Sulky Shorts with Gus Underwood

Pitt scored an all-the-way win on the Stewart-trained Mach Dan who accounted for the David Aiken-trained Max Delight and the Julie Douglas-prepared Interest Free.

Mach Dan was having only his second start since returning to the Stewart barn after a winless six-race campaign in New Zealand.

Pitt was having just his second drive on Mach Dan and the win was popular with punters because he was the $2.60 favourite.

Pitt also drove the Stewart-trained Wheres The Gold, Polly Put Kettleon and Coco Mia to wins at the meeting to complete the driving quadrella in his second best haul of winners at a meeting.

Of course Pitt’s most productive winning haul of nine winners from nine drives on Stewart-trained pacers at the Launceston Cup meeting earlier this year looks a driving record he will hold for a long, long time and, given the odds of beating it, maybe for eternity.

Pitt wasn’t the only Goulburn Valley reinsman to savour success at the Geelong meeting with Nathan Jack combining with trainer Anton Golino to win with the emerging trotter Interview Fra who is by the Italian sire Traders, a son of Ready Cash who is very familiar with Aussie breeders.

Bartley at the double

While Mark Pitt continues to drive winners at a frenetic pace, his partner Lisa Bartley chalked up a personal training milestone at last week’s Bendigo meeting.

Bartley, who has held a trainer’s licence for just a short time, produced her first training double when Love Lou Longtime and The Wolf saluted.

Both winners were driven by Pitt, both led from pillar to post and both were popular wins as both were odds-on favourites.

Love Lou Longtime made it successive wins after saluting at his previous start at Shepparton on October 2 when having just his second start for the Bartley barn.

The Wolf made it two wins from five starts for Bartley and five wins and seven placings from just the 20 starts.

Ladies In Red turns heads

David Moran and superstar pacing mare Ladies In Red were back doing what they do best — winning — at last Friday night’s Melton meeting.

Reunited at Melton on October 8 when Ladies In Red was beaten by stablemate Tough Tilly over the short trip, Ladies In Red produced a tough performance to claim the $30,000 Group Three Angelique Club Pace.

It was the Mach Three four-year-old mare’s 20th career win from 25 starts with seconds at her other five outings.

Her latest win has taken her career prizemoney earnings over $800,000.

Ladies In Red was just one of five victories in which Goulburn Valley reinsmen featured in at the Melton meeting.

Mark Pitt drove three winners — Hes Ideal, Narutac Prince and Tempting Tigress — for Emma Stewart while Nathan Jack reined home another of the Stewart runners, Petracca.

Also among the winners at the Melton meeting were Danny and Mel Thackeray, part owners of the outstanding trotter Aldebaran Zeus who appropriately claimed the Aldebaran Park True Roman Trotters Free-For-All.

It was the four-year-old Aldebaran Lodge-bred trotter’s 13th career win from 30 starts and took his prizemoney earnings over $235,000.

Put these two in your blackbook

A lot more could be heard of two trotters who won at the Geelong Cup meeting: One Over All and Rogue Gentleman.

One Over All won the time-honoured McNamara Memorial Trotters Cup for trainer Jess Tubbs after sitting parked for the 2570m trip.

The four-year-old son of Angus Hall pulled out a 57.6 last half and produced a 2.01.4 mile rate for the marathon trip to hoist his 10th win from 34 starts with seven minor placings.

Clockers have timed One Over All to produce a sub 55 seconds last half which is low flying for a trotter and why there is a current boom on the four-year-old gelding.

One Over All is out of the Sundon mare One Over Kenny, well known for her racetrack deeds on both sides of the Tasman, saluting 28 times from 53 starts.

One Over Kenny has left seven other winners, including One Over Da Moon (22 wins) and Ultimate Stride (23 wins).

Training maestro of trotters Chris Lang seemed to have found the key to Rogue Gentleman who claimed his second track record in as many starts when he saluted at the Geelong meeting.

Lang has had the talented but wayward four-year-old son of Majestic Son for just the two starts and he has won both of them — at Warragul and Geelong — in track record time.

Rogue Gentleman was bred by Will Shellie, grandson of the late Kyabram trots legend W B (Bill) Shellie and is out of the Yankee Paco mare Yankeeiron who has only one other foal, Roguelady, who won once in three career starts.

Night School in session

Shepparton-trained pacer Night School made it two wins at Melton in his last three starts with a storming victory last Friday night.

Trained and driven by Steve Boyington, Night School came from second last at the 800m peg and produced a blistering final sprint to win running away.

His mile rate of 1.53.0 over the 1720m trip was a PB.

Night School had won at Melton on September 17 and although fifth at Shepparton on September 27 was beaten just over two metres.

The four-year-old son of Blissfull Hall has now saluted six times in 26 starts with nine placings and has banked over $44,000 in prizemoney earnings.

Ubet it was a big win

A blast from the past bobbed up in the trainers’ winning stall at last week’s Bendigo meeting.

Pacer Ubetcha had his third start for mentor John McLean and delivered the goods with Kevin Weidenbach Jr in the sulky.

Weidenbach utilised Ubetcha’s favourable barrier draw to lead all the way on Ubetcha over the 1650m trip in a PB mile rate of 1.55.3.

Owned and bred by Julie Duffy, Ubetcha won three races from 21 starts when prepared by her husband, Steve, before McLean took over the training of the Betterthancheddar five-year-old gelding.

McLean, 69, has been a colourful figure in harness racing for many years but only recently got back into the sport after an 18-year hiatus.

He has trained 286 winners in his career which have earned over $1.5 million in prizemoney earnings.

He has prepared and driven some smart pacers including Rivalea Jack, Bronski Beat, Voight and Larrakeyah Lady, which went to be a great broodmare as the dam of AG Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound and a foundation mare for many more winners.

These days McLean lives at Arcadia and although Ubetcha is the only pacer he is training at present racing, he breaks in horses for prominent owner Peter Gleeson.

And its been a good week for Kevin Weidenbach Jr who also drove Mister Rebel to a dashing victory at Bendigo on Tuesday night.

Trained by his mother Rosie, the eight-year-old son of Mr Feelgood was having his sixth start for the Weidenbach stable and a lightning move from mid-field to the front in the back straight proved a winner.

Mister Rebel had run thirds at his previous starts and was knocking on the door for a win. So those punters who followed him were well rewarded as he had paid $18 for the win.

It was Mister Rebel’s 14th career win (there have also been 19 minor placings) in his 142 starts career.

Evergreen pacer salutes

She may have been having her 164th race start but veteran pacer Lagom again showed there is still some zip in her nine-year-old legs with a win at the Bendigo meeting.

Trained by Echuca horseman Mick McMahon and driven by Lisa Miles, Lagom settled three back, one-out in the run and finished with a stout finishing burst to account for the Rosie Weidenbach-trained and Kevin Weidenbach-driven Well Well with Pinnacle Hope filling the minor placing.

It was Lagom’s 14th career win and with her 36 minor placings, they have taken her prizemoney earnings over $83,000.

Hi Ho all the way home

The beautifully bred Hi Ho Kyvalley posted his first win when he won at Bendigo, and it was a race worth winning.

Prizemoney of $10,000 was up for grabs for the maiden trotters and a bold front-running drive by Nathan Jack landed the major share for trainer Bruce Rose.

Hi Hi Ho Kyvalley had put the writing on the wall for the win at his previous start at Shepparton on October 6 when second to Hold That Gold so it was a popular win.

By top sire Love You, Hi Ho Kyvalley is out of the Sundon mare Pinevale Ellason, a talented trotting mare who won eight races, mainly for Russ Thomson.

Roarsome success

Three-year-old gelding Roarforroscoe made it three wins in his last four starts when he saluted at Tuesday night’s Bendigo meeting.

The Juanita Breen-trained and driven son of Betterthancheddar put up a tough run, sitting outside the other top fancy and pacemaker Victory George and pulling away from that pacer in the concluding stages of the 2150m event.

Roarforroscoe had successive wins at Shepparton meetings on August 22 and October 2 which were followed by a second placing at Melton at his previous start on October 15.

Out of the Courage Under Fire mare Sayalittleprayer, Roarforroscoe is building an impressive resume with five career wins and five minor placings from his 12 career wins and prizemoney earnings topping $30,000.

Wagga a happy hunting ground

Goulburn Valley trainers continue to enjoy success at Wagga meetings with Craig Turnbull producing a winner at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The Turnbull-trained Dangerzone, driven by Albury horseman James McPherson, vindicated why he was a $1.15 favourite with a dominant pillar-to-post performance in a 1.55.2 mile rate for the 1740m trip.

A three-year-old son of Better Go Collect Dangerzone was having just his third start for the Turnbull stable after being prepared in Queensland by Jack Butler.

He has now saluted eight times from 20 starts which have also produced nine minor placings.

So he has missed a top three finish only three times and has already banked over nearly $112,000 in prizemoney earnings.

All eyes on Maryborough

Plenty of district interest in meetings over the next few days.

Meetings at Maryborough today and Sunday will showcase the trotter with all races on both programs exclusively for squaregaiters.

Headline acts are the $50,000 The Redwood Classic for two-year-old trotters and the $75,000 Victoria Trotters Derby, both Group One races on Sunday’s card.

Wayne Potter (The Locomotive), David Aiken (La Dees Son) Cameron Maggs (Ess Kay Hollywood and Francene) will fly the flag for northern trainers in The Redwood Classic.

There are no district trained runners in the Derby with ace reinsmen Nathan Jack (Cravache Dor) and Mark Pitt (You No Ill Be Late) holding the hopes of a district flavoured win.

At tomorrow night’s Melton meeting star pacing mare Ladies In Red contests the Group One $100,000 Benstud Standardbreds Queen Of The Pacific with David Moran in the sulky while Russell Jack lines up Spring In His Step in the Group Two $75,000 Four and Five Championship.

Meetings coming up:

Today: Maryborough (d), Swan Hill (n)

Saturday: Melton (n)

Sunday: Maryborough (d)

Monday: Cobram (d) Geelong (n)

Tuesday: Yarra Valley (n) Mildura (n)

Wednesday: Ballarat

Thursday: Yarra Valley (d)

Friday : Bendigo (n)