13 December 2021 | Darren Clayton
Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
In what has been a season for the ages, Pete McMullen cracked 300 driving wins on Friday afternoon at The Creek.
Ironically for the man dubbed Leader Peter, number 300 came when chasing the leader down via the passing lane, Williewa Lightning showing great acceleration to grab victory.
After starting Friday’s meeting on 298 wins, the margin to 300 was quickly reduced to one when leading all the way for the easiest of wins aboard the talented Awaywego.
Placed in two of his next three drives for the day, there was just one race left and it seemed as if the milestone may have to wait until another day.
However, McMullen had Williewa Lightning stalking the leader Sweet Lombo soon after the field was released from the 2138-metre starting point.
As the field swung into the home straight, McMullen angled to the passing lane and under his urgings, and the horse responded to scoot through and claim the victory.
The McMullen/Dwyer combination have aided each other throughout the season, with each complementing the other in the quest for new individual milestones.
Williewa Lightning’s victory was the 73rd success this term where McMullen has driven one of Dwyer’s runners, with the pair boasting feature race success throughout the year with Shes Miss Devine and Unknown Son.
The second half of the season has been the strongest for McMullen, receiving the bell at the half-way point of the term on 133 wins and reaching 300 with 21 days of the current season remaining.
After not taking a drive in the first seven meetings of the year, the start of the season was an indication of how 2021 would progress, winning at his first attempt for the year.
That win came on January 12 when Leader Peter did his thing, leading throughout for a comfortable victory aboard Boomchuckalucka, with the next 299 winners coming one day short of 11 months.
Becoming the first Queensland driver to land 300 wins in a season, McMullen joined some elite names in Australian Harness racing history and becomes just the fourth to reach that many winners in one season.
Kerryn Manning was the first, breaking through for a 300-win season when steering home 371 winners in 2002/03 and backing that up with over 300 in each of the next two seasons.
Daryl Douglas was the next to reach the feat in 2006/07, going on to land over 300 in four successive seasons.
Chris Alford landed his first 300 in 2011/12 and since then has had another two seasons in excess of the magical number, and a further two seasons in excess of 400 winners.
If Pete can build on his mammoth season next year the way his three predecessors were able to in following seasons, will we be looking at a new benchmark in season 2022?
THE BAD
There is bad Doug, and there is good Doug.
Since September, bad Doug has been making his presence felt at The Creek with the enigmatic square gaiter putting together a six-pack of performances where errors had proven costly and ended his chances.
After an improved effort to finish second to Sir Fahrenheit on December 4, there were some nervous moments on Saturday night when the strands released, and it looked as if bad Doug had again made his way to the track as he was chancy in the early stages.
Once the start was put behind him and he had settled cleanly into a trot, the switch flicked and it was good Doug turning, with the Graham Dwyer-trained trotter bouncing back to winning form.
Aided by a patient Pete McMullen drive, Doug settled in a rearward position before making a sustained run from the 500-metre point.
Sweeping up strongly wide off the track to hit the lead, McMullen really allowed Doug to open up, pulling clear of the pack and racing away to claim victory by 22 metres.
The win took Dwyer to 99 training wins for the season and gearing up the favourite, Harps, for the last race of the night, it looked as if the 100 would come for the successful Dwyer/McMullen combination.
However, with Harps managing a 5th placing, the ton would have to wait.
It was not a long wait for Dwyer, with the triple figures attained on Sunday night at Redcliffe at his next starter, courtesy of an all the way win by She Owns The Day.
Reaching the 100-win mark for the first time is a huge achievement for Dwyer and his family based Kingslodge team, being the fourth trainer to reach 100 wins in Queensland this season.
Feature race winner Shes Miss Devine heads the money earners list for the stable, with Themidnightrambler leading by number of wins, having recorded ten wins thus far for the term.
And if bad Doug could be good Doug more often, who knows what the current tally could be.
THE MILESTONE
Ian Coulson ended a winning drought at Redcliffe on Sunday night when steering a pacer he trains, part-owns and bred, Lazy Blaze to victory.
The win of Lazy Blaze was the 12th training success for Coulson with 10 of those wins coming courtesy of Lazy Blaze.
It was the dam of Lazy Blaze, Karbeela, that gave Coulson his first two training wins back in the 2005/06 season, with both wins coming at the now defunct Rocklea track.
Starting from inside the second row aboard Lazy Blaze, Coulson angled the gelding to the poles to settle three back as Our Dolly took control in front.
Looking to have plenty to offer turning for home, Coulson was able to drive a patient race, waiting for the passing lane before angling down to the inside.
The eight-year-old sprinted sharply, darting through to score his 10th career victory and provide Coulson with his fifth driving success.
Three of those wins have been aboard Lazy Blaze, spread across six seasons, with wins at Kilcoy in season 2015/16, at Redcliffe in 2018/19 and the most recent Redcliffe victory.
Paul Diebert is the only other driver to taste success with Lazy Blaze and with Diebert no longer driving, Coulson might just be able to boost his own win percentage.
THE WILDCARD
There may have been no consolation for the trotters in the Inter Dominion, however the last race at Menangle was made up of five contestants of the series that were unable to progress through to the Final.
One of those was the only Queensland-trained entrant in either the pacers or trotters divisions, the Trent Lethaby-trained Red Castleton.
Taking his place in the quasi-consolation -the Stan Dumesny Memorial Free-For-All- following three unplaced runs through the three rounds of heats, part-owner and partner of Lethaby, Taleah McMullen headed to Menangle to partner the square gaiter in the last race of Saturday night’s Inter Dominion Grand Final night.
Josh Gallagher had been the driver of Red Castleton through the heat rounds and perhaps a touch of symmetry was present following Gallagher’s win in the steward’s room to gain the Pacers Grand Final.
Taleah was able to fire Red Castleton off the mobile to find the front soon after the start before handing up to Aldebaran Crescent who in turn released the lead to Watts Up Majestic.
That left Red Castleton against three back along the inside after travelling 600 metres where he would stay for the majority of the 2300-metre contest.
Watts Up Majestic tried to pinch a break at the 400-metre pole, as the field began to break apart which allowed McMullen to right-line Red Castleton at the top of the big Menangle stretch.
The widest runner as they flattened out for the run to the judge, the eight-year-old chestnut responded to McMullen’s urgings, reeling in the leader and claiming a four-and-a-half-metre victory in a smart 1.57.3 mile-rate.
In the 12 months since Lethaby has prepared the square gaiter since arriving from New Zealand, Red Castleton has now been victorious on five occasions.
Three of those five wins have been feature race victories, with Saturday’s success added to his wins in the Group 3 Garrard’s Feature and Group 3 Queensland Trotters Marathon.
THIS WEEK
Six race meetings will be held this coming week with Albion Park starting the week with the regular Tuesday afternoon timeslot.
Redcliffe will host meetings on Wednesday night and Thursday with Marburg chiming into the programming with a Sunday afternoon fixture.
Albion Park’s Friday and Saturday night fixtures will be headlined by the big night from The Creek on Saturday.
Highlights will be the Members Cup for class NR 60-75 performers over the 2138 metres along with the Christmas Cup over the longer 2680-metre distance for the open class pacers.
The trotters will do battle in the Chris Garrard Life Member Trotters Christmas Cup, a discretionary handicap over the 2647-metre standing start.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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