The first heats of the 2016 Southern Cross Series for both two and three-year-olds have been run at the time this magazine went to press.
The fillies two-year-old heat was reduced to just three runners after the scratching of Jolt To Life, and the late injury to smart filly, Ellen Louise. Ellen Louise sustained a bad cut to her leg after putting her foot through a fence on race day.
With just three runners, it looked a match race between Arm A Princess and the south east pacer, Shania Black from the Finnis camp.
Arm A Princess went on to win by 38.5 metres with Cullens Cam – the outsider of the field – finishing 11.5 metres in front of the ill-mannered, Shania Black.
Trained by Lance Holberton, Arm A Princess is by Art Major and out of Arm A Corka. The filly was purchased at the 2015 SA BOTRA Yearling sale.
Bred by local breeder, and BOTRA committee member, Dr Viv Clark, the filly is part of the Uncork family, which just keeps on producing good horses.
Arm ACorka by Armbro Operative was a five time winner on the track and originally purchased by a syndicate headed by Chris Kennenberg.
After bad luck in the breeding barn with her first two foals, Arm ACorka third foal was Sparkling Grin a Grinfromeartoear filly who had 43 starts for just 1 win.
right time when she visited Gary Frayer Rivergum Lodge when Arm A Corka was resident.
“Chris was looking to move her on” Clark said “I was happy to take her given she is out of Uncork”
Dr Clark then mated her with Rocknroll Hanover the resulting foal a filly Rockfromcork who won as a two-year-old last season and was runner up to the Emma Stewart trained Rocknroll Magic in the Southern Cross Final.
Arm A Princess is her second foal under Dr Clark’s guidance her next foal is a yearling by Artistic Fella which was sold at this year’s Harnessbred.com yearling sale.
Arm A Corka is currently in foal to champion juvenile Follow The Stars.
Arm A Princess has now won four times from 10 starts with two seconds and two thirds as well.
The Colts heat was won by the Bec East trained, Hez A Chance. The colt is a half-brother to dual Southern Cross Champion, Hez The One.
Hez A Chance is by Blissfull Hall out of the 100 percent producing mare, Summer Fairytale, which is a California Cam mare with five foals of racing age for five multiple winners.
On June 24 the Three-year-olds first set of heats were conducted the fillies division went to the Tyson Linke trained Badelaide (by Badlands Hanover) lead all the way in rough and tumble affair.
After a fall just after the start which saw Little Miss Piggy and Lady Of Lockley crash to track the first running was called off by stewards.
After all horses were vetted the re-run was run without those two fillies.
The restart wasn’t much better after going a couple of hundred meters Hilltop Shopia contacted the sulky of the galloping Zoeyetta and fell dislodging Aaron Bain.
But all hournes with the winner Badelaide, Dani Hill was able to rate the filly as she liked and went to the line untroubled running the final quarter in 28.2.
The colts and geldings was a war between the states best 3yo’s with Rap Artist sitting outside Presidentmach, and able to snatch victory right on the line.
Rap Artist by Art Major is in search of back to back Southern Cross Titles after taking out the 2015 event as a two-year-old.
Rap Artist is owned by Mark Billinger and Richard Miller. Miller of course id President of the SA Harness Racing Club.
Rap Artist has now won 12 of his 16 starts including his last six in row, is out of Saved ACorka, a daughter of Uncork.
Saved ACorka is also the dam of Aspiring Artist (26 wins), Our Little Artist (16 wins) and The Final Frontier (4 wins). Saved ACorka has weanling also by Art Major to come.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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