WHAT’S happened to the stars of NSW harness racing?
That’s what fans were left asking after much-travelled former top Kiwi juvenile pacer Devil Dodger upstaged a strong field in the Group 3 Les Chant Cup (1609m) at Menangle on Saturday night.
He started $53.10 and left the likes of Bling It On, Mach Beauty, Suave Stuey Lombo and Iam Mr Brightside in his wake in a scorching 1min50.8sec mile.
And the Queensland-owned nine-year-old absolutely won on his merits.
It was Devil Dodger, trained by Belinda McCarthy, who locked horns with speedster Mach Beauty through a blistering 26.1sec opening quarter burn for the lead.
Eventually Mach Beauty took the lead and Devil Dodger sat behind him, but most felt they were sitting shots for the big guns back in the field.
Instead, Devil Dodger popped off Mach Beauty’s back and just kept digging deep to hold-off Teo Enteo and Iam Mr Brightside to win.
Mach Beauty battled on well for fourth at just his second run back from 13 months sidelined with injury.
The biggest talking point was buzz pacer Bling It On’s lacklustre seventh, beaten eight metres.
He appeared to have a lovely trail home, but couldn’t zip when asked and had the likes of Teo Enteo and Iam Mr Brightside whiz past him in the home straight.
The disappointing first-up run comes off a Queensland winter campaign where he ran miles below his best in the last two major races he contested.
Most assumed Bling It On would easily transition from young star to major open-class player, but suddenly the jury is out.
There will be plenty of interest in his next run.
PROFILIC owner Merv Butterworth thinks he has a “smokey” for the Perth Inter Dominion series.
The much-travelled former Kiwi pacer Our Blackbird built on his blossoming record since being moved to Western Australia with a free-for-all win last Friday night.
“He was a nice horse with Kerryn (Manning in Victoria), but we thought he’d be better suited in Perth,” Butterworth said.
“It took him quite a while to settle in over there, but he’s never raced better and won’t be out place in the Inters.”
The eight-year-old, trained by Ross Olivieri, won narrowly but impressively in the slick time of 1min58.2sec for 2536m at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
Our Blackbird has posted two wins, four seconds and a third from his past eight runs.
In the other Gloucester Park feature, the Warwick Final (2130m), trainer Gary Hall Sr won it but not with the horse favourite punters hoped.
Hall Sr’s $42.30 outsider Mohegan Sun, raced in the same interests as former Grand Circuit star Washakie, overcame gate seven to win for driver Michael Ferguson.
Punters sent out Hall Sr’s emerging mare Ideal Alice favourite, but she could manage third spot.
DRIVER Kate Gath thinks emerging trotter Glenferrie Typhoon could be a Group 1 player.
The six-year-old made it two wins, a second and third from just four runs since joining Andy Gath’s stable when he won brilliantly at Melton last Friday night.
“He’s got so much speed and did it easily even though the times were quick, especially the lead time, the other night,” Kate Gath said.
“He runs time so easily. He has this high cruising speed and feels like really nice horse.”
Glenferrie Typhoon drew gate five and worked hard to find the lead, but still ripped home closing splits of 56.9 and 29.3sec to win by 10.8m.
His mile rate of 1min58.9sec was just 1,1sec outside Spidergirl’s track record.
“There’s another nice stepping stone race for him in two weeks then we’ll target the feature races with him,” Kate said.
YOU just have to marvel at old Destreos.
The one-time Geoff Small-trained youngster is now 12 years old, still winning and punching out world record times. Yes, world records.
Destreos sat parked and simply outstayed his free-for-all rivals in a scorching 1min51.9sec mile rate for 1660m at Albion Park last Tuesday.
The track record was set last year by triple Inter Dominion winner Im Themightyquinn.
It’s the second time Destreos has posted a 1min51.9sec mile rate.
It’s a world record for a 12-year-old pacer.
Destreos has now 82 races and, even more amazingly, he’s raced 380 times. As well as the wins, he’s run 60 seconds and 56 thirds.
He’s closing in on $700,000.
And to think his first start was as a two-year-old at Alexandra Park way back on January 27, 2006 when he ran second to the then juvenile star Gotta Go Cullen.
STILL on Queensland and the state’s top pacer Avonnova suffered a surprise defeat at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Emerging stablemate Our Hi Jinx made the most of a cosy run in a hotly-contested 1660m race and finished too strongly. To win by 2.7m.
Avonnova drew the outside (seven) ahd had to sit parked while Majestic Mach ran along in slick times in the lead.
They mile-rated a flying 1min52sec and finished-off in 55.7 and 27.7sec.
THERE is some serious X-factor about Elllas Puppeteer.
Trained by father and son, Ian and Mick Stanley, the Shadow Playe gelding completed a hattrick of wins at Melton last Friday night.
It’s his ability to post scintillating times which turns heads.
Ellas Puppeteer smashed the Charlton track record with a 1min52.8sec mile win on September 14.
Last Friday he was at it again, blasting out a 1min53.7sec mile rate for 1720m and winning easily at Melton.
Four a lightly-raced four-year-old to get within 2.6sec of Smoken Up’s track record speaks columns for his potential.
He’s raced just five times for three wins and two seconds.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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