By Adam Hamilton
FORMER top class Kiwi pacer Tiger Tara is really starting to make his mark in Australia.
The six-year-old son of Bettors Delight looked awesome winning easily in a 1min50.7sec mile at Menangle last Saturday night.
Just two days earlier, Tiger Tara bludgeoned his way to a stunning 37m victory in the PFD Food Services Cup (2525m).
Despite doing all the work parked, he demolished his rivals and posting a slick 1min57.7sec mile rate – just 1.0sec outside the track record Smolda set two years ago.
Tiger Tara has now won four of his past five starts for trainer Kevin Pizzuto.
He is headed for a showdown with Miracle Mile winner Lennytheshark and others in the Len Smith Mile at Menangle in June and possibly onto a Queensland winter campaign.
Todd McCarthy drove Tiger Tara and also won both heats of the pretigious Carousel series at the meeting, the first on Tiger Tara’s stablemate The Golden Cross and second for his father, John, on Rakarazor.
The Golden Cross had a gun run on the back of Shane Tritton’s hot favourite Anything For Love, who did a superb job to finish a close second after burning to lead in a track record-breaking 1min55.9sec mile rate for 2125m.
THAT was a WA Derby to treasure for the De Campo family.
But it was a wipeout for punters with $30.20 shot Handsandwheels beating $14.50 chance Rock Diamonds with $119.50 shot Tisadream third.
Andrew De Campo trained first and third and his son, Aiden, scoring his biggest win in the sulky on Handsandwheels.
“That’s definitely one of the biggest moments in my life. I could get used to this feeling,” Aiden said.
Handsandwheels had the gun behind the leader Im Rockaria with buzz Kiwi import Runrunjimmydunn sitting parked and the other big gun in the race, Mitch Maguire in the one-one trail.
Mitch Maguire came with a three wide run down the back straight as the favourites made a line of three up front, which allowed De Campo to ease away from the inside on Handsandwheels, but the colt didn’t handle the home bend overly well.
Rock Diamonds edged Handsandwheels five-wide and pinched a break, but Handsandwheels balanced-up again and rallied late to grab victory in the last two strides in a 1min57.8sec mile rate for 2536m.
Im Rockaria held-on best of the big guns for fourth, while Mitch Maguire (seventh) and Runrunjimmydunn (eighth) both weakened late.
GLAMOUR filly My Sweetchilliphilly took her unbeaten record to four races when she easily won the Group 3 Pink Bonnet in a 1min54.1sec mile at Menangle last Saturday night.
In contrast to the Bathurst Gold Tiara final where she sat parked and beat Kiwi filly Lady Chatto, this time the Kiwi handed over the lead.
Lady Chatto, now in the care of Shane Sanderson, started to overrace very badly and eventually choked down and fell.
On the same card, former Kiwi mare Cyclone Kate showed she was right back in peak form when she led throughout in a 1min51.7sec mile. It was her third successive win and the 20th of her career.
MARK Purdon returns to Menangle this week.
This time he’s chasing the rich Australian Gold series with impressive, Aussie-owned gelding Sicario.
Owned by Bill and Jean Feiss – who also races the likes of Vincent and Spanish Armada – Sicario delivered on some pre-race hype when he impressively won on debut at Invercargil last Sunday week.
The son of Somebeachsomewhere has drawn the outside in the third of three Aussie Gold heats at Menangle where his main threat is Craig Cross’ talented and well-performed youngster Thisbeachrighthere.
Sicario’s debut win saw him installed on the fourth line of betting at $7 for the Harness Jewels 2YO Emerald with the Aussie TAB.
Barry Purdon also has a runner in the second of the Gold heats at Menangle with Be Major Threat – who has one placing from his four starts to date – drawn gate two.
Later on the same card, Mark Purdon’s Motu Premier starts the next phase of his career in Australia, but still in Purdon’s care, from the pole in race nine.
Motu Premier heads to Menangle after making it three wins from his past four starts when made light of a 40m handicap to win the Canterbury Country Cups final at Methven last Sunday week.
CLASSY mare Milly Perez snared the biggest win of her career when she snatch victory from hot favourite Major Crocker in last Saturday night’s $60,000 Group 2 Mildura Cup.
Major Crocker did all of the work outside Brallos Pass in quick times and John Caldow came with a big finishing burst on Milly Perez to win by a neck in a 1min58.6sec mile rate for the long 2600m trip.
Caldow took over driving Milly Perez and they combined to win the Charlton Cup on February 26. He’s won three of six drives on her since taking the reins.
The other feature, the Mildura Guiineas, was won in all-the-way fashion by classy three-year-old Emain Macha, who easily held-off a gallant Motu Meteor, who was having his first run for new trainer Kerryn Manning.
IT is amazing how fast our two-year-olds go these days.
Another example came in the first of three Australian Gold heats for colts and geldings at Melton last Friday night.
The Angela McDowall-trained Lumineer sat parked for driver Jason Lee and ran down buzz juvenile Higherthananeagle in a scorching 1min53.8sec mile rate for 1720m, including closing splits of 55.7 and 27.9sec.
Connections have already turned down big offers for Lumineer.
The other two heats were won in much slower times by Stefsbest (1min57.8sec) and Yankee Roller (1min58.5sec).
YOUNG mare Red Hot Tooth continued her fantastic season by snaring the Group 1 Australasian Trotting Championship at Melton last Friday night.
It also continued a breakthrough season for young driver Zac Phillips, who only recently won his first Group 1, and took the reins on Red Hot Tooth for trainers Kari and Paul Males.
Red Hot Tooth led throoughout in a 2min1sec mile rate for the 2760m standing start and ripped home in 57.2 and 28.4sec to beat Sky Petite and Illawong Helios in an all mares’ finish.
Favourites Sunny Ruby (eighth) and On Thunder Road (10th) never looked likely from their 20m handicaps.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
