By Adam Hamilton
EMERGING star Shadow Sax bounced-back from a mystifying Hunter Cup flop to snare another feature win in the Group 2 Cranbourne Cup.
It added to the Group 1 SA Cup along with a fantastic Ballarat Cup placing through an exciting first season in the big league for Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin.
And gave Chris Alford yet another feature race win.
Alford used gate four to lead, copped some midrace pressure from the gifted San Carlo, but kept finding to beat the rejuvenated Clancys Fobwatch by 4.1m in a 1min56.1sec mile rate for 2555m.
San Carlo disappointed slightly, but tiring late for fourth.
The other Cranbourne feature, the Group 1 Knight Pistol Trot, was won in easy all-the-way fashion but classy mare Red Hot Tooth.
The race changed big time when $1.60 favourite Sparkling Success galloped and lost 40m at the start, while Red Hot Tooth zoomed across to lead.
Zac Phillips dictated terms in front on the mare and won as he liked from Andy and Kate Gath’s former Kiwi trotter Tornado Valley with Sparkling Success recovering for a monstrous third.
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SHANE Tritton firmly believes this is the strongest stable he’s ever had.
Leading the way is top-class former Kiwi pacer Franco Nelson, but there is so much depth alongside him.
One of the young stars, Platinum Revolution, was simply too fast and classy in the Group 3 Pink Bonnet for two-year-old fillies at Menangle last Friday night.
Making it two wins from just three starts, the daughter of Changeover sat parked, ran clear on the home bend and was strong to the line in 1 min54.7sec mile.
“What a fantastic night for the team. Four wins, two seconds and a Pink Bonnet,” Tritton said.
Team Tritton is now five clear from Craig Cross on the Menangle training premiership.
Tritton and wife, Lauren, won the first two races with Murano and Lombo Kotakinabalu.
Their flying mare Reaza Grunter also brilliantly won the fifth event in a 1min52.6sec mile.
Another mare to impress at Menangle was Mark Jones’ Delightful Memphis, who blew away a handy field in a 1min51.5sec mile.
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DANIELLE Hill is surely one of the best and most inspiring stories in Australian harness racing.
Hill has overcome horrific injuries from a race fall almost eight years to become the key player in South Australia.
And she really strutted her stuff at Port Pirie last Friday night with six wins on the seven race card.
She became just the fourth SA driver to snare six wins at a meeting.
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JUST a week after a close second in the Miracle Mile, young gun driver Jason Lee returned to his roots for a dominant display at Mount Gambier.
It was Cup night at the remote South Australian track and Lee drove four of the eight winners on the night, including the Cup on Keayang Starzzz.
Keayang Starzzz is trained by Jason’s mother, Marg, who also prepares Miracle Mile runner-up Jilliby Kung Fu.
You can expect Jilliby Kung Fu to step-out next in either the Kilmore Cup on March 17 or the Melton Plate on March 24.
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CANBERRA Raiders captain Jarrod Crocker has a real passion for harness racing.
Hence his joy at a pacer he part-owns, Our Triple Play, thrashing his rivals in the $30,600 Group 3 Wagga Cup last Saturday night.
Our Triple Play is trained by Crocker’s friend, Brad Hewitt, and David Moran took the drive for a powerhouse 35m win in a 1min57.4sec mile rate for the long 2575m trip.
The other stars of the night were father and son Chris and Anthony Frisby, who landed both the Wagga Oaks with Major Occasion and Wagga Derby with Uncle Ryan.
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LEVIATHAN owner-breeder Rob Watson’s best season in the sport keeps getting better.
Watson has enjoyed a fantastic ride with Australia’s best pacer, Soho Tribeca, through his first season on the Grand Circuit.
Throw in exciting juvenile filly Soho Nolita, NSW Oaks runner-up Soho Burning Love and so many others.
Watson snared another feature when his regally-bred filly Soho Interceptor – by Art Major out of former star filly Aussie Made Lombo – won the $100,000 2YO Fillies’ Sales Classic final at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
Trained by Glenn Elliott and driven by Shannon Suvaljko, Soho Interceptor led and found plenty to beat favourite Has No Fear in a 1min57.6sec mile rate for 1730m.
The colts and geldings version went to trainer-driver Colin Brown and Its Rock And Roll (A Rocknroll Dance-Miss Worthy Whitby) in a quicker 1min56.6sec mile rate.
The other win of note at Gloucester Park came from prominent WA Derby hopefully, Speed Man, for trainer Gary Hall Sr and driver Gary Jr.
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WHEN Kima Frenning came to Australia it was as a stablehand and occasional Monte rider.
Now she’s one of the most young drivers in Victoria.
Frenning, who works for David Aiken and dates his son, Josh, was seen at her best aboard the emerging Rishi at Melton last Friday night.
Rishi toyed with a handy field and it’s great to see his trainer, Lance Justice, with another really promising pacer.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
