07 February 2022 | Darren Clayton
Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
Now a regular fixture in harness racing in Australia and New Zealand, the 2022 Team Teal campaign raising funds for ovarian cancer research is underway and will be on show through to March 15.
The first week of the campaign in Queensland has netted $2,800 for the Team Teal tally, thanks to seven winning drives in total from sisters Taleah and Narissa McMullen.
With $200 raised for every winning drive by a reinswoman, Tabcorp have also committed matching a further $200.
Stepping forward as a Team Teal ambassador in 2022, Narissa led the first week of the campaign with four winners across the week, including a quinella finish at The Creek on Tuesday with Chloe Butler, the other Queensland ambassador finishing in second place.
Taleah McMullen claimed the first Team Teal win for the season when scoring victory aboard Gunna Needamargarita, a pacer she also part owns.
Trained by her partner Trent Lethaby, the four-year-old American Ideal mare has recorded two wins and two minor placings in her four starts since crossing the Tasman.
Finding the pegs first, Taleah took the trail on Rocknroll Times as Class To The Max edged forward to sit parked outside the leader.
Angling into the passing lane as the field made the run to the judge, the mare showed good acceleration when the gap arrived, sprinting along the lane to claim victory by just over four metres to kickstart the 2022 Team Teal tally.
Narissa McMullen made it two wins for Team Teal on the day when claiming victory aboard Slip The Hundy, a pacer she also trains, leading most of the way in scoring a smart win.
Wednesday night at Redcliffe was a scarce one for the ladies, with no addition to the overnight tally and just one further victory was added on Thursday at The Triangle.
It was again Narissa McMullen with an all the way win, this time with Goelitz, a five-year-old gelding having its second start since joining her stable, with the victory also securing a QBRED first win bonus for connections.
Friday racing returned to Albion Park, and it was Taleah McMullen that led the Team Teal charge, scoring a winning double aboard a pair of pacers both trained by her father, John.
Whata Sport was the first of the double, the three-year-old franking his recent solid form with a maiden breaking win by over seven metres in the opening race of the afternoon.
Picking up the $400 addition to the Team Teal tally, the gelding also secured the $14,000 QBRED first win bonus for his owner Margaret McCloy.
Two races later and completing a winning treble for trainer John McMullen after just three races, Taleah was able to complete a Teal double when victorious with Looks Just Right.
Saturday night’s metropolitan fixture wrapped up the first week of the campaign in Queensland and Narissa McMullen was able to add another two wins, courtesy of a pair of pacers she also trains.
It Aint The Money scored a gritty, off the canvas victory, when angling back to the passing lane in the stretch and fighting gamely after looking to be under enormous pressure before the home turn.
Responding to Narissa’s urgings, the nine-year-old, rallied gamely to hold off the charging Beau Cisholm for the narrowest of victories.
Le Tissier completed the winning double for McMullen and Team Teal when scoring in the third race of the evening, once again the win coming via the passing lane.
THE BAD
Brendan Barnes felt the wrath of the stewards on Saturday night, handed a suspension resulting from a scrimmage caused during the night’s Free For All Pace.
Driving the up-and-coming Deus Ex, Barnes fired out of the machine and while holding an early advantage, Pete McMullen started to rev the engine of the race favourite Blacksadance from the middle of the line.
Approaching the first turn, Deus Ex was not fully clear of the extended legs of Blacksadance and in moving closer to the pegs, contact was made.
This led to Blacksadance breaking gait and galloping through the pack, losing all chance in the process, with Deus Ex left out in front in a slick 3.3 lead time and a first quarter in a sizzling 26.6 seconds.
The early burn took a toll, with Deus Ex left vulnerable in the closing stages, allowing Speech Is Silver to pull clear down the stretch to claim his 18th career victory and set a new PB mile-rate by stopping the clock in 1.52.2.
Blacksadance was super under the circumstances to finish in sixth place, just over 12 metres from the winner.
It was not the greatest night at the office for Barnes, with four drives across the 10-race card, returning a mixed bag of results.
Although Deus Ex held on for second place, it proved a costly minor placing with Barnes on the receiving end of a 14-day suspension for the interference.
Two of his drives in Get Ready To Rock and The Rocknroll King both finished in second-last placing, with only the last race of the night an opportunity for redemption.
It proved to be a sweet redemption as Barnes was able to lead throughout with the most in-form horse in Queensland at present, Tam Oshanter.
The square gaiter was never in danger, leading throughout to claim an effortless victory, pushing his winning streak out to six, Barnes taking the reins in all six and claiming victory in his last outing before beginning his suspension.
Majestuoso takes out a ripping edition of tonight’s Group 1 $300,000 Great Southern Star Final! pic.twitter.com/tgMLwgPEgC
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 4, 2022
THE MILESTONE
Queensland-based owner Norm Jenkin is no stranger to big race success and on Saturday night was able to add more silverware to an expanding trophy cabinet.
Jenkin is the owner of Majestuoso, the winner of the Great Southern Star conducted at Melton on Friday night.
The victory secured a three-peat in the marquee trotting race for the third successive year for the combination of trainer Andy Gath, driver Kate Gath and owner Norm Jenkin.
Hoping for a third successive win in the feature with the millionaire Tornado Valley, it was Jenkin’s other runner in the Final, Majestuoso that proved successful with an all the way win.
There were some anxious moments earlier in the evening with Majestuoso looking in bother when stuck in traffic in his heat, until Gath was able to find space along the passing lane to grab fourth placing and scrape into the Final.
Jenkin had a two-pronged attack in the final, with Tornado Valley shooting for his third GSS after a second placing behind Rules Dont Apply in the first heat.
Presented with a unique challenge in the Final, Kate Gath opted for the drive on Majestuoso, opening the way for Luke McCarthy to take the drive aboard Tornado Valley after Kate had driven the 10-year-old in all 53 starts since joining their stables back in 2018.
With the recent announcement of the upcoming TAB Queensland Constellations enhancements, can the Gath stable be enticed north, closer to home for Jenkin?
THE WILDCARD
Following on from a century of winners in season 2021, results were mixed across the week for trainer Graham Dwyer.
Taking a big team to Tamworth for the New England Club’s feature carnival period in late January, results and luck were certainly not on the side of the Kingslodge team, although a pair of wins on Golden Guitar Final night salvaged some pride out of the carnival.
Since campaigning back home in Queensland in the last week of January and the first week of February, Dwyer has moved to eight wins for the term.
Last week a pair of newcomers to the stable helped build that tally with both claiming their first victories under Dwyer’s care.
Rigondeaux was stepping out for Dwyer for the seventh time under race conditions last Tuesday in the opening race of the afternoon.
Placed on three previous occasions since his arrival in Queensland, the six-year-old gelding was on his best behaviour, stepping cleanly, taking control, and then pulling clear for a comfortable victory.
It was a moment of excitement for a large group of owners involved with Rigondeaux, with the big group on hand to cheer home the gelding to his first local victory, the seventh of his career.
Mi Furioso Toro made the perfect start under the care of Dwyer with a smart training performance to have the four-year-old claim victory first up in just under six months.
By the New Zealand bred stallion Raging Bull, Friday proved a good day for his progeny, with Wildwest claiming the WA Pacing Cup later that night.
Stepping out for the 21st time in his career, Mi Furioso Toro proved too strong for his rivals, sitting parked and then pulling clear to claim a five-metre winning margin.
The strength of the victory indicating, there will be more in store going forward for Dwyer.
THIS WEEK
It will be a six-day racing week ahead in Queensland, with three meetings to be held at both Redcliffe and Albion Park.
The week gets underway with a Monday night meeting from Redcliffe with nine races set down for decision.
Racing will also be conducted on The Triangle on Wednesday night with 10 races and on Thursday afternoon.
Albion Park hosts eight races on Tuesday afternoon, another day meeting on Friday before the week concludes with Saturday nights metropolitan fixture.
The increased stakes races are proving popular on a Saturday night and producing exciting racing.
This week a NR60-75 over the flying mile is programmed for QBRED only horses, offering $20,775 in stakes.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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