By Adam Hamilton
YOU can see why top trainer Shane Tritton has a huge opinion of emerging pacer Anything For Love and his driver Chris Geary.
Geary produced a drive of great poise when he teamed with Anything For Love to win the $50,000 Group 2 Carousel Final – beating the All Stars’ classy pacer Motu Premier – at Menangle last Saturday night.
Tritton was confident he had the best horse going into the race, but worried about his noted speedster running a strong 2300m. “If he doesn’t run himself into the ground, I think he’ll win,” he said.
So instead of buzzing of the gate to lead from barrier seven as most expected, Geary steadied Anything For Love after the start, let him balance-up out three-wide and gradually worked his way around to take the front after 400m.
A relaxed Anything For Love steadied for a cosy 31.9sec first split of the last mile, so Mark Purdon made a move from midfield to sit parked on Motu Premier, but he never looked like running down the leader.
Anything For Love blazed home his last half in 54sec, including a 26.9sec final quarter to win by 5.4m in a 1min55sec mile rate for 2300m.
“We’ve got a huge opinion of him. He’s learning all the time, but it’s great to see him show a different side tonight,” Tritton said.
Anything For Love showed glimpses of promise in Victoria, has gone to another level in 10 starts for Tritton and his wife, Lauren, with four wins, four seconds, a third and a fourth.
COMEBACKS don’t get much better than the old boy Avonnova’s win at Albion Park last Saturday night.
Racing for the first time since he was retired last December, the rising 11-year-old sat outside buzz Kiwi import Hughie Green and simply out-toughed him in a blistering 1min52.9sec mile rate for 1660m.
Hughie Green, so impressive winning his first two Queensland starts for new trainer-driver John Cremin, looked the winner on the home bend, but Avonnova dug in for the fight and snatched a half-head win.
“We were happy to retire him, but he wasn’t happy being retired,” trainer Ian Gurney said. “He was missing training and racing. We put him back into work and when he seemed so well, we decide to race him again.”
It was Avonnova’s 51st career win from 156 starts and the old boy looks like he will be competitive again when the big boys arrive for the Winter Carnival in coming weeks.
EMMA Stewart is the key trainer heading into next week’s Group 1 Australian Gold 2YO fillies’ final at Melton.
Stewart snared the quinella with Molly Kelly and Nostra Beach in the first and what looked the strongest semi-final at Melton last Friday night.
The regally-bred Molly Kelly led throughout to win, but the effort of stablemate Nostra Beach to sit parked and get within a head was massive.
The heat was just a sprint home with a 1min56.5sec mile rate for 1720m capped by closing splits of 55.1 and 27.1sec.
Molly Kelly is owned and bred by Bernie and Diane Kelly and is a sister to their recently-retired champion mare Frith.
The second semi winner, Fiore Stride, is also superbly bred being a half-sister to reigning Inter Dominion champ Smolda.
Fiore Stride caused an upset for the second time in as many runs when she sat parked and simply packed too much zip to Mark Purdon’s leader, Just Makemine Diamonds, who led and ran second.
Like the first semi, it was just a sprint home with a 1min57.7sec mile rate for 1720m and closing splits of 56.3 and 26.8sec.
The tempo made it too hard for Nicole Molander’s hot favourite, Passions Delight, to bridge the gap along the sprint lane behind the leader. She finished a close-up third.
Fiore Stride, driven by John Caldow, also packed too much speed when she overpowered Just Makemine Diamonds in a Gold heat at Menangle two starts back.
STILL on the all-conquering Emma Stewart and she didn’t just win the feature mares’ race at Melton – she snared the trifecta in it.
Former sparkling juvenile Heavens Trend produced her best performance in a long time when she led and thrashed a hot field by 12m in a 1min54.5sec mile rate for 2240m. She ripped home in 55.2 and 27.1sec with Gavin Lang aboard.
Rocknroll Magic, racing for the first time since beating Heavens Trend and others in the Breeders Crown 3YO final last August, ran home well from three-back on the inside for second, while Whirily School trailed the leader and ran third.
It was hard on the stablemates for David Aiken’s star mare Rockstar Angel, who had to sit parked in the blazing times. She held on bravely to run fourth and remains on target for a trip to the Jewels.
THE margin wasn’t great, but the performance certainly was from Major Crocker to win the Captain Sandy Free-For-All (1720m) at Melton last Friday night.
Former giant Kiwi pacer Maximan has repeatedly shown how hard he is to beat in front around Melton, but Major Crocker sat parked and snatched victory in the last stride.
He smashed the clock to do it with a scorching 1min51.9sec mile rate. He closed in 55.5 and 27.5sec.
The way Major Crocker is going, trainer Vince Vallelonga must be tempted to hit the road with him again in coming weeks for races like the Len Smith Mile and maybe even Queensland winter campaign.
The other Melton winner of note was Andy Gath’s one-time emerging star Burnaholeinmypocket, who has shown genuine glimpses of being back to his best at his past two wins.
Last Friday he came from the back row, grabbed a three-wide trail home and stormed to an impressive win in a 1min55.1sec mile rate for 2240m.
“It’s been such battle to get him back, but it’s so satisfying to see him going this well again,” Gath said.
IT is great to see Murray Howard’s decision to try his luck in Sydney paying dividends with emerging trotter The Benchmark.
Howard has taken a temporary break from his long-time role as stable foreman for Cran Dalgety to campaign the four-year-old trotter at Menangle.
And The Benchmark justified the move with a barnstorming win in the $25,000 Group 3 Bulli Trotters’ Cup (2300m) at Menangle last Saturday night with Jack Trainor aboard.
ONE of the best stories of last weekend came with Shardons Rocket’s Gloucester Park win.
Trainer Tony Svilicich has worked some wonders with veteran horses, most notably Has The Answers, over the years, but this was up with his best efforts.
The 12-year-old Shardons Rocket posted his 43rd career win at his whopping 308th race start in the fast-class race. He’s also been placed 87 times and earned $577,925.
The old fella earned the win as well with junior driven Lauren Jones parking him outside the leader and fighting on to win by a half-neck as a $46 outsider.
It was also good to see recent high-priced Kiwi import Shandale quickly bounce back to winning form for trainer Mike Reed and driver Shannon Suvjalko in a slick 1min55.3sec mile rate for 2130m.
The feature of the night, the $50,000 Group 2 Champagne Stakes for two-year-old fillies, went to Cott Beach, a daughter of Courage Under Fire’s brother Advance Attack.
THE dates have been confirmed for the Perth Inter Dominion, which shapes as being the strongest of the three Gloucester Park’s hosting stint.
The likes of Lazarus, Smolda, Lennytheshark, Hectorjayjay, Tiger Tara and Ohoka Punter are just some of the big names expected at Gloucester Park when the series starts on Friday, November 24.
The second round of heats again go to regional track Bunbury (Tuesday, November 28), then the third round of heats will be back at Gloucester Park on Friday, December 1.
It’s a $1.8 million series capped by the $1.1 million Grand Final at Gloucester Park on Friday, December 8.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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