By Adam Hamilton
SIDELINED superstar Hectorjayjay is progressing well on the comeback trail for new trainer-driver Gavin Lang.
Managing owner Matt McLellan said the next week was important in shaping a racetrack return date for the brilliant pacer.
“He’s had a big build-up on the water-walker and has been at Gavin’s for almost two weeks. The plan is to do some fast work now to see where he’s at,” he said.
McLellan still holds out hope of Hectorjayjay making is back in time to defend his Group 1 Blacks A Fake crown at Albion Park in July.
“That would be fantastic, but it’s totally up to Gavin and there’s no way we’d rush the horse at all,” he said.
Hectorjayjay, who boasts 42 wins and over $1.1 million in earnings, hasn’t raced since sustaining a suspensory ligament injury following his sparkling win in the Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on July 15, last year.
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LIKE father, like daughter.
Mighty mare Berisari is certainly a chip of the old block of her sire, former fantastic stayer Safari. And like him, she’s got better with time.
So is made and said about trainer Emma Stewart’s amazing deeds with young horses, but Berisari is a different story.
The now seven-year-old mare went so close to winning Victoria’s mares’ “triple crown” back in 2015 when she won the first two legs, Silver Chalice and Angelique Club Cup, then finished second in the big one, Queen of the Pacific. She was beaten just 1.2m by Steam Washed.
Now she’s nominal favourite to go one better and complete the “new” triple crown after winning the Make Mine Cullen and last Friday night’s Angelique Club Cup.
As good as she was in 2015, Berisari is better now. Last Friday’s win was breathtaking.
Despite sitting parked outsider star mare Ameretto in slick times, Berisari zoomed to the lead rounding the home bend and easily held-off star mares Carlas Pixel and Rockstar Angel to win by 5.6m in a 1min55.4sec mile rate for 2240m.
She’s right in the zone and will relish the gruelling 2760m of next week’s Group 1 Queen of the Pacific at Melton.
Carlas Pixel lost no admirers after sustaining a long three-wide run from back near last to finish second.
Kiwi mare A Piccadilly Princess also caught the eye late in fifth spot and has a hope with a good draw next week.
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EMMA Stewart’s dominance of last Friday’s Melton meeting went well beyond Berisari’s win.
Stewart and partner, Clayton Tonkin, snared the trifecta in the Argent 3YO Fillies’ Classic (2240m) when their star filly Nostra Villa toyed with stablemates Frankincense and Molly Kelly.
Nostra Villa must have loved the fact her nemesis Shez All Rock missed the race as she’s in Christchurch preparing the NZ Oaks.
Nostra Villa chased home Shez All Rock in a heat and final of the NSW Oaks and again in a heat and final of the Victoria Oaks.
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TRIPLE Group 1 winner Our Little General is the latest big name to be sold to the US.
Trained by Emma Stewart, Our Little General was a star from day one and snared the 2YO Breeders Crown final as well as finishing second in the Vicbred final in his freshman season.
The son of Mach Three then added another two Group 1 wins at three – Victoria Derby and Breeders Crown 3YO final.
Despite being pint-sized, Our Little General boasts 34 starts for 15 wins, 13 placings and $522,525 in earnings.
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FORMER Hunter Cup winner Bling It On is ready for the races.
The $1.6 million earner hasn’t raced since finishing ninth in the Hunter Cup at Melton on February 3. He won the same race the year before.
He represents some fresh and exciting blood into races like the Len Smith Mile and Sunshine Sprint and Blacks A Fake in Queensland.
Bling It On sharpened-up for his return with a solid third to the speedy and exciting My Alpha Rock in a 1min52.8sec mile trial at Menangle last Tuesday.
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IT has only taken two starts for Majordan to throwdown the challenge to Tiger Tara as Kevin Pizzuto’s stable star.
Tiger Tara will take some toppling, but Majordan won in a 1min48.9sec mile at his second run since joining Pizzuto’s barn and then blazed his way to a 1min49.4sec mile in miserable conditions at Menangle last night.
Pizzuto dared to talk about Miracle Miles after the latest win where Majordan did it at both ends with splits of 26.0 (out three-wide) then 28.4, 28.0 and 27.0sec.
At the same meeting, Amanda Turnbull trained and drove Shoobee Doo to an impressive all-the-way 1min54.9sec mile win in the Group 3 Rod Fitzpatrick 2YO Memorial.
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LAST season she won the WA Oaks and Maczaffair added another feature race to her booty at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
Trained by Mike Reed and driven by Shannon Suvalkjo, the daughter of Mach Three used gate three to lead and found enough in a driving finish to hold-off a gallant Eden Franco, who sat parked throughout in a 1min55.6sec mile rate for 2130m in the $50,000 Group 2 Breeders Stakes Mares’ Pace.
Sarah Goody, who chased home Maczaffair in last season’s Oaks, landed another minor placing behind when third last Friday.
Reed’s night didn’t start as well as he hoped when his regally-bred and buzz juvenile Bletchley Park – a brother to Bling It On and half to Miracle Mile-winning mare Baby Bling – could manage third to the leader Major Survivor.
Other notable wins on the night came from former star juvenile Ideal Tyson and veteran former Kiwi stayer Our Jimmy Johnstone.
Ideal Tyson, now a five-year-old, scored the most impressive win of his career when he sat parked throughout and still proved too strong in a scorching 1min52.8sec mile rate for 1730m.
Nine-year-old Our Jimmy Johnstone also did the work outside the leader, former Tassie pacer Devendra, and dug deep to beat classy pacers Shandale and The Bucket List in a thrilling three-way finish.
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MAKE it seven wins on end now for former Kiwi trotter Tornado Valley.
Now with Andy and Kate Gath, Tornado Valley led, dictated and won as he liked in the Group 3 Bruce Skeggs Cranbourne Trotters’ Cup last night (Saturday).
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THE new kid beat the old stager in the Dubbo Council City Cup last Friday night.
Atomic Red, who ran third to Jilliby Kung Fu in the Chariots of Fire, posted his 11th win from just 26 starts when he went to war and won against nine-year-old Ultimate Art, who was having his 103rd start.
Atomic Red won by 2.3m in a 1min56.9sec mile rate for 2525m with a staggering 55.4m away to the third-placed Parramatta.
Brad Hewitt’s classy Kiwi-bred mare My Casino Belle was simply too good for her rivals for an easy win in the $30,600 Group 3 Red Ochre Classic.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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