Harness Racing fans will only have to wait a few months until the TABtouch Perth Inter Dominion carnival to see the much anticipated clash between star three year olds Menin Gate and Beaudiene Boaz.
It was tipped the two stars would meet in the upcoming Breeders Crown series, before Gary Hall Snr decided to keep his WA Derby winner at home.
Menin Gate’s trainer Larry Eastman will give his three time Group 1 winner a short break after the Breeders Crown before preparing the ‘Birchip Bull’ for the $125,000 4YO McInerney Classic and the $200,000 Golden Nugget Championship.
“The money is too good to bypass and this will be his major aim in his four-year-old campaign, which means I will bypass the Chariots of Fire in Sydney because he will go for a big spell after Perth,” Eastman said.
Menin Gate has become one of the most popular horses in the sport thanks to his group of owners, who come from the Mallee towns of Birchip and Wycheproof in country Victoria.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for the country towns in the Mallee. The drought has hit a few of those towns pretty hard and Menin Gate has been able to put a smile of the faces of the locals and has given them something to look forward to.
“The whole town of Birchip especially has fallen in love with him. They all think they own him and the owners shout the bar when he wins. Even Father Eugene stops his service to listen to Menin Gate’s races,” Eastman said.
The clash between Beaudiene Boaz and Menin Gate is set to be one of the highlights of the season and both Hall Snr and Eastman are looking forward to the clash.
“It’s great for the sport to build up these kind of rivalries and I have so much respect for Beaudine Boaz and he’s trained by the legend Gary Hall Snr, so Menin Gate will have to be at the top of his game”, Eastman said.
Hall Snr is also looking forward to testing his star against a top quality pacer, who has proven he can mix it with the best in Australasia.
“We usually have to travel across to them to take on the best, so I think its great Larry has decided to send Menin Gate for the carnival. It will be great for the carnival and I suppose the draws will decide which horse starts favourite, Hall Snr said.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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