08 November 2021 | Darren Clayton
Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
The 2021 TAB Queensland Summer Harness Season kicked off at Albion Park on Saturday night, and while it may still officially be spring, the heat was really dialled up with a super night of harness action.
With six Group races and one at Listed level, the expectation and build up before a race was run, met what was delivered on track, with exciting racing delivered all night.
The newest race in the schedule was the highlight of the night with the Peak of the Creek not disappointing racegoers, with Uncle Shank claiming victory by the barest possible margin.
After choosing barrier two following the completion of Thursday night’s heats, many expected an all the way victory to Uncle Shank was on the cards.
However, after beginning smartly to find the front through a 26.7-second opening quarter, Uncle Shank started to be pressured in front by the Grant Dixon-driven Majorca and Pete McMullen opted to take cover.
Sitting in the trail thereafter, it took every metre of the Albion Park straight for McMullen to coax Uncle Shank to victory, only reaching the front in the last stride for a short-half-head margin.
While first and second across the line were heat winners, Theresachance finished second to Majorca in the heats, was able to stick to the inside to grab third at big odds.
The win gave Uncle Shank a summer feature to add to his winter triumph, having claimed the JC McMullen back in July from a similar position when trailing the leader.
Driving honours on the night were split between Pete McMullen and Brendan Barnes, with both reinsmen steering home a pair of winners.
Meanwhile, Leonard Cain claimed the second Be Good Johnny Sprint of his career when charging down the outside to victory aboard Mach Da Vinci.
Settling back in the pack from his second line barrier, Cain was following last year’s winner Colt Thirty One into the race.
Angling five-wide as the field swung for home, Mach Da Vinci let down strongly, unleashing a booming sprint to swoop past the field and claim victory by just over two metres.
The victory provided Cain with his sixth Group win, his first ever Group win coming in the 2017 edition of the Be Good Johnny when claiming a passing lane win aboard Our Hi Jinx.
With six wins at Group level and two at Listed, Cain has developed a winning affinity at The Creek, with all his higher status wins all claimed at the Breakfast Creek circuit, with seven of those in the past 18 months.
Backing up the Group 3 victory, Cain was back in the winner’s enclosure at Marburg in Sunday afternoon, claiming driving honours with a driving treble.
Teddy Disco was the other highlight of the evening, the stylish Shawn Grimsey trained-colt enhancing his credentials for the two-year-old of the year title with a strong all-the-way win.
Pushed out in a sizzling 26.5-second opening quarter, Nathan Dawson was able to steady the ship and then fight off the challengers in the stretch to secure the third feature of the season for Teddy Disco.
THE BAD
Favourite punters had a tough time on the strong 10-race race card on Saturday night, with just three runners that were sent to the post as the favourite able to land the prize.
Those three were Shes Miss Devine in the three-year-old QBRED Fillies Feature, Uncle Shank in the Group 2 Peak of the Creek and Teddy Disco in the QBRED For Life two-year-old feature.
Three odds-on favourites were defeated with Big Wheels, Sir Fahrenheit and Scarlet Babe all finishing in second place in their respective events.
Other well-supported favourites to go under were Turn It Up in the Be Good Johnny Sprint, Major Fernco, Streitkid and Gleneagle Warrior.
Shes Miss Devine was gritty in victory to claim the three-year-old fillies feature, the Graham Dwyer-trained mare the best of his successful team this season, claiming her eighth win for 2021.
It has been a superb season for the filly, the win her third feature for the season adding to her wins in the Redcliffe Oaks and three-year-old Redcliffe Sales Series Final.
Pete McMullen continued his wonderful season with the winning drive aboard Shes Miss Devine, with the nation’s leading driver also able to claim the inaugural Peak of the Creek.
However, by McMullen’s elevated standards, it may have been a disappointing night with Double Or Nothing, Big Wheels and Awaywego all finishing in the placings along with Blacksadance that finished fourth in the Be Good Johnny Sprint.
The biggest upset for the punters was in the Trotting Feature with Sir Fahrenheit defeated in the last strides by Red Castleton who swept home from deep in the pack to claim victory.
Favourite punters may have been disappointed, but one’s loss is another’s gain, the smile from Trent Lethaby (trainer) and Taleah McMullen (driver) of Red Castleton showed the pure excitement of what the win meant to the young couple that also own the eight-year-old gelding.
THE MILESTONE
For the third consecutive season and the sixth time in her career, Narissa McMullen has driven 100 winners in a season.
The triple figure feat was achieved at Albion Park on Thursday night when driving It Aint The Money – a pacer that she also trains – to victory in a heat of the Band 5 Pace.
Holding the front from gate one over the 2,138-metre event, the pair were left alone in front and that allowed Narissa to rate the pace with 60.2 opening half of the last mile.
Dialling it up down the back stretch, the eight-year-old had enough in the tank to hold on from a fast-finishing Governor Jujon to claim victory by a head.
It has proven to be a solid season for the eldest McMullen daughter, having secured her 1,000th driving victory back in February of this year.
Added to that milestone is her training record where the victory by It Aint The Money also edged her training stakes to a new record.
The extended 2019/20 had previously been McMullen’s most successful by stake earnings, but Friday’s win – her 30th training success for the term – surpassed that benchmark.
Godofthunder has been the most successful by earnings of McMullen’s team, but arguably the stable star is Kiwis Are Flying a winner at three of his four starts this season following an injury layoff.
It has been a successful fortnight for McMullen and partner Matt Elkins, with 200 wins the next milestone in sight, as Narissa currently sits on 182 winners as a trainer.
THE WILDCARD
Greg and Matt Elkins already have a place in the Australian harness racing history pages, with the father and son pair having dead-heated a race back in 2017.
At Marburg on Sunday, while it may not be history making, the Elkins family were able to secure another proud and successful moment in the sport.
Greg was able to prepare three training winners with victories to Tearaway Diamond, Maffioso Girl and Pebble Sands, with two driven by son Justin and the other by eldest son Matt.
The win of Pebble Sands in the last race of the day was a memorable moment, as not only was it the winning leg of Greg’s treble, but the win also provided Justin with his 100th career driving victory.
Adding to what was already a proud result, Greg trained the quinella in the race with Tinge Of Fear finishing second with Matt taking the reins.
In training the treble it was the third time that Greg Elkins has prepared three winners at a meeting.
The first of those was back in 2001 at Albion Park with Arnihurst, Rising Sensation and Glencoe Fella.
While at Marburg back in December 2018, Crowning Glory, Takitimu Express, Jumping Jolt and Inciter provided Elkins with a quartet of winners.
A further unique point of the treble was that all three winners are bred and owned by South Australian-based couple Peter and Lesley Medhurst.
Like Greg and Matt, Peter and Lesley also own a place in the history books, claiming a quintet of winners as owners at Mt Gambier in 2014.
Not only did the Medhursts own those five, but they also bred all five and all were driven to success by their grandson Jayson Finnis.
The Elkins/Medhurst combination has produced over a century of winners and with the current team in good form, those numbers look set to expand.
THIS WEEK
The second week of the 2021 TAB Queensland Summer Harness Season will take centre stage on Saturday at Albion Park.
Another jammed pack night of feature racing will see three Group 2 events decided.
The Queensland Cup will be the highlight and complementing the $50,000 event will be the $50,000 Forever Gold Mares run over the mile and the Trotters Sprint also at the mile.
Supporting features include the Band 5 Final, a two-year-old feature and Group 3 races for the three-year-old colts and geldings and for the three-year-old fillies.
The Listed Bill Dixon will also be held over the 1660 metres for pacers rated 60-75.
Again, the racing week is varied, with Albion Park mid-week meetings on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon complementing the Saturday night features.
Redcliffe will race on Wednesday night with nine races on the card and host a meeting on Friday night.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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