By Gus Underwood
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The Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley team was back doing what it does well in the past week with a hat-trick of winners.
Stable star San Carlo flew the stable flag most vigorously, claiming a heat of the Mildura Cup on Tuesday night.
San Carlo had to pull out all stops to get the better of another Goulburn Valley-trained pacer Brallos Pass in his heat.
The Mark Watson-trained Brallos Pass, driven by Ellen Tormey, made a bold bid to make every post a winner in a frontrunning role, but just couldn’t hold off San Carlo, who sat parked for the last two circuits.
Both look key players in tomorrow night’s $60000 final despite second row draws.
Leading up to the Mildura Cup carnival the O’Donoghue-trained and Bartley-driven Mongiana won at Melton on Saturday night, while another of his team, Wayonbye, scored on Monday at Cobram with Bartley in the sulky.
Mongiana continued his consistent form with the win.
In 13 starts he’s had 11 top three finishes, including three wins.
He led throughout in his latest win, stalling off all challengers in a busy finish.
Wayonbye’s soft win at Cobram was also impressive.
Although having his first start since August the word was out he would be hard to toss and that was the case in the C0 class race when sent out a short-priced favourite.
Bartley urged the Mach Three four-year-old to the front at barrier rise and from then on dictated terms in an emphatic win, the third in nine starts to date.
Ky has big cup meet
Kyabram Harness Racing Club is gearing up for a bumper cup meeting at Shepparton on Sunday.
And as usual for these meetings patrons will be admitted free.
Club officials have been really pleased with the response of trainers for the meeting with enough nominations to stage an 11-event program.
The meeting kicks off at 5.19pm with the last race at 10.11pm
The Kyabram Cup, being sponsored for the second time by Techies Tyres, Kyabram, has drawn a full field of 10 pacers and an emergency.
Club stalwart and former long serving secretary Ian Purdey is being recognised with a race named in his honour, while other club stalwarts, all now deceased, Lyn Chambers, Ray Woods, Darren McGill and Kevin Abrahams have races named in their honour.
Big pat on club’s back
Cobram Harness Racing Club’s commitment to the McGrath Foundation has been rewarded.
It has taken off the Event of the Year award for last year in the annual Cobram-Barooga Sport Star of the Year awards.
In 10 years the special Pink Ladies’ race day has been hosted by the club it has raised $125000 in the fight against breast cancer.
Last year’s meeting, attended by 600 people, raised a record $27477.
Club secretary Bob Watson and president Charlie Ewert received the award on behalf of the club.
‘‘We couldn’t do it without our lady drivers, spearheaded by Donna Castles, who is a breast cancer survivor,’’ Watson said in summing up the acknowledgement.
Watson has also promised this year’s Pink Ladies’ Day on May 26 would be bigger and better than ever.
Off in Sofala land
Classy pacer Sofala made it three wins in his past five starts when he claimed the honours in a C4-C6 class race on Monday at Cobram.
The Donna Castles-trained and driven son of Safari had a good duel with the David Jack-trained pacemaker Call Me Hector down the straight, proving a shade too strong.
They zipped home in 56.5 and returned a respectable mile rate of 1:55.9 for the 2170m trip.
Sofala is a winner of eight of his 23 starts with prizemoney earnings of more than $40000.
Now a real Player
As far as winning was concerned pacer La Player was a slow learner.
In 29 starts up to February there were a stack of minor placings. But no wins.
It all changed at Gunbower on February 24 when that elusive maiden win was finally achieved.
Now his recent record stands at three wins and a second at his past four starts.
The latest win came at Cobram on Monday courtesy of a gem of drive by his trainer-driver Craig Turnbull.
Racing three back on the pegs during the run, Turnbull had to make a split decision when a chance to get off the pegs presented itself turning for home.
But Turnbull elected to stick to the short way home on the sprint lane. And when it presented itself he seized the moment.
Drouin crew does it
Proof of just how tough it can be picking up a two-year-old race these days was clearly evident at Cobram.
Courage Under Fire debutant Sahara Sirocco, the second favourite, just beat the favourite Yourshoutrocky in a stirring duel in the 1670m event — in 1:55.2 mile rate time.
Sahara Sirocco certainly made the long trip by his co-trainers Gary and Debbie Quinlan, who live at Drouin in Gippsland, worthwhile with the win.
Monica puts head out
Four-year-old Sportswriter mare Im Monica upstaged more fancied rivals to claim the honours in a C2-C3 class race at Cobram.
Congupna trainer-driver Eddie Tappe made full use of Im Monica’s barrier one draw who led throughout to beat the Laura Crossland-David Moran-prepared Kinetic Kate and the David Aiken-trained Mach Diva in a district trifecta.
Winless in her previous nine starts Im Monica was not fancied by punters and was a 15/1 shot on the tote.
It was Im Monica’s fourth win with four minor placings from 45 starts.
Despite Kinetic Kate being edged out by Im Monica the Crossland-Moran team didn’t leave the meeting empty-handed.
It produced Gordon Girl for an impressive win in the three-year-old race.
Crab sidles to victory
He might have been imitating a crab in the concluding stages of the race, but Rothko was still good enough to handle his rivals in a C0 Only class race at Shepparton last week.
Despite racing ungenerously in the concluding stages the four-year-old son of Artistic Fella, prepared by Shepparton horseman Steve Duffy and driven by his son, Ryan, vindicated his $1.20 price to win his third race in 15 starts. There have also been four seconds placings.
It was a local win in every sense as he was bred by the Kevin Newbound Trust and is owned and raced by former Murchison footballer Owen Flynn.
Steve Duffy also had a winner at Menangle on Monday when the smart three-year-old trotter he prepares, Flingandwingit, claimed a $10000 heat of the Foundation Series.
Top NSW horseman Luke McCarthy took the drive on Flingandwingit who got no favours, racing without cover for the 1609m trip. But the son of Fling It was still able to return an impressive mile rate of 1:57.6 which included an extra slick 57.5 last half.
Punters hard Dun by
How often does it happen?
A trainer has two horses in a race and the one less fancied wins.
That was the case again last week at Shepparton when Rochester trainer Mark Thompson lined-up Weeks End and Dunrobbin in C3-C5 class event.
Weeks End, who had drawn the pole, was sent out the $2.50 favourite, while Dunrobbin was a $4.80 chance.
It was Dunrobbin who prevailed courtesy a top drive from Rod Petroff with Weeks End finishing third.
Dunrobbin, who had won the Birchip Mallee Bull Cup three starts earlier on March 10, has always shown a lot of ability and now won six of his 15 starts.
Long leg of the Law
Talented trotter Enforce The Law looked the good thing last week at Shepparton — and he didn’t disappoint.
Trained by Undera horseman Justin Torney, Enforce The Law is making up for a late start to his racing career.
The Lawman eight-year-old was having only his 14th trip to the races which have now produced five wins and four minor placings.
Over the December-January period Enforce The Law strung four wins together to show he was a trotter with a lot of talent.
Torney thought enough of him to tackle the $50000 trot on Miracle Mile night at Menangle in which he was KOd.
Enforce The Law goes around again tonight at Melton from a favourable draw.
Ability on show
Elmore-trained three-year-old pacer Rossini looked like a pacer bound for more wins when he saluted last week at Shepparton.
The son of the now deceased super sire Mach Three, driven by Greg Sugars, shook his rivals off pretty easily in the home straight to win impressively against his own age group.
Keith Cotchin puts the polish on Rossini who is out of the winning Falcon Seelster mare Miss Fantastic.
Snap, crackle and Pop
Avenel-trained trotter Popcorn Sutton is a talented trotter — with a few tricks.
But when the David Aiken-prepared four-year-old puts it all together like he did at Shepparton last week he can make his presence felt.
With a flawless frontrunning display of trotting on this occasion with Kima Frenning in the sulky he was just too good for his rivals.
Popcorn Sutton, who is by the French sire Sam Bourbon out of the Armbro Invasion mare Classic Invasion, broke a run of 10 winless starts with his victory, his second in 17 trips to the races.
Frenning also was landed another winner last Saturday night at Melton, winning a M0 class race with former Tasmanian pacer No Apachemee.
It’s not the first time Frenning has won on No Apachemee, now being trained in Victoria by Allan McDonough.
Frenning drove the pacer in his first Victorian start when trained by leading Tasmanian horseman Ben Yole.
In that run the nine-year-old gave a dashing frontrunning display which he also repeated to run his rivals ragged in his latest win.
Coming up
Today: Melton (n).
Tomorrow: Mildura (n).
Sunday: Kyabram at Shepparton (t).
Monday: Stawell (d).
Tuesday: Ballarat (n).
Wednesday: Melton (d), Bendigo (n).
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Kilmore (n).