The 2015 Queensland spring carnival at Albion Park starts this weekend.
Over the next three weeks, the open class stars of Australia will gather as they chase the lucrative prizemoney on offer.
The Gr.2 $50,000 Be Good Johnny Sprint, named in honour of the dual Miracle Mile champion, kicks off the carnival followed by the Gr.1 $100,000 Gold Coast Cup while the Australian Pacing Gold Grand Circuit opener, the Gr.1 $200,000 Queensland Pacing Championship concludes the carnival.
Each week, the distances vary, starting with 1660m before increasing to 2138m while ending with a staying test of 2680m.
The Be Good Johnny Sprint has drawn together an outstanding field including reigning Queensland Horse of the Year Avonnova, brilliant Sydney performer Bling It On, classy mare Forever Gold, track specialist Destreos and defending champion Majestic Major among others.
Gambling giant UBET are offering a range of juicy jackpots including a $30,000 guaranteed trifecta pool on the opening event.
Albion Park course commentator Chris Barsby is expecting a fast run race with the track record of 1;50.8 held by recently retired champion Im Themightyquinn in some type of jeopardy.
“It’s a great field boasting tremendous depth; invariably these types of races are run at a frantic speed from start to finish and barrier draws can bring about defeat for a good horse, several high profile runners face very difficult draw so luck in running is crucial. Majestic Major won this event last year in 1;54 but I’m expecting faster time this weekend because the track is in great order.” Barsby said.
UBET have listed Majestic Major the favourite at $2.40 in their fixed odds market followed by the ideally drawn Our Hi Jinx at $4.40 while Avonnova is at $4.80 and Bling It On is at $6.50 to round out the runners at odds under $10.
“Majestic Major is the horse to beat for mine; he continues to improve and his first-up victory last week was very solid and further improvement can be expected plus he is a brilliant gate speed horse and with Our Hi Jinx drawn to his inside and being noted for racing best with cover, the Grant Dixon trained Majestic Major looks a guaranteed leader and obviously the horse to catch.
“Our Hi Jinx is still very much underrated and his effort when successful last start was very good, he knocked off Avonnova and didn’t gain the credit he deserved for that win. He was placed at Grand Circuit company last year and this draw is perfect, he will prove very dangerous from the ace.
“The draw has been unkind for horses like Bling It On, Forever Gold and Avonnova and given what’s ahead in the coming weeks, they’re likely to struggle this week in the sprint scamper. Emerging types like Alleluia and Shannonsablast can certainly feature while smart mare Millwood Liberty is capable of running a bottler without surprising.”
UBET have a $25,000 Quadrella jackpot – to be staged on races 2, 3, 4 & 5.
First 4 jackpots of $3000 are slated for races 3 & 6.
The first of 10 races is scheduled to start at 5.18pm.
Contact the club on (07) 3262 2577 or via the website at www.aphrc.com.au or simply drop an emailinfo@aphrc.com.au
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
