23 August 2021 | Darren Clayton
Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
Training a small team from his Stockleigh property, Doug Lee had a good week when preparing three winners across two meetings from just five starters.
The winning week started at Redcliffe on Wednesday night when the eight-year-old mare Lifeinheaven was able to capitalise on her good recent form with a victory.
Starting from barrier three with Brendan Barnes taking the reins, the pair were able to secure the one out-one back trail in the run.
Finishing powerfully, Lifeinheaven sprinted sharply to record an expanding seven-metre winning margin in claiming win number 16 for her career.
The race was named the Brendan Barnes Driver of the Night Pace with Barnes able to cash-in for the win named in his honour following his victory the week previous when securing victory aboard Bondi Shake.
The 2020 Redcliffe Horse of the Year Nikalong Henry was Lee’s other runner for the night with that gelding finishing unplaced.
Friday night’s meeting at Albion Park would be the next fixture where Lee had runners, with two horses engaged for the night.
Devouged was the first to take to the track when competing in the eighth race of the night, starting from gate 10 over the flying mile.
Nathan Dawson had the drive and after settling in a rearward position, was able to bring the five-year-old gelding with a well-timed run to claim victory.
The writing had been on the wall that a win was not far away with Devouged, after the gelding had placed in five of his previous seven starts.
Just one race later, in the last race of the night, Mister Chisolm was able to lead throughout to complete the Doug Lee training double.
Again, it was Brendan Barnes taking the drive, stepping safely from the 10-metre handicap to work to the front and once in control was able to hold on for the win.
In recording the winning double, it was the third time since relocating to Queensland back in late 2012 that Lee has been able to secure two winners on the same card at Albion Park.
It had been over seven years since the second of those doubles, which was back on June 30, 2014 when Princess Jessica and Just Mishiba were successful, with Doug taking the winning drive on both.
Only driving the trotters and using other drivers for his pacers, Lee rounded out the week with Justabitnoisy on Saturday night, finishing sixth.
Owned and bred by Lee along with wife Joedy, the nine-year-old may not have won on Saturday to make it four for the week, but the gelding has been a wonderful horse to the pair since starting his career back in 2015.
THE BAD
The Don Hancock trained Doubletap was not on the radar of punters last Tuesday at Albion Park, with the three-year-old square gaiter starting at odds of $101.
There is a saying that a horse does not know its starting price and that was exactly the case as the gelding pulled clear over the closing stages to break his maiden status with a winning margin of 12 metres.
Making the most of the opportunity following the favoured runners all making errors, Doubletap was faultless in trotting cleanly throughout to claim Heat Three of the Springboard Trotters Series.
Doubletap had been to the races on 16 occasions without any success heading into last week’s event.
Hurrikane Spirit was the race favourite after winning both the first and second heat of the series but threw his chances away with a gait break soon after the start.
That allowed Doubletap to settle in the lead before releasing when Aldebaran Selena mad a strong move to roll to the front.
With the leader unable to maintain the tempo, Nathan Dawson angled Doubletap around the leader and with a fluent gait pulled clear to claim a comfortable victory, breaking the maiden tag in fine style.
Arriving with Hancock as a two-year-old in late 2020 with two starts next to his name, the Andover Hall gelding has been a work in progress, as Hancock has worked on his tractability and racing manners.
Tuesday’s victory was reward for the hard work that has gone into getting the gelding to put it all together on race day and claiming the Springboard Heat has been well earned.
2021 is the second time the Three-Year-Old Springboard Series has been held, with Hancock proving to have a great record.
Claiming the 2020 Final with Aurora, that filly swept the Series, claiming all four heats along with the Final.
Doubletap has now qualified for the 2021 Final to be held at The Creek on September 10, could it be a double tap on the Honour Roll for Don Hancock?
THE MILESTONE
Purchased from New South Wales after 11 career starts that had netted his previous connections just one victory, Rowdys Ace celebrated his 18th with a milestone moment last Tuesday.
It was the striking grey gelding’s 18th victory for owner Beryl Dawson and 19th overall in his career as he broke new ground in scoring his first ever win at Albion Park.
Rowdys Ace had previously attempted to land a victory at The Creek on 38 occasions before the breakthrough came on his 39th visit to the Breakfast Creek oval.
Trained by John McMullen, the son-in-law of Beryl, the grey sat in behind the leader and when asked to sprint had enough left in the tank to sweep past to claim victory by close to three metres.
Nathan Dawson took the drive on the grey for his grandmother, adding to the significance of the maiden Albion Park success.
The nine-year-old has been a great performer for Beryl Dawson since purchasing the then five-year-old back in early 2017.
Joining her grand-daughter Narissa McMullen’s stable, Rowdys Ace was a winner at his second start for Beryl and in 15 starts for Narissa would record five wins.
Switching across to the John McMullen barn, Rowdys Ace has been able to add another 13 victories to his tally following his latest success.
A great supporter of all her grandchildren, four of Beryl’s grandchildren currently occupy a position in the Queensland driver’s premiership top-ten, including positions one and two with Pete McMullen atop of the standings ahead of Nathan Dawson.
Of the 18 wins that Rowdys Ace has secured for Beryl, four of her grandchildren have driven the gelding to 17 of those wins – Narissa McMullen (8), Taleah McMullen (6), Kelli Dawson (2) and Nathan Dawson (1) with the other win posted by Trent Lethaby.
THE WILDCARD
Owners GSM Racing – headed by Greg Mitchell – had a good week at The Creek, landing a winner at each of the three meetings held last week – including two doubles.
The run started on Tuesday when Virgil was able to claim an overdue victory when leading throughout to pace the mile in 1.53.8.
Virgil has been a work in progress since arriving in Queensland as a three-year-old where he looked set to go on to bigger and better things, after a sizzling win over Governor Jujon in the Bill Dixon of December 2019.
His win on Tuesday would have also gone some part to easing the disappointment from earlier in the day where Mitchell had a pair of seconds with Okanagan and Whole Lotta Rosie both finishing as the runner-up in their respective events.
Friday’s double at Albion Park was a race-to-race success with a pair of Art Major pacers purchased out of New Zealand by Mitchell.
Majorca was the first leg when the five-year-old mare proved too strong after racing parked out to make it three wins from three starts since crossing the Tasman.
Two of those wins have been when parked and the other came when leading all the way over the mile in a 1.54.4 mile to create a new personal best winning rate.
The second leg of the double came courtesy of In Chevron We Trust who also set a new benchmark when leading all the way in 1.55.7 to record the fourth win of his career and third since joining the Mitchell team.
At headquarters on Saturday night, Virgil revisited his three-year-old days when overturning Governor Jujon who was first up this season.
Sent straight to the front by Trista Dixon, Virgil controlled the speed and had enough in the tank to hold on for a half-neck victory, making it two wins in five days.
Trista completed the double in the last race when again leading all the way, this time with the enigmatic trotter Aladdin Sane.
Going through a period where he was struggling to put it together, there was no doubting his ability, but getting the gelding to concentrate throughout was proving troublesome.
That led to a change of strategy, with trainer and regular driver Grant Dixon, vacating the seat for wife Trista to step in.
The pair have ‘clicked’ since Trista has taken the reins behind the five-year-old, with six drives returning three wins and two minors.
THIS WEEK
Redcliffe will again kick off the racing week in Queensland with a Monday night fixture where nine races will be decided.
The Peninsula Club will host three meetings for the week with the Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon programmes complementing the Monday meeting.
Racing from The Creek three times this week will start on Tuesday afternoon with a nine-race card set down for decision.
The last race of the day shapes as a great contest between the in-form Our Action Man for Rickie Alchin shooting for a hat-trick of wins clashing with Captain Nemo for trainer Mark Dux.
Friday night will see the third round heats of the Two-Year-Old Trotters Springboard Series, with Flashy Seb having claimed the first and second heats, and the Lisa Bahr-trained Confiscated finishing second on both occasions.
The week will wrap up with the Saturday night metropolitan fixture.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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