Sulky Shorts with Gus Underwood

Now a four-year-old, Loving Gina, driven by James Herbertson, was making her debut at Bendigo and singled out with the Steve Boyington-trained Hurricane Jane to fight out the finish, getting the verdict by a half-head.

Loving Gina’s dam, the seven-times winning Yentls Image mare Front And Square, is also the dam of other winners in Jackson Square and Benny The Gun.

Talented trotter Bitta Irish Luck made a triumphant return to racing with a dominant win at Shepparton.

The four-year-old Father Patrick mare had trialled impressively for her return to racing the previous week and took full advantage of her barrier-two draw in a front-running display.

Driven by Herbertson she was never seriously challenged in defeating outsider Bacardi Wood and the favourite Kyvalley Picasso.

Bitta Irish Luck, who was stepping out for the first time since winning the Vicbred Silver Trot series for three-year-old trotters at Maryborough in late December, has now won four of 12 starts.

Out of the Super Arnie mare Senita, Bitta Irish Luck is a half sister to four other winners including Senitas Success (17 wins) and Super Angus (14 wins).

Do the Jitterbug

Nobody could have begrudged pacer Jitterbug Arden of her win at Shepparton.

Trained by Kialla horseman Jason Ross and driven by James Herbertson, Jitterbug Arden had and won a two-horse war with the John Newberry-trained and Matt Newberry-driven Kia Ora Beauty, prevailing by head at the finishing line with the hardy mare Roslyn Gaye more than 16m away in the third.

A five-year-old Rocknroll Dance mare Jitterbug Arden’s previous five runs had produced three minor placings and her 31 starts now contain six wins and nine minor placings.

Aza rekindles Bliss

The win of Justcallmeaza at Shepparton revived memories of a former local pacing great.

Justcallmeaza is by Bitobliss, a top-flight pacer who beat some of the best pacers in the land when winning 24 of his 57 starts for Congupna trainer-driver Scott Stewart.

Formerly prepared by veteran trainer Bryan Johnston, Justcallmeaza, was stepping out for the first time for nearly two years and making his debut for Shepparton trainer Steve Duffy.

Driven by Ryan Duffy he accounted for the NSW visitor Cinos Legacy in a photo finish.

The win deprived Cinos Legacy’s Narrandera trainer David Kennedy of a training treble after winning earlier races with La Mistress and Has The Courage.

Justcallmeaza’s 1:56.7 mile rate was the best of his three wins.

Eye See a smart drive

Reinswoman Tayla French made a winning decision when she opted for an inside run on pacer Eye See Philtra on the home bend at last week’s Cobram meeting.

Travelling well, but with the prospect of having to come three and four wide in the home straight, French changed course to an inside run over the concluding stages and it paid dividends with the three-year-old daughter of Whose Watching prevailing in a ding-dong duel with the Lisa Pitt-trained and Mark Pitt-driven Kingofglitter with the Wayne Potter-trained Ambiguous filling the minor placing.

Trained by Tongala horseman Mick Watt, Eye See Philtra was well overdue for her maiden win with her six previous starts producing a second, three thirds and a fourth.

Her dam, the Bettors Delight mare Just Look At Me, was a winner, who has left three other winners, including Dee Double You, a 12 times winner.

Her second dam Ceratophylla (by Walton Hanover) was a racetrack star with 16 wins.

Yoee does it yet again

Trotter Yoee bounced back from a rare poor performance to claim his fourth win this season when he saluted at Cobram.

Coming off an eighth placing to Tripod at his previous start at Shepparton when he couldn’t get into the race, he swamped his rivals, including the favourite Sheetweb Weaver, at Cobram with another dominant display.

The Bec Bartley-Steve O’Donoghue-trained nine-year-old son of Bacardi Lindy, Yoee has been a revelation in his current campaign with four wins and a second from six starts with Bartley in the sulky.

His 2:00.1 mile rate for the 2170m was also a PB.

Lethal proves deadly

Echuca-trained pacing mare Lethal Lover was rewarded for her consistency with a win at Cobram.

The six-year-old Pet Rock mare was coming off a second at her previous start at the Echuca Cup meeting and three top-four finishes at her previous four starts.

The Susan Hunter-trained and James Herbertson-driven mare gave her rivals a lengthy start, coming from the tail of the field at the bell and sustaining a strong finishing burst to beat the Col Godden-trained Nakita Adele.

It was the fifth win from 53 tries for Lethal Lover, who has also clocked up 17 minor placings.

Guaranteed winners

The Guaranteeds — and Rochester trainer Mark Thompson — keep winning.

Warrantee, a son of Guaranteed, bounced back into the winner’s circle at Cobram, coming from near last over the final lap when forced three wide, and getting the better of the NSW visitor Smash It in a two-horse war to the wire.

The third placegetter Roslyn Gaye was a distant 19m away.

It was Warrantee’s third win after scoring at his first two starts and came after eight winless starts, which had produced a second, third and fourth placings.

Warrantee’s win came less than week after another of the Thompson-trained pacers, Pas Guarantee, also by his former racetrack star Guaranteed, had won the Echuca Pacing Cup.

Females to the four

There was a strong female touch to a finish in a heat of the Eureka Series at Cobram.

The Codi Rauchenberger-trained-and-driven Rocknroll Tallara made an early move to the front-running position and then staved off all her rivals in the run to judge.

The second horse home Maxy Wants To Play was driven by Tayla French, the third placegetter Keayang Alex by Grace Bilney and the fourth horse home Macs A Dude by Laura Crossland, so it was an all-female first four.

Rauchenberger has had Rocknroll Tallara for three starts since purchasing the pacer and completed back-to-back wins with the pacer after she had won at Shepparton at her previous start.

And Rocknroll Tallara wasn’t Rauchenberger’s only winner at the meeting.

She brought up a driving double, landing the Paul Parsons-trained Kendys Butterfly an easy winner in the final event.

It was the first time Rauchenberger had driven Kendys Butterfly who accounted for the Steve Duffy-trained Wemade Freo and the favourite, the Greg Fleming-trained Red Hot Assassin.

Captain hammers them

There were some impressive winners at Cobram, but none caught the eye more than the David Moran-trained Captain Hammerhead.

The Captaintreacherous three-year-old looked to have blown his chances when he baulked on the home bend, but he not only recovered to beat his rivals, but blitz them over the concluding stages.

Captain Hammerhead settled four back on the outside in the run and got checked when starting to make his run at the leaders getting off the back straight.

But he then made light work of the task of reeling in the leaders with a runaway win, the fourth of his eight starts to date.

He is beautifully bred being out of the multi-winning Art Major mare Rogers Passion.

Captain Hammerhead was one of two winners Moran drove on the day, partnering the Greg Fleming-trained Letsgobro to victory in the following event.

Letsgobro put up a big run, parked outside the pacemaker for most of the race and holding off talented pacers and equal favourites Chirripo and Killara Shotgun in the drive to the finishing line.

By Four Starzzz Shark Letsgobro was having his fourth start, which have produced three wins and a second.

Successful Wagga raid

Goulburn Valley trainers were to the fore at Wagga last Friday, producing four winners.

Byrneside trainer-driver Damian Wilson set the mood early, winning the opening event with Will He Reign whose mile rate of 1:56.5 was a PB from his three wins from 17 starts.

Wilson urged the three-year-old son of Sweet Lou to the front at barrier rise and controlled the race from then on in a PB 1:55.6 mile rate for the 1740m trip.

Tatura trainer Craig Turnbull was next to strike, producing the ultra-consistent My Sweet Sabrina for an impressive win.

After going off stride for a few strides after the start and being inconvenienced in the run reinswoman Abbey Turnbull brought the four-year-old Always Be Miki mare from last in the concluding stages to get a sprint lane run to post My Sweet Sabrina’s third win from 12 starts.

The Russell Jack-Nathan Jack team was next to strike with Wendys Wish, who was also responsible for a huge run.

After settling near the rear of the field Nathan threaded Wendys Wish through heavy traffic in the concluding stages to prevail in a blanket finish.

It was the Somebeachsomewhere four-year-old mare’s fifth win from only 12 starts and her 1:55.2 mile rate for the 1740m trip was a PB.

Mark Pitt was the other GV horseman to savour success at the meeting, partnering the Emma Stewart-trained Soho Historia to claim a heat of the Riverina Mares Championship with a front-running display in defeating the hot favourite Tay Tay to qualify for the $100,000 final tomorrow night.

Franco’s story continues

Merrigum trainer Luke Bryant made it three wins from five starts when the pacer he trains Franco Novelist saluted at last Friday’s Yarra Valley meeting.

Driven by Ellen Tormey, the four-year-old Sportswriter gelding prevailed in a tight photo to add to wins at Kilmore and Melton since joining the stable after three starts in New Zealand when he won on debut.