22 November 2017 | Terry Neil
Jack Honan very likely dined at Billy Soo’s famous Chinese restaurant at mid-western Blayney – for everyone in trotting it was pretty much a compulsory stop – and the two larger-than-life characters would have been very much at home in each other’s company.
They were fondly recalled at Sunday’s TAB Carnival of Cups meeting at Blayney, where the Jack Honan Memorial and Billy Soo Memorial Blayney Cup held pride of place.
And quite remarkably, they were linked when the winners of those feature races successively became the track record holder for the 2400 metres course.
Might And Main, for Bernie Hewitt, led throughout in the Honan Memorial, a much-prized C0 final which alternates through the Western District clubs, and the mile rate of 2:02.6 easily eclipsed the 2:03.1 rate set by prolific racewinner Abercrombie Dexter way back in 2005.
The Art Major daughter, raced by APG director Trevor O’Reilly and his wife Louise, has won both starts this time in and always had the race in her control after being allowed to run along in front by Hewitt, who believed that the longer trip would test many of the field.
That proved the case, with runner-up Kamwood Izzy, third-placed Shadow Hunter and Switowski breaking clear of the field to contest a race of their own over the last half-lap.
The new record lasted just two hours, until the Billy Soo Memorial Blayney Cup, the Club’s signature race, where Amanda Turnbull and $1.40 favourite Mrs Browns Boy NZ charged out of the gate and kept the speed on throughout, to bolt in by the day’s biggest margin of 21 metres.
And the mile rate of 2:01.9 – very sharp for a three-lapper on a track slightly less than half a mile – erased Might And Main’s record before it had even been pencilled in.
Billy got the final say over Jack, on this occasion at least!
The winner looks to be a particularly impressive type, resuming here from a three-month break and unbeaten now in seven Australian starts. His trainer will look for suitable Carnival of Cups races for him as the season unfolds.
Amanda, who had taken out an earlier C0/C1 final, the Peter Marshall Memorial, with Taihape Sunset NZ, had turned in something of a staying performance of her own to even make it to the meeting.
After competing in a lady drivers’ series at Albion Park the previous night, she’d risen at 3.20 in order to make a 5.30 flight to Sydney, before a three-hour drive back to Bathurst and the loading up for the forty minute last leg up to Blayney.
Hard to imagine any late-night television for this lass on Sunday evening!
Goulburn trainer-driver Brad Hewitt made his trip profitable by winning both of the Club Menangle heats run, the C0 grade with Real Obsession NZ, and the C1/C2 event with Our Triple Play NZ.
Both turned in very tough performances, winning from the death seat, and the latter made it a hat-trick of track records for the day by lowering the 1640 metres standard set by The Wifes Calling back in 2014 to a 1:57.4 mile rate.
HRNSW Chairman Chris Edwards, whose term concludes in coming weeks, was on hand for his last Carnival of Cups meeting, along with fellow Board members Rod Smith and Peter Nugent.
Also present were the NSW Minister for Racing Paul Toole, Federal member Andrew Gee and Mayor Scott Ferguson, who spoke proudly of the ongoing development of the facility into an international equestrian centre.
Well-wishers and decision-makers every way you looked, but the day really belonged to Billy and Jack.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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