31 October 2023 | HRSA Media
Grey Blue Coman flashed home to take out the $40,000 Group 3 Sky Racing South Australian Trotters Cup (2645m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.
Sprinting strongly from midfield Blue Coman ($16) finished so quickly he won by 1-1/2 metres from Itz Trixton Time ($31) with My Used To Be ($3.10 fav), two metres away third.
The winner is South Australian owned by Adam, Ben and Terry Cormack and trained by a proud South Australian Greg Norman, who lives at Avenel in Victoria as private trainer for AB&T Cormack Racing.
“I thought he ran well last Saturday and believed he was a good chance tonight,” Norman said.
“I told Ryan (driver Ryan Sanderson) he went too early in the heat when he finished third.
“I gave him one instruction tonight. Make just one run and leave it late. He followed the plan to the letter.
“Blue Coman has been a good buy for the boys.
“He won the Gunbower Trotters Cup in 2021, then last year took out the Elmore Trotters Cup.
“He will go home to Victoria, and we will look to place him around the country cups circuit.”
The rank outsider, Get Lucky ($101) led early for trainer-driver Mario Borg, with Itz Trixton Time sitting on the leader and looking the likely winner turning for home but was swamped late by Blue Coman.
Third-placed My Used To Be, from the stable of Jill Neilson and Katie Wilson, and driven by Wayne Hill, ran superbly.
He galloped at the start for a short time which saw him settle at the back of the field.
Hill was forced to come three wide with a lap to go to try and get him into the race and the five-year-old kept coming but had to settle for third after his tough run.
Hesallmuscle ($3.20), Anywhere Hugo ($5.50) and Travel Bug ($6), all strongly fancied, galloped early and were never winning possibilities.
Lance Justice, a legend of harness racing, made the trip home to present the Josie Justice Family Plate (2230m) on Saturday.
Justice started his career in South Australia before moving to Victoria where he had fantastic success with champions such as Sokyola and Smoken Up.
He loves coming home for SA Cup night and appreciates the stage of the Plate, named in honour of his mother who passed away aged 91 in June last year.
This year’s Josie Justice Family Plate produced an exciting finish with Rakero Storm ($6) dashing up the sprint lane for reinsman Corey Johnson, to grab a neck win from Artillery ($1.65 fav) which had led until the shadows of the post.
Wrangler ($6) was six metres away third.
Rakero Storm was purchased from New Zealand by Naracoorte trainer Greg Scholefield late last year.
She has won six of her 18 starts and Scholefield is hopeful the mare will improve after a spell.
Scholefield, and his wife Gail, who are part-owners of Rakero Storm, shocked Johnson by giving him the Josie Justice Plate as a reward for his drives on the mare.
Johnson was lost for words by the generosity of the Scholefields and said the Plate would be a treasured possession.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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