By Adam Hamilton
CHICAGO Bull just continues doing everything right heading towards the New Zealand Cup.
The pint-sized superstar stretched his unbeaten run this season to seven wins with another easy and dominant display at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
The horse they call “mini Quinny” in WA, has won 11 of his past 12 starts and was only beaten a whisker in the other.
There is no doubt he’s the best pacer in this part of the world right now.
And he’s only got one more run at home at Gloucester Park before heading to Melbourne for the Victoria Cup across the Tasman for the NZ Cup.
“He runs again here on Friday week, then it’s across to Melbourne where we will stay with Daniel Jack for the Victoria Cup,’ Hall Sr said.
After the October 13 Victoria Cup, Chicago Bull heads to NZ via Auckland for an Alexandra Park standing start on October 26.
Hall Sr said he planned to run Chicago Bull in both the NZ Cup and the NZ Free-For-All on the Friday.
“If he misses anything it will be the Inter Dominioon because is the money is not huge and he’s got the two big races at home in January,” Hall Sr said.
“I’d love to run in the Inter Dom because the race means so much, but the prizemoney isn’t great and if something has to give, that’ll be it.”
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TIGER Tara will need to do something and quickly to return to the NZ Cup after his fantastic placing last year.
Kevin Pizzuto’s stable star has been winless in three runs this campaign and looked a shadow of himself in the free-for-all at Menangle last night.
He drew wide, settled last in a hotly run race and made no impact before finishing 5.5m from the winner in seventh spot.
The race was run by Steve Turnbull’s emerging talent Joes Star Of Mia, who gunned-down the in-form My Alpha Rock for an upset in a 1min50.3sec mile.
My Alpha Rock worked hard to find the front from a wide draw in a 26.9sec opening quarter and kept finding for Lauren Tritton, but Joes Star Of Mia nabbed victory by a nose in the last stride.
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NEW Zealand Cup plans for Queensland’s best pacer, Alleluia, will be a lot clearer by the end of this week.
Owner Greg Mitchell has set Wednesday as D-Day.
“It’s been a lifetime dream to have a runner in the NZ Cup. I’m really looking to experiencing the whole event,” he said.
Alleluia won four on end at Albion Park before storming home from a bad draw and hopeless position for fourth in the free-for-all last night.
It’s certainly the right year to chase the NZ Cup with some big names either having gone amiss or been sold to the US.
WA’s Chicago Bull is the horse to beat and much interest will surround Ultimate Machete when he returns to racing next month for the All Stars barn.
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IF you get the chance, take a look at Gods Spirit in the third race at Menangle on Tuesday.
The former Kiwi, who won his only NZ start before being sold to Team Tritton, has looked fantastic winning all three runs for the new barn so far.
Shane Tritton has declared him a serious Chariots of Fire horse.
Gods Spirit’s three wins have been by an aggregate 53.9 metres and he’s paced miles in 1min51.0sec, 1min51.7sec and 1min50.9sec.
“He’s something else. Now it’s about teaching to become a complete racehorse before he goes into the big races. The ability is there,” Tritton said.
“The trick with our handicapping system now is that’s only four wins away from being in fast-class at Menangle. If he keeps winning he’ll get there after just eight runs.
“That makes it tricky to teach him along the way.”
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HE might be an 11-year-old now, but Kyvalley Blur may never have raced better.
The US-bred member of Brent Lilley’s barn made a one-act affair of the Group 3 True Roman free-for-all at Melton in a 1min58.1sec mile rate for 2240m last night.
It was his fourth win from his past five starts and the only defeat was a top second to the now sadly sidelined star Sparkling Success.
Last night’s win capped a milestone for Kyvalley Road, who stormed past the $500,000 barrier.
Lilley “owned” the race with the first four runners home. El Paco, Any Old Way and Conon Bridge were next across the line in order.
Despite his years, Kyvalley Blur looks every bit a major player in the upcoming resurrection of the Inter Dominion trotting series in Victoria.
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INTERESTING move in Tasmania with the state’s marquee race, the Tasmania Cup, switching back from a mobile to standing-start handicap on March 16, 2019.
Horses will need to contest qualifying heats the week before to qualify.
“There will be a 40m maximum backmark,” added Harness Racing Tasmanian spokesman Duncan Dornauf.
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IT is amazing to think Love Ina Chevy was on death’s door for the best part of a week from a snake bite to his mouth less than three years ago.
Trainer Lance Justice held 24-hour vigils, day after day, as his prospects of surviving continued to fluctuate. Eventually he turned the corner.
Now he’s winning the fast-class races at Melton.
Love Ina Chevy underlined his career-best form when he posted his third Melton win from his past five starts in the fifth event last night.
And he did so after sitting behind the leader and main danger, Audi Hare, and still having enough “ping” to gun him down in a closing 26.8sec quarter at the end of a 1min54.0sec mile rate for 1720m.
Unthinkably, Justice has every reason to aim for the Melbourne Inter Dominion series given Love Ina Chevy’s improvement, gate speed and versatility.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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