex.
Olivia Weidenbach set the mood for the meeting in the second race when she piloted Goodlookin Rooster to his second successive and 14th career win for her trainer mother Rosie.
Lisa Miles then struck another blow for the fairer sex two races later, winning on Magic Craft whom she trains.
Stacey Towers was the next to keep the ladies in the spotlight, partnering three-year-old Creatine trotting filly Itzfergietime, trained by her partner Mark Lee, to her third career win, beating the older trotters in the process.
Topping off the memorable night, the last five races were won by female drivers, with two of them — Donna Castles and Bec Bartley — producing doubles in successive races to round off the card.
After Michelle Phillips had piloted El Boston to an all-the-way win in race seven, Donna Castles and Bec Bartley drove the winners of the remaining four races.
Castles firstly scored on Sofala and then buttered up in the next race to win with Lils Nightmare, two pacers she trains.
In a return to form, Sofala made it two wins at his last three starts, having won at the Cobram meeting on September 22 which was followed by a fifth at Shepparton at his previous start on October 2.
These recent wins have taken Sofala’s career record to 13 wins with 14 minor placings from 82 starts and his prizemoney earnings have now topped $100,000.
Lils Nightmare claimed her fifth career win from 36 starts when she came from near last to get a three-wide tow into the race and finish too strongly for her rivals.
It was Bec Bartley’s turn in the last two races, winning firstly on the John Yeomans-prepared Leave Your Hat On and then the John Nissen-trained Always Locksley.
Bartley took Always Locksley to outside the pacesetter Aliza Hill for the last lap and the three-year-old son of Always B Miki got the better of that pacer in the dying stages in a tough performance.
Sweet Surrender
Smart Shepparton-trained pacer Do Not Surrender burst back into the winner’s circle at last week’s Kilmore meeting with a dominant win.
Driven by concession reinsman Cody Crossland, the five-year-old Bettors Delight gelding sat outside the pacemaker for the 1690m trip and drew away from his rivals in the concluding stages to post his seventh career win.
Trained by Isabel Walsh, Do Not Surrender had not won in his previous 12 starts, but it proved a popular win as punters sorted him out as the one to beat.
Simon’s tickled Pink
Life was certainly in the pink for a time for Merrigum trainer Simon Turnbull at Monday’s Cobram meeting.
Having her second race start, well-bred three-year-old, the Turnbull-trained filly Life In Pink, powered past her rivals late after coming from last 700m from the judge.
Life In Pink is beautifully bred by American Ideal out of the multiple-winning Dream Away mare Edith Piaf.
It was a good training feat by Turnbull as Life In Pink had not raced since September when she finished last in a field of six on debut.
Double act
The Greg Fleming-David Moran team is starting to form a formidable combination and struck twice at the Cobram meeting.
The pair saluted with five-year-old mare Orbie and Reckless Dream.
Moran bustled Orbie to the front early and dug deep in the concluding stages to hold out the stablemate Mauries Bonus, who was driven by Jordan Chibnall, with the NSW visitor Barrett filling the minor placing.
Although the mile rate of 2.00.0 for the 2170m trip wasn’t record breaking, the story of the win was told in the last half which Orbie covered in 56.6 seconds.
The win broke a run of 17 starts out of the winner’s circle for the five-year-old Alto Christiano mare who has now won 10 races with 20 minor placings from 70 starts.
A dashing mid-race to the front-running position won the day for Reckless Dream who was able to fend off the NSW visitor and favourite Killara Juggernaut over the concluding stages.
The five-year-old son of Sunshine Beach had put the writing on the wall for the win with a second at his previous start in quick time at Maryborough and has now posted four wins from 19 career starts.
Fundraiser for popular figure Brett
A fundraiser is being launched for a familiar face in Victorian and Goulburn Valley harness racing.
A long-time industry participant Brett Cargill is fighting his way through rehabilitation following a recent stroke.
Embracing Pacing will help kick-off the TAB Queensland Summer Harness Racing Season at Albion Park by hosting the “Brett Cargill Fundraiser Evening” this Saturday night.
Unable to earn an income through racing and with the medical bills rolling in, the harness racing industry is keen to provide some financial assistance to the Cargill family.
Brett is well known in Victoria where he made several stints to train and work.
He is familiar with the Goulburn Valley, having worked for top trainer Chris Lang when he was based in this region.
Also a competent trainer, he prepared Jack In Flight and Our White Night with Our White Night claiming a Shepparton Gold Cup in 2013.
Tickets in the fundraising effort can be purchased at https://www.trybooking.com/CDPVN and money can be donated at https://www.gofundme.com/manage/brett-cargill
Wagga a happy hunting ground for Turnbull
Tatura horseman Craig Turnbull is finding the Riverine Raceway at Wagga a happy hunting ground and produced another winner on the track on Tuesday night.
Turnbull struck with former Kiwi Dalvey Robyn who broke his Aussie duck at his seventh try.
Driven by Abbey Turnbull, Dalvey Robyn posted a PB 1.54.4 for the 1740m trip which included a 56.5 last half.
Meetings coming up:
Today: Bendigo (n)
Saturday: Melton (n)
Sunday: Maryborough (d)
Monday: Cobram (d)
Tuesday: Mildura (n)
Wednesday: Ballarat (n)
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Kilmore (n)
Friday: Hamilton (d) Shepparton (n)
Sports reporter