15 September 2021
Oh Captain My Captain
The NSW Breeders Challenge Series moved to Young last night and we saw two very impressive winners with legitimate claims at the business end of the campaign. It started with Captains Queen who did it easy in front to win in fine style. That’s now six wins from seven starts for the Russell Jack trained filly. Her only defeat came in the Gold Tiara final at Bathurst earlier this year when she was beaten by her stablemate Just Hope. This is a filly going places!
WATCH CAPTAINS QUEEN WIN AT YOUNG
Rea of Sunshine
That was an entrée for emerging superstar Mister Rea to put on a rock show to remain unbeaten in six starts. At one point Daryll Perrot had him more than 30 metres off the pace but when he pushed the go button he rounded them up in an instant and streaked away to win by 15 metres. It was a major statement by the fastest two-year-old in Australia this season. Ray Walker has a serious horse on his hands!
SEE MISTER REA WIN AT YOUNG
Five Star For Starzzz
It was almost a year since For Starzzz Forsa last tasted victory but after a string of placings he saluted again at Wagga on Friday night for driver/ trainer Dean Cernovskis. It was part of a double for Dean who also won with Alberio. It was Alberio’s third career victory and his first win in New South Wales for Dean since took him on earlier this year.
WATCH FOUR STARZZZ FORSA WIN AT WAGGA ON FRIDAY
The Real Madrid
There’s been lots of talk about Madrid of late. Are they genuine Champions League contenders? Where does it fit in the grand scheme of Spain’s territorial crisis? And just how good is Jarrod Alchin’s two-year-old filly? Well she certainly cleared up one of those on Tuesday and it had nothing to do with football or politics. With Cameron Hart in the sulky, Madrid put a space on them in the second on the program to win by 12 metres. It was pretty impressive against another highly touted filly in Cameron Ross’s Steno.
WATCH MADRID WIN AT MENANGLE ON TUESDAY
Polka Delight
There were a few owners bonuses banked at Menangle on Tuesday, including in the APG fifth on the program as Robbie Morris motored to victory for trainer wife KerryAnn on Polka Delight. It was part of a winning double for the Lucky Lodge stable after landing victory in the first with race favourite Sunny Gee.
WATCH POLKA DELIGHT WIN AT MENANGLE
McCarthy Tons Up
The market struggled to separate the leading chances and the race played out accordingly in the second on the program at Menangle on Tuesday with a four-wide go down the straight over the final 100 metres. But it was the widest runner, Offyarocka Crocker powering past them for Michael Doltoff and giving Luke McCarthy his 100th winner for the season.
SEE OFFYAROCKA CROCKER WIN AT MENANGLE ON TUESDAY
Luke’s Looee Break
Luke went into that meeting on 99 wins after saluting with Mighty Looee at Menangle on Saturday night. After a Queensland campaign and a well earned break, it was his first win in 49 days.
WATCH MIGHTY LOOEE WIN AT MENANGLE ON SATURDAY
Angels and Airwaves
It was a case of déjà vu with Jason Grimson and Cameron Hart combing to win the Group 3 feature at Menangle with Rocknroll Angel. They have now won five of the past six Group 3 features at headquarters.
WATCH ROCKNROLL ANGEL WIN AT MENANGLE
Malcolm In the Middle
Our stewards had a busy night on Saturday with two protests upheld. It started with Malcolms Rhythm and Ashley Hart winning on appeal for trainer David Aiken. Two races later the video was again being consulted as the Cameron Ross trained Cherishthememories was awarded race eight with Jack Callaghan in the sulky.
WATCH MALCOLMS RHYTHM WIN AT MENANGLE
Golden Roughie
Last month when we spoke with Stephanie Lippiatt for our Pacesetters series we discussed her uncanny knack of landing a winner at juicy odds. Well she did it again at Menangle on Saturday night, winning the second on the program with Golden Year for Joe Connolly at $11 on the tote. It was Golden Year’s first win since mid-May.
WATCH GOLDEN YEAR WIN AT MENANGLE ON SATURDAY
Tom’s Tamworth Twist
The Breeders Challenge Series heat at Tamworth on Thursday for the 3YO colts and geldings was marred by a race fall involving Grace Panella and Tom Ison. We’re pleased to report everyone, drivers and horses, are all fine. In fact Tom’s recovery was rather swift. Despite falling out of the sulky, he managed to climb back in on the run in a remarkable piece of horsemanship which had everyone talking.
Treble Time
Tom Ison bounced back from his fall at Tamworth, literally, to drive a treble at Newcastle on Friday with Surfers Delight, Sky Diamond and The Black Prince.
SEE SURFERS DELIGHT WIN AT NEWCASTLE ON FRIDAY
The Fresh Prince
Speaking of The Black Prince, he turned in an outstanding effort to run fourth in the Miracle Mile back in March but it’s been a while between wins for the big fella. In fact he hadn’t won since his impressive victory in the Newcastle Mile for Ray Roots Jnr back in mid-February. He put that to rest with a commanding performance, despite appearing to be in a spot of bother as they rounded for home. All signs point to another good campaign ahead for the Prince.
WATCH THE BLACK PRINCE WIN AT NEWCASTLE
Pringle’s Paradigm Shift
The Hawkesbury to Hunter heats got underway at Newcastle too and driver Bevan Pringle managed to win two of the three of them. The first was A Paradigm Shift for Kevin Warby then saluting with his own gelding Its Inevitable, whose name certainly contradicted the market when he was sent out as a $31 pop.
WATCH ITS INEVITABLE WIN AT NEWCASTLE ON FRIDAY
Stacie’s Close Encounter
Last week we celebrated trainer Stacie Elliott jagging two race trifectas on the Newcastle program. Well she was back for another crack and went pretty close in the second on the program. She had six of the 10 runners in the field and finished second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth. The fairytale pipped by Brad Elder driving Tuakana to victory for Jake Mitchell.
WATCH TUAKANA WIN AT NEWCASTLE ON MONDAY
Sibling Rivalry
A quirky stat out of Parkes on Friday night. Siblings won the first five races on the program. Bernie Hewitt and his brother Mark Hewitt won races one and three respectively. Nathan Turnbull, Mitch Turnbull (driver) and Amanda Turnbull (trainer) won races two, four and five respectively. In fact apart from Race 6 when Greg Rue won with Williewa Lightning, that Hewitt/ Turnbull sibling act won the rest of the card!
WATCH KEY DEFENDER WIN AT PARKES
The Big Cheese
How good is cheese! Especially Cheddar. And when you strike a good one, stick with it. Which is what Mark Hewitt has done with his filly Good Cheddar This who made it back-to-back wins to scrape home in the 3YO heats for the Breeders Challenge Series.
SEE GOOD CHEDDAR THIS WIN AT PARKES
Well Bowled Bracks
Steve Turnbull geared up four horses for the 3YO colts and geldings heat of the Breeders Challenge Series and punters settled on Major Bracken as their odds-on elect. He didn’t disappoint either with Mitch Turnbull never headed in what was a pretty easy watch for backers.
WATCH MAJOR BRACKEN WIN AT PARKES ON FRIDAY
Luckless Runner of the Week – Perfect As I Am
The first event on the card at Parkes last Friday evening will be a race that throws up plenty of future winners. Chap Daddy, who was the eventual victor, was ultra-impressive clocking 1:57.6 and you can take nothing away from him. But it was the runner up Perfect As I Am that caught the eye and goes down as the Luckless Runner Of The Week. Drawn outside of the back line over the shorter distance, the Amanda Turnbull Trained and Reined two year old was run off its feet early doors when the leader and winner set up a brutal early front end tempo. Passing the post for the bell, Perfect As I Am was a good 25 metres off the pace and looked only a minor chance of even filling a place, but turning off the back straight at the 350m marker, Turnbull made her move, ducking and weaving through traffic and tired horses to come from last and finish second, only to be beaten by 11.4m in a last half of 57.5 seconds on the 800m circuit. There is a win in store just around the corner no doubt.
WATCH OUR LUCKLESS RUNNER OF THE WEEK AT PARKES
Drive of the Week – Mark Callaghan
For decades Mark Callaghan has been regarded as one of the best in the business when it comes to reinsman in the Hunter Valley. On Monday afternoon he showed why when guiding Hidden Delight to victory in the second last on the card at Newcastle. Given the tough task of starting from gate number 10 over the 1609m journey and with a long odds on favourite in the event, Callaghan played the race cool off the mobile barrier, taking his mare back to settle second last in running and cluttered away along the marker pegs. With the red-hot favourite Rocknroll Swinger having to work from position eight in the draw and set up a hot tempo, it had seemed that Mark had made the right choices early when the field started to pack up at the 400m pole. He was able to use the momentum of some tired horses to shift away from the inside to get to the outer extremities of the roomy Newcastle circuit and let down a winning burst. From there Hidden Delight did the rest herself, coming down to score a comfortable 2.5m victory in an impressive 1:56.3 mile rating.
WATCH OUR DRIVE OF THE WEEK BY MARK CALLAGHAN
MD’S Trial File
MD’s Trial File takes us to Bathurst this week where they went around on Monday evening and I was really taken by the trial of the Mat Rue prepared two-year-old filly Weona Miss Fortune. Given a solid hit out by Rue, Weona Miss Fortune won the event by 6m, recording a mile rating of 1:58.8 and in doing so, defeated the well performed Beta Jewel in what looked to be an unextended run down to the line. The most impressive part of the hit out other than the ease of the victory was the last half of the mile that the filly covered off in 57 seconds flat. Defiantly one to look out for in the future NSW Breeders Challenge heats.
Big Bets
BATHURST
BANG!
$2,000 @ $2.20 on Can't Bluff You
OUCH
$10,000 @ $2 on Sweet Heaven
TAMWORTH
BANG!
$5,000 @ $1.85 on Redbank Olivia
OUCH
$1,500 @ $4.60 on La Cabeza Gem
PENRITH
BANG!
$1,500 @ $2 on My Ultimate Ronnie
OUCH
$2,000 @ $5.50 on No Nukes Skipper
WAGGA 10/9
BANG!
$1,000 @ $2.40 on Nichel Blue
OUCH
$2,700 @ $1.80 on Ignatius
PARKES 10/9
BANG!
$10,000 @ $1.60 on Major Bracken
OUCH
$1,000 @ $4 on The Handsome One
NEWCASTLE 10/9
BANG!
$2,000 @ $1.40 on The Black Prince
MENANGLE 11/9
BANG!
$3,000 @ $1.33 on Rocknroll Angel
OUCH
$2,000 @ $1.60 on One Majic Kenny