Dennis Picker’s successful week got even better when he backed up from a Goulburn Cup victory on Australia Day to take out the fast-class event at Bathurst the following night.
And it was also a double celebration for Crookwell owner and friend, Pat Bourke, who races both Condagen and the Bathurst winner Hard To Hear.
Hard To Hear had joined Picker’s stable at Bigga, mid-way between Bathurst and Goulburn, just a week earlier, after Picker had driven him in a race at Canberra, but his quote of $22 suggested that he wouldn’t trouble Left Neglected, drawn the pole and shooting for three straight wins at the track.
Picker crossed to the lead from the jump, and after enjoying a very soft lead section and first half of 63.1 seconds, he increased the tempo turning into the back the last time, with the final quarters dispatched in 28.5 and 27.6, for a mile rate a touch slower than 2:00 for the 2260 metres distance.
The race itself was far more exciting than those bare facts and figures would suggest.
Nathan Turnbull on Left Neglected was clearly happy to wait for the sprint lane, and once balanced up, he came very quickly, looking certain to grab the leader, who eye-balled the challenger to his near side and fought really hard to the line.
Majority opinion, that the outside horse had just held on, was confirmed after a short delay, with the margin officially a half-head.
Picker is one of the hardest workers in the sport, training a twenty-plus team on the farm at Bigga, assisted by his parents Grant and Jenna, and covering plenty of miles in all directions to race them.
On Monday, he made the near-two hour trip to Bathurst to trial some of his babies, followed by a similar outing to Goulburn on Australia Day, and then back to Bathurst on Wednesday.
He comes from a family with strong footballing connections, and his Breeders Crown champion of two seasons ago, Just Kala, was raced by his brother Joe, a South Sydney first-grader previously with the Canberra Raiders.
One of the other Bathurst winners on Wednesday has a strong link to football, though from a different code.
Comekissmequick NZ ($3.70, Kerryann Turner/ Robbie Morris ), which led throughout in a C0 sprint, with a last half in 58.4, is raced by a group which includes several players from the Western Sydney Giants team.
One of them, Heath Shaw, the club vice-captain, has had an illustrious career in AFL, playing a number of years with Collingwood before coming north to the Giants in 2014. Last season, he was named as a member of the All-Australian team, a wonderful honour.
So, has Robbie Morris switched allegiance, and adopted Aussie Rules as his new winter sport?
His admission to telling a few fibs to the owners about his new-found interest in their game, suggests that Rugby League, and the Wests-Tigers outfit based at Cambelltown, is still his go!
Mitchell Turnbull bagged a driving double with two of his father’s team, The Space Invader ($16.10) in the opening C1-C2 event, and Casino Tommy ($7.80) getting the protest decision after an eventful 3C0-3C2 fifth race.
The Space Invader sat back in the one-one as Karloo Ten Seventy worked hard outside leader Puffnstuff, and then came with a strong sprint in the closing stages to reel in that horse for a promising win at just his second run back this season.
Casino Tommy had done plenty of work in the death, and still had plenty to offer when it moved up to challenge odds-on favourite Art Mistress about a hundred metres from the finish. Art Mistress shifted out suddenly at this point, hampering the challenger before straightening and crossing the line first.
Though the margin between Art Mistress and Casino Tommy was a sizeable metre and a quarter, stewards were fairly quick to uphold Mitchell Turnbull’s protest, and reverse the placings, to complete the reinsman’s double.
Skirmish ($1.40 favourite ) increased his lead in the Horse of the Year and Juvenile Horse of the Year premierships with a front-running win in C1-C2 grade, his fifth win from nine starts at the track this season.
The win earned praise from driver Emma Turnbull, who believes the Mach Three gelding is getting better with each run, adding ” he does just what he has to do when another horse comes at him. He’s very tough.”
It was also a belated birthday present for trainer Peter Bullock, who turned sixty last week, and had to settle for a desperately close second with the horse on that occasion. You didn’t have to wait too long to make up for it, Peter.
Jason Turnbull steered Glee Bromac NZ ($4.60, for his mother Wendy) to consecutive wins at home, in a C4-backed sprint, sitting behind leader Zelus and ousprinting him, with consistent quarters producing a respectable 1:57.4 mile rate.
Wendy Turnbull is challenging Bernie Hewitt for second place on the Trainers Premiership at Bathurst, with her Lagoon stable enjoying its best season for a number of years.
In the final race of the night,a C0-C1 sprint, Mod Conns ($43.50, Jess Prior/ Terry Powter ) sat outside the lead from the start, before hitting the front halfway down the running and then desperately fighting off the challenge of from Better With Bourbon NZ, which switched back to the inside. A short half-head was the margin.
As the earlier win by Hard To Hear had demonstrated, getting into the sprint lane doesn’t guarantee success, it just provides the opportunity, if your horse is fast enough.
Orange HRC is staging its two meetings at neighbouring Bathurst this season, because of track problems, with the “warm-up” on Sunday February 7, and the Carnival of Cups meeting on February 14.
They are part of a busy February at Group One Feeds Paceway, with feature meetings set down for Sunday February 21 ( Group 10 Rugby League Day) and Friday February 26 ( the popular Cathedral Parish Night).
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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