By Adam Hamilton
THE “Queen” reminded everyone why she holds the throne at Melton last Saturday night.
Training performances don’t come much bigger than Emma Stewart and partner Clayton Tonkin snaring the trifecta in the $322,000 Group 1 Australian Gold final (1720m) for two-year-old fillies.
Stewart has been Australia’s dominant force in juvenile ranks for a number of years now, but this was amazing even by her lofty standards.
“To win the race was fantastic, but to get the trifecta was something extra special,” she said. “We thought we had a good crop of fillies, but to get them through and go home with results like this is so pleasing.”
Frith’s unbeaten sister, Molly Kelly, was the hot favourite, but it was another regally-bred filly, Nostra Beach, who stole the show with a mighty tough staying performance to win.
Nostra Beach is by Somebeachsomewhere out of the great producing mare Amarillen. It makes her a half-sister to recent Victoria Oaks winner Miss Graceland as well as Villagem (25 wins, $626,585).
Amarillen has had nine foals to race and all have won races.
Pistol Abbey, a $30.30 outsider, grabbed third spot to complete Stewart’s trifecta.
Nostra Beach also gave much-liked and underrated driver Mark Pitt the biggest win of his career, while Chris Alford was on Molly Kelly and Amanda Turnbull aboard Pistol Abbey.
Favourite punters were happy early when Alford speared Molly Kelly to the front, but Mark Purdon was focused on getting the lead with Just Makemine Diamonds and declared war through a blistering 26.9sec opening quarter.
Just Makemine Diamonds found the front, Molly Kelly was on her back and Nostra Beach worked to sit parked as they burned through another quick 28.7sec second split.
Pitt went for home on the bend, Molly Kelly saw daylight and loomed as a huge threat, but Nostra Beach just kept digging deep and held-on to win by a half-neck in a simply staggering 1min53.5sec mile rate.
Just Makemine Diamonds’s early burn took its toll and she tired to finished second-last.
AUSTRALIA’S buzz juvenile Lumineer looks set to return to Sydney later this month.
Although trainer Ange McDowall politely declined a Harness Jewels invite, she said the young star had thrived since returning home from his brilliant Australian Gold final win at Menangle last Saturday week.
“He seems to have taken the trip in his stride. It gives us the confidence to travel with him again,” she said.
“I’d say it’s now very likely we will go back for the (NSW) Breeders Challenge with him.”
The last qualifying heat is at Menangle on May 30 with semi-finals on June 10 and the $125,000 final on June 25 – the same day as the Len Smith Mile.
It might not be one-way traffic for Lumineer with rival trainer Shane Tritton saying his exciting juvenile, Divine State, is being set for the series.
Divine State looked awesome winning his first three starts, including a 1min51.6sec Sapling Stakes romp at Menangle, then had issues when a weakening seventh at his latest run in the Bathurst Gold final on March 25.
“He’ll trial in a week or so. I know Lumineer looks awesome and I’m a huge fan, but also think people are forgetting Divine State went 1min51.6sec at his second race start. He’s very good, too,” Tritton said.
“Put it this way, I don’t think Lumineer will get it all his own way.”
IS Maczaffair the best three-year-old filly in Australia?
That’s the question many were asking after she gave trainer Mike Reed a record-breaking fourth win in the Group 1 WA Oaks at Gloucester Park last night.
Reed’s other Oaks winners were: Libertybelle Midfrew (2014), Sheer Royalty (2009) and Pharosan (2000).
A few weeks back Victoria’s Petacular looked a standout filly in the land, but her defeat to Miss Graceland in the Victoria Oaks and the emergence of Maczaffair has opened things up.
Reed thought so much of Maczaffair he took on the boys around WA Derby time where the filly ran a close second in the Group 2 Western Gateway pace, but then struck trouble and had no luck when 11th in the Derby itself.
Back against the girls, she has again been dominant.
The Oaks was as good as over at the barrier draw when Maczaffair drew the pole, meaning driver Shannon Suvaljko could lead and control the race.
She led as expected and ran though a solid lead time and Suvaljko was happy to keep “rolling” in middle splits of 29.4 and 30.1sec.
Maczaffair had her rivals cooked on the home bend and raced away to win being eased down by 6.5m over the fast-finishing outsider Sarah Goody in a 1min56.9sec mile rate for the long 2536m trip.
It was a big night for Reed and Suvaljko who also combined for a dominant win with former Kiwi pacer Shandale, who sat parked in a blazing 1min53.8sec mile rate for 1730m. He’s won three of his four WA runs.
The other interesting race of the night at Gloucester Park was the free-for-all where, remarkably, Ohoka Punter was rundown after leading and getting his own way in front for driver Gary Hall Jr.
After cruising through a 61.5sec middle half and 28.4sec third quarter, Ohoka Punter looked home when he sailed away with a big lead at the top of the straight, but the gifted and injury-plagued Heez On Fire produced the most astonishing finishing burst to snatch victory by a nose.
Ohoka Punter ran home in 27.6sec, but Heez On Fire spotted him at least 15m start at the top of the straight. He must have smashed the clock.
Heez On Fire has been nursed through career-threatening injuries by Bill Horn, best known for his deeds with the champion of the 1980s and ‘90s, Village Kid.
EVERGREEN speedster Bettor Bet Black scored one of the best wins of his career in the Group 3 Newcastle Mile last Saturday night.
The nine-year-old, trained and driven by Darren McCall, used his renowned gate speed to lead and held the front this time before going on to win in a 1min53.1sec mile.
It was his 28th career win from 151 starts with another 52 placings and earnings of almost $420,000.
Kiwi pacer My Field Marshall was sensationally-backed from $5 into $2.10 favourite, but got back to last, locked wheels on the home bend and never looked a chance in sizxth spot.
YOUNG Kiwi driver Jack Trainor had a night out at Menangle last Saturday.
Trainor snared a treble, starting with a gem of a front-running drive aboard the David Thorn-trained Early Decision in the second race.
He them teamed with Thorn again to win with Ideal Warrior in the third race and Outrageous El in race four.
The feature race at Menangle went to the father-son team of John and Todd McCarthy with former Kiwi mare Rakarazor in the Group 3 Tailamade Lombo for mares in a 1min52.1sec mile.
Another highlight was the sparkling all-the-way win of the emerging star Anything For Love in the last race where he went a sizzling 25.9sec closing quarter in a 1min52.9sec mile.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
