Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
Trainer Graham Dwyer and driver Brendan Barnes secured feature race success earlier in the season when claiming the Tamworth Golden Guitar and on Saturday claimed their most successful night at ‘home’ when combining for a winning treble.
Claiming the first two races of the night courtesy of Our Action Man and Hy Voltage, the pair came together later in the evening when Quik Change secured the QBRED Breeders Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings.
All three winners started at huge prices, with Our Action Man the first of the treble in claiming the opening race of the night as a $16 TAB fixed price hope.
Despite winning in Saturday night company two starts prior, it looked on paper that he may have had to work hard in the run, but when landing the one-by-one trail as Little Bolt worked forward to sit outside the leader and favourite Its Mr Clooney, Barnes had secured the ideal trip.
Letting down strongly in the stretch, Our Action Man had superior speed to arrive and claim a three metre margin over the favourite.
One race later and Hy Voltage was faced with barrier 11, four out on the second line over the 2138 metre trip.
With a solid tempo that saw the middle half run in 56.7 seconds, Hy Voltage was the widest runner and launching down the extreme outside of the Albion Park stretch was able to arrive, the win lighting up the tote board.
Sent out as a $101 outsider, the five-year-old took his earnings through the $100,000 barrier with the victory, the 14th of his career.
With another long-priced runner in the two-year-old fillies Breeders Classic in the shape of Tegan Lee which was a $151 chance, Dwyer and Barnes had the hot-streak somewhat extinguished, with the filly making an error and finishing at the rear.
One race later and with another $151 chance lining up in the two-year-old ‘boys’ event, the flame reignited for the Kingslodge team.
Starting from gate three in the feature, Barnes settled Quik Change in the one out and two back position in the running line as the race favourite Attachment secured an easy lead time and first quarter of 29.9 seconds.
As Ellis Street was able to gain the upper hand over Attachment turning for home, Bronski Zulu and Quik Change angled wider and both loomed up strongly.
In a driving charge to the wire, the seven-start maiden Quik Change, was able to claim his first victory by a half-head margin, with connections also securing the QBRED first win bonus.
By Burwood Stud’s resident stallion Changeover, the gelding is out of Mathilda Diventa, making him a full brother to Regazzo Di Tilly that had claimed the three-year-old colts and geldings Breeders Classic earlier in the night for Daren and Angus Garrard.
Reaching 44 wins for the season with the victory of Quik Change, Graham Dwyer remains on track to chalk up another century season after reaching triple figures at each of the past two terms.
THE BAD
Trainer Shane Fraser set his smart four-year-old Bangkok Deejay for a first-up tilt at the Hunter Regional Championships at Newcastle earlier in the month.
Starting as the $2 favourite for the race in the hope of qualifying the $100,000 Final, not much went right as the gelding finished in sixth placing and missing qualification.
Out of the disappointment of missing the Final, Bangkok Deejay’s campaign shifted focus to tackle a heat of a NR70 series at Albion Park on Thursday.
Despite a strong overall career record, it was the Chantal Turpin-trained Melton Beach that the punters were with, sending that runner out as an odds-on favourite, while Bangkok Deejay was the $5 second-elect.
Regular driver Angus Garrard was able to settle Bangkok Deejay in the running line from their second line starting position as Melton Beach was speared off the arm to set the speed.
With Robbie Morris and Dance For Glory applying strong pressure to the leader, the pace with an opening half in 56.4 second.
Approaching the 500 metre mark, Garrard let Bangkok Deejay slide forward three-wide, was able to momentarily drop into the one-by-one trail before making his challenge again with 300 metres to travel.
Quickly racing past the leading pair, Bangkok Deejay put his Newcastle frustrations into the rear-view mirror as he pulled clear to score a dominant victory in a new career personal best of 1.52.5.
The win was the gelding’s seventh from 19 starts and a strong performance in the final scheduled for this Saturday night, might be enough to pique the interest of slot holders for the upcoming The Hayden.
THE WILDCARD
Despite the Shane Graham-trained two-year-old Agent Black having already claimed a feature race victory this season when successful at Menangle, last Tuesday at Albion Park saw the first two-year-old only trot race of the season in Queensland.
Four runners met the starter for the 1628 metres standing start event, with the growth in the square gait continuing in the Sunshine State after the first ever two-year-old only event was held back in 2019.
Claiming victory was the Mark McNee-trained and Leonard Cain-driven Dead Set Crazy, who was having his second career outing after taking on the pacers at his first race appearance.
Safely away when the tapes released, he was able to work to the front after 100 metres when Northern Heights made an error.
Once in front, the gelded son of Skyvalley trotted cleanly and was never in danger, pulling clear as they swung for home to claim a 15 metre winning margin over the Tim Butt-trained Toorbul Tilly, with the Doug Lee-trained and driven Justabitlikesully a further 21 metres back in third.
Bred and owned by Paul Galvin and Steve Mauger, it proved to be the ideal victory for Galvin who was also celebrating his birthday.
Capping the perfect birthday gift, not only did Dead Set Crazy claim the winning stake money, but he also annexed the $14,000 QBRED first win bonus and the $2,000 trotters bonus.
Having progressed nicely for trainer Mark McNee, if the gelding continues the upward trajectory as he has done at each moment that he has been asked to step up, then it could be a big season.
Stepping out at Albion Park again on Tuesday, home based features of the Springboard Series and QBRED Triad are on the radar, and if he continues to improve, a Breeders Crown or Redwood later in the season are also possible targets.
THE MILESTONE
“I’ve got the monkey off my back”.
That was the comment from trainer Mark Rees after Call Me Trouble scored a smart victory on Saturday night in the $21,986 Garrards Trotters Band Handicap.
With 273 career wins to his name as a trainer, all those previous wins have been with pacers, with Saturday’s victory the first time that Rees has been successful with a trotter.
Purchasing Call Me Trouble from the North Island of New Zealand back in February, Rees has experienced the frustrations that often present with the square gait, as he has worked to elicit the best from the gelding on race day.
Having his first start for the Rees stable in early March, the seven-year-old had managed to place in three of his nine starts since crossing the Tasman leading into his assignment on Saturday.
Stepping cleanly from a 20 metre handicap, as the field turned into the back straight on the first occasion, Rees frustrations looked set to surface again as Call Me Trouble broke gait, lost ground and when settling back into a trot was at least 45 metres from the leader at the 1400 metre point.
Catching the main pack, Adelle had put the leader, Regal Appointment away, while Dannielle Veivers angled Call Me Trouble three wide with 250 metres to travel.
Looming strongly as they straightened for the run to the judge, Call Me Trouble finished best to claim a narrow victory over Adelle.
The win was the 13th career victory for the gelded son of Superfast Stuart, taking his stake earnings past the $150,000 mark.
With the Constellations Carnival moving closer, Rees timing might just be right in ironing out the kinks of Call Me Trouble.
THIS WEEK
Wednesday night at Redcliffe will see the Final night of Trot Rods 2023, with 10 races scheduled as the speedsters do battle, looking to eclipse this years fastest time of 64.6 seconds held by Aroda.
This year the five competing drivers are Dannielle Veivers, Angus Garrard, Nathan Dawson, Pete McMullen and the visiting driver, Victorian James Herbertson.
Monday night will see the “Driver Draft” conducted where all five drivers will secure two first choice options of which horse to drive in a particular race on the night.
Tuesday afternoon will see a big 11 race card at Albion Park as $13,935 consolations for the QBRED Breeders Classic are held for each sex of the two-year-olds and three-year-olds.
That will be one of three meetings from The Creek for the week, with a Friday afternoon meeting preceding the Saturday night metropolitan fixture, with a NR70 Final likely to be one of the highlights of the night.
The week will wrap up with Marburg hosting a Sunday afternoon fixture, with full fields regularly compiled on the tight 700 metre circuit.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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