28 March 2022 | Darren Clayton
Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
Redcliffe hosted the first two-year-old race of the year on Saturday night, with victory going the way of the Shannon Price-trained Rise Above All.
For the first time in several seasons, the winner was not a QBRED, with the winner a New South Wales-bred gelding that was offered at the 2021 Sydney APG Sale.
Raboki, managed by Price, secured the son of Huntsville for $38,000 from that sale, with the gelding having looked ready for a strong first-up performance with punters agreeing with the trial form by sending Rise Above All to the post as the $2.10 favourite.
Made to work for the victory, Rise Above All had to sit parked outside of the leader Heza Galvinator who utilised the inside gate to keep his opposition wide heading into the first turn.
Although it was only a small field of five runners, the Price-trained gelding was able to fight hard for a narrow victory, with The Grogmother for John Boserio and Shane Graham finishing in second place.
The Mark McNee-trained and Zac Chappenden-driven Heza Galvinator went close to sharing second place, with just a nose separating second and third placing.
Shannon Price and ‘unofficial’ training partner Scott Miller have had a lot of success with juvenile pacers over the years and looked to have unearthed another handy performer in the shape of Rise Above All.
It was a good week for team Raboki that started on Sunday March 20 when Another Statement scored in sizzling time at Redcliffe.
On Tuesday at the same venue, last year’s Group 1 Triad runner-up Speak The Truth was returning for the first race of his three-year-old season and fared well with the barriers when landing gate one.
With ample speed to hold the front, it was an armchair drive for Adam Sanderson, pulling clear for an impressive return to the track with an eight-metre margin in a strong 1.57.7 mile-rate.
Later in the day, the talented four-year-old Sumomentsomewhere continued his impressive return when scoring his second consecutive victory in again overcoming a second line barrier.
Returning following over 12 months on the sidelines, the four-year-old has been impressive in the wins, finishing off powerfully from back in the pack on both occasions.
It was a stable quinella for Raboki, with So Much More using the passing lane to grab second place at his first run this season, taking his record to two wins and three minors from just five appearances.
Saturday’s win moved Price to just outside the top-10 of the State trainers title, with 15 wins for the season matched by a further 19 placings.
The 15 wins have been reached with a winning strike rate of 29% to be the leading strike-rate trainer in Queensland, marginally ahead of Narissa McMullen on 28%.
THE BAD
With two years and 55 starts having elapsed since his last victory, Doug and Joedy Lee could have been forgiven for thinking Justabitnoisy may not get back to winning form.
Despite returning some consistent performances in recent weeks, a winning result seemed to be just out of reach.
However, on Saturday night at Redcliffe, at career start number 180, the 10-year-old gelding was able to end the drought with victory via the passing lane over the mobile 1780-metre trip.
The win was just the third mobile victory for the gelding that last won from behind the start car back on April 26, 2016.
Bred and owned by Doug and Joedy, the Lawman gelding stretched his record to 18 wins and has won $215,000 in stakes.
Driven to victory by Leonard Cain, the pair have developed a good relationship this campaign, with Cain having driven Justabitnoisy on nine occasions for six placings and Saturday’s win.
Justabitnoisy is one of three foals from his dam Justabitlooney and the latest victory moved him to most of the tree progeny of the mare.
Prior to Saturday, both Justabitnoisy and Justabitcoco had been sitting on 17 wins a-piece and with Justabitcoco now living her life as a broodmare and the dam of a pair of Majestic Son progeny, Justabitnoisy can build his win tally even further.
With the victory, Cain became the sixth driver to have partnered Justabitnoisy to success, with the win also the first time the gelding has scored at Redcliffe.
Of the other 17 wins, all have been at Albion Park, which includes wins in the 2016 Jim McNeil Memorial Final and the 2018 Trotters Marathon.
THE MILESTONE
The 2022 Garrards Redcliffe Sale reached a new peak on Sunday, when the highest priced lot to go through the sale ring in the history of the sale occurred.
The writing was on the wall that it would take a strong bid to secure Lot 30, after Tardelli was victorious in the Group 1 Bathurst Gold Crown on Friday night.
Tardelli is a graduate of the 2021 Redcliffe sale and is a Huntsville half-brother to the Rock N Roll Heaven colt that was presented as Lot 30 by Monarch Farm on behalf of Alf La Spina.
On the market if the bidding reached the right price, it did not quite get there with La Spina keeping the son of Lady Savoia with a closing bid of $65,000.
Trainer of Tardelli, Rickie Alchin confirmed following the Bathurst victory that the next target for the impressive colt will be the Redcliffe Sales Series.
Graduates of the Redcliffe sale performed well in the past week to reaffirm the position that it really is the sale for all types.
Theresachance, owned and trained by Graham White was successful on Saturday at Redcliffe when Gemma Hewitt arrived with a well-judged drive to score.
White purchased the now eight-year-old from the 2015 Sale for just $1,000, with his latest victory the 15th of his career with stake earnings of $87,000.
Major Generaljujon was a $24,000 purchase for Dr John Mammino out of the 2016 sale that also competed on Saturday night at Redcliffe, run down in the last stride when trying to lead throughout.
The Grant Dixon-trained son of Rock N Roll Heaven is a 17-time winner with over $125,000 in earnings to his name.
Dr Mammino has purchased some nice horses over the years out of the Redcliffe sale, including Governor Jujon, and was again active on Sunday.
Purchasing a colt from the first crop of Ultimate Machete, Dr Mammino went to $26,000 for a brown colt out of Atom Bomb Angel.
On Thursday at Marburg, Melton Insulted claimed her fifth career victory and took her stakes past $25,000 which also includes both QBRED bonus.
At the 2019 Redcliffe sale, Melton Insulted passed through the ring with the only hand raised a $200 buy back bid from her breeder George Michael.
THE WILDCARD
With just two horses in a racing preparation, Mick Benham was able to land a training winner last Wednesday night at Redcliffe with Rollonx.
At his 11th start this season, the five-year-old gelding was able to breakthrough for career win number five, aided by a well-judged Angus Garrard drive.
Sent forward soon after the start, Rollonx had superior speed to find the front before Garrard opted to take the trail on the back of the short-priced favourite Im Loki when pressured with 1200 metres left to run.
With 400 left to travel, the leader started to feel the pinch of a tough run and Rollonx was angled to the outside and quickly sprinted past the leader.
Pinching a winning break at the 200m, Garrard and Rollonx were never in danger thereafter to record a winning margin of just under 10 metres.
Having gone winless in the 2021 Season, it was a satisfying victory for Benham, who recorded career win number 25 with the winning result.
Rollonx is owned by Graeme Teale who purchased the gelding from his owner Jeff Brazier after the A Rocknroll Dance gelding had won three races, two of those when trained by Steve Benham, Mick’s brother.
Last week’s win was the first since being under the care of Mick Benham after taking on the gelding late in 2021, with the win coming after a dozen starts for his latest trainer.
Scott Tom is the other horse to have started this season for Benham, with that gelding the best performed runner he has prepared, scoring six wins and a further 20 placings under Benham’s guidance.
THIS WEEK
It will be a busy start to the week at Redcliffe, with the Peninsula set to host meetings across the first four days of the week.
A Monday night meeting will be held with eight races set down for decision before the Tuesday afternoon meeting will see seven races conducted.
Wednesday night will play host to another eight-race card, with Thursday also an eight-race afternoon.
Come Friday and the long-awaited return to Albion Park looks set to eventuate, with a change in race programming seeing the Friday and Saturday programmes switching.
This will allow metropolitan racing to return to The Creek with a Friday afternoon timeslot as electrical work on the lighting is still yet to be completed following February’s flooding.
The swap in programmes will see a Saturday night card from Redcliffe with the racing programme originally set out for Friday.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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