By Adam Hamilton
THE world awaits top Aussie trotter Sparkling Success.
And the Victorian regained feature race winning form just ahead of his trip to the US for the $1 million Yonkers Interational Trot in October.
It’s one of the great stories given he’s trained by dairy farmers John and Mary Meade, who have sold the farm to concentrate on campaigning Sparkling Success in the US.
After two sound runs back from a spell, regular driver Chris Svanosio obviously felt Sparkling Success was primed to do some work and launched him a daring and race-winning midrace move around the field to take the lead.
It left main danger and hot favourite Maori Time parked doing the work in the $35,000 Group Breeders Crown Graduate Trotters’ free-for-all.
Sparkling Success was always in control, winning by 3.7m in a slick 1min58sec mile rate for 2240m
“This is the race he won last year which showed how good he was and Meady thought he was getting back to his top so I was happy to do a bit of work on him. He felt terrific,” Svanosio said.
Meade said Sparkling Success could race again at Melton on September 8 before boarding a flight to the US seven days later.
The adorable Meade told www.thetrots.com.au : “There’s a lot of thing I don’t know yet, there’s probably a lot of things when I come home I won’t know either, but anyway.
“We are going. I still haven’t got my visa. I haven’t got a credit card and I haven’t got a mobile phone. I have got a passport.
“I’ve only got to just get on my computer – computers and me aren’t real good – I’ve been busy trying to get my licence and organise my cows for sale.”
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YOU may never see another race quite like what Dance Craze did in the Group 2 Breeders Crown 4YO Mares’ final at Melton last Friday night.
It wasn’t the way she won, but rather how as a $1.10 favourite she did two staggering things to beat herself.
About 100m from the winning post with a lap to go, she shied at something, broke badly while leading, caused chaos in the field, but recovered well enough to zoom around take the lead again down the back straight.
Driver Nathan Jack cut her loose on the final bend and she got to the 100m mark in the home straight with a huge lead before … doing exactly what she did a lap earlier.
This time she galloped, lost all chance and finished ninth.
For the record, the race was won by Margaret Jean for trainer Chris Svanosio and driver Mark Pitt.
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GLAMOUR mare Our Golden Goddess’ unbeaten streak this campaign came to an end when she could only manage third in the $60,000 Group 2 Breeders Crown Graduate Open free-for-all (2240m) at Melton last Friday night.
The scratching of favourite and big threat Shadow Sax left Our Golden Goddess a dominant $1.70 favourite, but much-improved leader Audi Hare dictated in front and found plenty to win by a head over Nikkibandwagon (behind leader).
Our Golden Goddess was another head away third and timed to run her last 800m out three-wide without cover in 54.9sec.
Such has been Audi Hare’s improvement, trainer David Aiken touted a possible Melbourne Inter Dominion tilt for the rising six-year-old.
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CHICAGO Bull stole the show at Gloucester Park last Friday, but a couple of Greg and Skye Bond’s exciting four-year-olds delivered nice cameos.
Former buzz juvenile Mitch Maguire and the emerging former Kiwi Vampiro both look headed to bigger and better things.
Mitch Maguire sat parked, but simply blew away a handy field for a speed with a 55.4 closing half to score in a 1min56.4sec mile rate for 2130m.
It was his fourth win from his past five starts and his 17th from just 26 career runs.
Vampiro, who looks every bit a serious open-class player in the making, didn’t win as easily but was even more impressive.
After rapidly rising through the grades, Vampiro had been good without winning of late, but turned it around when he dropped back in grade slightly and to a standing race off 20m.
Ryan Warwick stepped him away well, made an early move to sit parked and then went crunch through the middle stages with a 56.1sec split from the 1200-400m.
Vampiro tired late, but held on to beat stablemate Courage Tells by 1.4m in a sharp 1min57.7sec mile rate for the long 2503m standing-start.
The Bonds snared a treble on the night with Mighty Mr Sharkey led throughout to upset stablemate El Jacko in the fourth event.
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A WIDE draw and tough run saw NZ Cup hopeful Tiger Tara finish just midfield in the Group 3 Vic Frost Cup (1609m) at Menangle last night.
Kevin Pizzuto’s stable star was only second-up from a spell and worked hard three-wide then outside the leader and winner My Alpha Rock before tiring late for a 7.1m fifth.
My Alpha Rock continues to emerge as a open-class player and there was plenty to like about his bold front-running win in a 1min50.9sec mile.
The flop of the race was former All Stars’ pacer Cash N Flow, now in the Craig Cross barn, who had a good trip, but failed to beat a rival home.
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A LATE surge from Lauren Tritton left her one with short of winning the Menangle drivers’ premiership.
Todd McCarthy’s early treble last night gave him a three-win lead, but Tritton hit back with victories on My Alpha Rock and Petes Big Jim.
Petes Big Jim, a placegetter and Jewels and Vicbred finals, had to pull-out all stops to beat Tim Butt’s recent Kiwi import Izzy Dagg in the Garrards Ready 2 Run Sale Stakes in a slick 1min52.9sec mile.
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