The disappointment of having to withdraw Lochinvar Art from Saturday night’s Miracle Mile at Menangle could be temporarily forgotten at the meeting by Shepparton horseman David Moran.
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As well as driving the top fancy and a pacer he trains, Patsbeachstorm, in the $200,000 NSW Pacers Derby he has also been engaged to drive the second favourite Expensive Ego in the $1 million Miracle Mile.
Expensive Ego is a stablemate of the Belinda McCarthy-trained King Of Swing, a hot favourite to complete successive wins in the feature who will be driven by the trainer’s husband Luke McCarthy.
Expensive Ego won the $200,000 Chariots Of Fire at his last start at Menangle on February 20 and is expected to be a key player in tomorrow night’s race after drawing barrier four.
The Moran-trained and driven Patsbeachstorm looks the horse to beat in the Derby after a stunning heat win on the track last Saturday night.
After settling three back on the pegs Patsbeachstorm powered away from his rivals in the long Menangle straight in stunning 1:53.4 mile rate time for the challenging 2400m trip.
His mile rate was considerably quicker than the other two heat winners Idyllic (1:57.5) and Tasty Delight (1:55.9).
Patsbeachstorm has not been favoured by a wide barrier eight draw, but will come into gate six with two emergencies drawn inside him.
Moran and Patsbeachstorm flew the flag for northern Victorian-trained pacers at last Saturday night’s meeting with the Shepparton horseman also driving the Emma Stewart-trained Beach Music into third place in the $200,000 NSW Pacers Oaks.
After missing a berth in the Miracle Mile, Shepparton’s latest Group One performer Western Sonador will contest a $100,000 Free-For-All at the meeting.
The Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley-prepared five-year-old, driven by Bartley, lost no admirers in his qualifying heat of the Miracle Mile with a strong finishing seventh placing behind the reigning champion King Of Swing.
Western Sonador again produced some stunning final sectionals making up ground on the winner, who returned a blistering mile rate of 1:49.5 for the 1609m trip which included a 25.8 final quarter.
He has not been favoured by the draw again tomorrow night, but is in the form to give the race a decent shake.
One of his rivals will be the David Aiken-trained Max Delight who has also had no luck with the draw coming from the extreme outside barrier.
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The mega all-trotters meeting at Melton last Saturday night which featured four Group One races produced no district wins, but some minor placegetters.
The David Aiken-trained Aldebaran Crescent ran a bold race to finish second to the favourite Sleepee in the $50,000 Breed for Speed final for trotting mares.
In the same race the Rochester-owned Moonshine Linda finished strongly for third for new trainer David Miles.
In the $60,000 Need For Speed Prince final, Kyalley Hotspur, a hot favourite, had to be content with second place for his Kyvalley owner breeder Jim Connelly.
Recent stable addition Monaro Mia ran out of her skin to finish third behind to the NZ star Majestic Man and Pink Galahs in the $100,000 Grand Prix for Avenel trainer Wayne Potter.
Always Ready, who has Kyabram ownership interests, finished fourth in this race, finishing within 8m from the winner.
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Trainer Darryn Rowney flew the flag for home town trainers at Tuesday night’s Shepparton meeting, producing pacer Lasting Bond to win a big odds.
Driven by Laura Crossland Lasting Bond, who paid $24 for the win, finished dourly in a busy finish to beat Muscle Up Major and Fantasy Beach.
Only 2.2m separated the first four placegetters in the race.
A seven-year-old Shadyshark Hanover gelding making only his 21st trip to the races Lasting Bond has now won four with five minor placings.
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Doubles were plentiful at this week’s Shepparton meeting.
Drivers Josh Aiken and Denbeigh Wade drove two winners apiece.
Aiken partnered the NSW pacer One Big Shew to a Victorian bonus for trainer Ricky Alchin in the easiest win of the night and he also scored on Narutac Prince, prepared his father David.
A Rock N Roll Heaven gelding One Big Shew ran straight to the front at the start from barrier one and drew away from his rivals over the concluding stages to beat the runner-up Echuca-trained Dallas Patrick by nearly 24m in 1:57.8 mile rate time over the 1690m trip.
Aiken also partnered three-year-old Narutac Prince to his second straight win on the track in three career starts in an effortless win against the older pacers.
Wade drove successive and contrasting winners price-wise for trainer Michael Gadsden.
Wade steered Captain Bling, a $3.60 chance, to win the three-year-old maiden upsetting the odds-on favourite Codys Colt and then partnered Sporting Model to victory at 20/1 in the following race.
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Rochester trainer Neville Pangrazio made the most of a roughhouse start to land four-year-old trotter Willdomxav a runaway winner at Shepparton.
While some runners were ruining their chances and those of some of their rivals with unruly behaviour at the beginning of the standing start event, Pangrazio took Willdomxav straight to the front from barrier six and that was the last his rivals saw of him.
Willdomxav, the $3.40 second favourite cruised to the line with more than 13m tospare over the runner-up Bella Lucy with Little Tedey filling the minor placing.
The Patrick Ryan-trained favourite Sweet On You looked a certain placegetter before galloping on the home turn and finished fourth.
A son of Tennotrump, Willdomxav obviously likes the Shepparton track as his three wins — the last two in succession — from 21 starts have all been on the circuit.
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Avenel trainer Wayne Potter has been on a winning streak of late with his team andhe didn’t miss out at Shepparton.
Potter produced the Art Major four-year-old Stanbyme for a dashing win to follow up his win at Kilmore on February 22 at his previous start.
Driver Josh Duggan sent Stanbyme straight to the front from barrier four and he was never challenged after that.
Two of Stanbyme’s three wins from 21 starts have been on the Shepparton track.
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There was a sentimental touch to pacer Wheres Wood Wood’s win at Echuca last week.
The four-year-old Mach Three mare was making her first start for new trainer, Echuca’s Wayne Lear, and her driver Greg Sugars wore a black armband in the race to honour Barbara Pratt, who died during the week in Bendigo.
Lear explained when he moved from Geelong to Bendigo as a teenager he had lived for nearly three years with Barbara and her horseman husband Keith.
Wheres Wood Wood, previously prepared by Shaun Kittel, was having his first start since early December.
Wheres Wood Wood’s previous win was also on the Frank Ryan Raceway at Echuca in October.
A $2 favourite Wheres Wood Wood was driven straight to the front by Sugars and defied all efforts to be run down.
It was the mare’s third win from 29 tries and there have also been five minor placings.
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Six-year-old Auckland Reactor mare Time To React brought her 2020 form into the new season at Echuca.
Having her first start since December for Kyabram trainer-driver Brent Thomson Time To React settled near the rear of the field, but when set alight with 600m to go she quickly rounded up her rivals to score a convincing fifth win.
Four of these wins came last year including a purple patch hat-trick when she won consecutive races at Kilmore, Maryborough and Shepparton.
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Consistent trotting mare Starlight Red is racing in peak form.
After notching his fifth win with a dominant display at Echuca she buttered up to win again this week at Bendigo.
Coming off a win and third placing at Shepparton at her previous two starts, the five-year-old Laura Crossland-driven Red Samurai mare, who was a $1.90 favourite, raced keenly well ahead of her rivals for most of the 2160m trip at Shepparton and comfortably held off the Cameron Maggs-trained and driven Romances and the Damian Wilson-prepared and driven Kalarney Heidi in the run to the judge.
At Bendigo Starlight Red put in another front-running free-wheeling display to run her rivals ragged in a career best 2:02.2 mile rate time.
Trained by veteran Bunbartha horseman Brian Bourke Starlight Red is building an impressive record with her six wins and 14 placings producing close to $49,000 in prizemoney.
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Olivia Weidenbach took the driving honours at Echuca, bookending the meeting with a double.
In the opening race she landed Goodlookin Rooster a winner at odds of more than 20/1 for her trainer-mother Rosie and she then partnered Turquoise Stride to victory in the final race for joint trainers Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith.
Goodlookin Rooster, who had missed only one top four finish in his previous nine starts, put up arguably the run of the meeting to win.
He was caught outside the leader and favourite Renway Reactor for the 1755m trip and looked to be battling on the home turn when the field compacted.
But he rallied bravely in the home straight to prevail in a crowded finish over the locally-trained Lagom and Court Bliss.
A seven-year-old entire who started his career in NSW, Goodlookin Rooster has paid his way with his seven wins and 16 placings producing more than $44,000 in prizemoney.
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Shepparton horseman Russell Jack didn’t waste any time winning as Sonny Weaver’s new trainer.
Previously prepared by Amanda Turnbull, Sonny Weaver made his debut for Jack at last week’s Geelong meeting and duly delivered in style.
Driven by Leigh Sutton, Sonny Weaver cruised home with nearly 10m to spare over smart pacers Boncel Benjamin and Boy From Bondi, who was shooting for five wins on the trot for Avenel horseman Wayne Potter.
A four-year-old entire by Sunshine Beach, Sonny Weaver has been a good money spinner for connections with eight wins and 11 placings from 30 starts which have yielded more than $82,000 in prizemoney.
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Memories of a pacing great have been revived with the death this week of 93-year-old Eric Hurley.
Hurley is best remembered for his association as trainer-driver of the champion pacer Minuteman who became a cult figure in the harness world in the 1960s.
He won 30 races, including the Inter Dominion final in 1964 at the Melbourne Showgrounds, as well as the A.G. Hunter Cup in the same year and again in 1966.
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Wangaratta Harness Racing Club’s cup meeting has been transferred to Shepparton on Sunday.
Difficulty in imposing COVID-19 protocols have been behind the move to transfer the meeting which features the Wangaratta pacers and trotters cups.
Excellent fields have been received for the 10-race meeting which kicks off at 5.45pm.
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Marvellous what a few hours can make.
Shepparton trainer Steve Duffy didn’t even get a run for his money when one of the pacers he trains, Pensini, was withdrawn from his race at Tuesday night’s Shepparton meeting after causing two false starts.
But at Bendigo on Wednesday night Duffy was all smiles again when another pacer he trains, Hot Wire, made it two wins in five starts.
Driven by his son Ryan, Hot Wire was able to take up the front-running position from a wide front row draw and was never going to be beaten.
Owned and bred by Mario Cirillo, Hot Wire is a four-year-old Village Jolt mare who didn’t make her race debut until January of this year.
She has had only the five starts for two wins and two seconds, so looks a pacer with a future.
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To say pacer Bernie Winkle is a Mildura track specialist would be an understatement.
Last week the eight-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven gelding completed a hat-trick of wins on the track and his 17th win on the circuit in his last 26 starts.
The win also produced a prizemoney milestone, topping $400,000.
In a purple patch between April and September last year Bernie Winkle won nine successive races on the track when being trained by Mildura horseman Geoff Lucas.
Since then and back in the Glen Douglas stable at Bendigo he has had 14 starts for seven wins.
His 203 starts have produced 40 wins and 47 placings.
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Meetings coming up:
Friday: Cranbourne (n).
Saturday: Melton (n).
Sunday: Birchip (d), Wangaratta at Shepparton (n).
Monday: Horsham (d).
Tuesday: Kilmore (n).
Wednesday: Melton (n).
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Mildura (n).