NZ HARNESS NEWS
EMERGING Kiwi filly Our Bare Knuckle gave the All Stars’ barn reason to smile on an otherwise frustrating weekend of Aussie racing.
First came Lazarus’ monster effort for second in the Fremantle Cup and news of his injury setback, which, hopefully, is only minor.
Ultimate Machete also came through the
Fremantle Cup with some soreness and both will miss the WA Cup this week and head across to the eastern seaboard.
The All Stars’ classy mare Partyon then suffered a shock defeat by Match In Heaven when a $1.20 favourite in the second race at Menangle on Saturday night.
But Our Bare Knuckle, who had certainly shown glimpses in NZ but didn’t land in Aussie with star status, scored an extraordinary win in the Group 3 Raith Memorial.
On that performance, she’s a standout for the upcoming NSW Oaks.
Our Bare Knuckle hopped and skipped at the start for Natalie Rasmussen and settled a clear last.
Highly-rated locals Arts Treasure (leader) and My Sweetchillyphilly (death) set a solid tempo up front, while Rasmussen weaved her way through the field and unleashed Our Bare Knuckle late.
Despite a 55.1sec last half at the end of a blazing 1min51.5sec mile, Our Bare Knuckle roared past a classy bunch of fillies to win by 3.8m in a huge performance.
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DON’T rule out the emerging Shadow Sax as a Hunter Cup hope.
The fitness cloud over Lazarus could throw the Hunter Cup wide-open and Shadow Sax is on the rise at the right time.
The five-year-old has been nursed through his issues by Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin and is now repaying them.
Shadow Sax made it seven wins from as many starts this season and did it the hard way to score his biggest victory so far in last Saturday night’s $100,000 Group 1 SA Pacing Cup (2645m).
Gavin Lang was left parked outside the at times headstrong leader Sams The Master and then left a sitting shot to seasoned and classy performer Messini when the leader stopped coming to the final bend.
But Shadow Sax dug deep, fought-off Messini and in a gruelling affair and won by 3m in a slick 1min58.2sec mile rate.
And the plan is to step-up Shadow Sax to an even stronger race at his home track for next Saturday night’s Ballarat Cup.
His rivals looks set to include the likes of Lennytheshark, Tiger Tara, Vincent, Heaven Rocks and others.
Stewart and Tonkin also won another of the Globe Derby features when the superbly-bred but very lightly-raced Yankee Roller just did enough to beat recent Kiwi import The Brooklyn Brawler in the SA Derby.
Yankee Roller enjoyed a perfect one-one trail for Lang and edged past a gallant but at times very wayward The Brooklyn Brawler to win by a neck.
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AN untimely power outage has thrown a curveball into the Hunter Cup preparation of emerging star San Carlo.
Connections of the Perth Inter Dominion finalist hoped to use last Saturday night’s Shepparton Cup – their hometown race – as a key lead-up to the Hunter Cup.
San Carlo hasn’t raced since the Perth Inter Dominion final on December 9.
But a power outage during the race before the Cup saw the Shepparton track lightning fail and forced the postponement of the Cup.
San Carlo will now most likely have to run in the Ballarat Cup or Pure Steel at Ballarat this coming Saturday night as he lone lead-up race to the February 3 $500,000 Hunter Cup.
Before the lights went out, classy trotting mare Red Hot Tooth continued her rapid rise through the ranks with a dominant win in the George Gath Memorial Trot.
And Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin’s buzz three-year-old Maraetai kicked-off his campaign towards the Victoria Derby with a sparkling first-up win at Shepparton. He’s unbeaten in three runs and goes to the Derby heats at Ballarat next Saturday.
“We think he’s right up there with Poster Boy as our best Derby hope,” Stewart said.
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REIGNING Hunter Cup champ Bling It On suffered his second defeat as many starts when gunned-down after working to find the lead at Menangle last Saturday night.
But co-trainer and driver Luke McCarthy is content, citing the upside of Bling It On getting two “staying runs” beyond the standard Menangle mile racing ahead of the gruelling Hunter Cup.
It was McCarthy’s father, John, who caused the boilover with the rejuvenated old sit-sprinter Monifieth at Menangle last Saturday night.
It was the gelding’s second dive-bombing win in as many weeks and he ran a slick 1min55.5sec mile rate for 2300m to do so.
Bling It On appeared a touch disappointing on face value after spending petrol to find the lead, but then getting splits of 30.8 (1200m-800m) and 29.0 (800m-400m) and being overrun in a 27.6sec last split.
It’s likely Bling It On will have one more Menangle run before his Hunter title defence at Melton on February 3.
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THE Hunter Cup is still a possibility for classy former Kiwi pacer My Field Marshal.
A minor but untimely hoof injury sidelined Tim Butt’s stable star late last year, however My Field Marshal is on target for a Menangle resumption next Saturday night.
“He’s ready to go again,” Butt said. “If he runs well at Menangle, we’ll head to the Hunter Cup. He looks terrific so we’ve got a good couple of months ahead.”
My Field Marshal hasn’t raced since a second to Lennytheshark in the Yarra Valley Cup on November 9.
Butt’s classy four-year-old Let It Ride is challenging My Field Marshal for stable star status, especially after his past two impressive Menangle wins. He looks right on target for the Chariots Of Fire.
Let It Ride made it nine wins from just 14 starts when he blazed over a mile in career-best 1min51.2sec at Menangle last Tuesday.
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VICTORIAN whiz-kid Jason Lee has the Victoria Derby in his sights with buzz pacer Lumineer, but had a welcome distraction with another feature win over the weekend.
Lee teamed with popular pacer Bad Billy and trainer Gary Lawlor to win snare the $30,000 Group 3 Hamilton Cup on Sunday.
They won a stoush with Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin’s classy mare Berisari in a 1min57.5sec mile rate for the long 2660m trip.
Lumineer, unbeaten in seven starts, is prepost Derby favourite with the heats being run at Ballarat next Saturday night.
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