Jack says Eye Believe in you
‘‘I’m really happy with her and I wouldn’t swap her with any other runner in the race,’’ Shepparton horseman Nathan Jack said convincingly yesterday.
The race Jack is referring to is no ordinary race and the pacer he is referring to and trains is Eye Believe who is contesting the $400,000 Gold Bullion final for two-year-old fillies at Menangle tomorrow night.
And Jack is bullish about the chances of Eye Believe in the richest two-year-old race in the country.
The Captaintreacherous filly has drawn barrier six over the 1609m dash, but with two emergencies drawn inside her will come from barrier four.
‘‘I’m not worried about the draw; it’s okay as far as I’m concerned,’’ Jack said.
The recent runner-up in the Bathurst Gold Tiara two-year-old classic, Eye Believe booked her spot in tomorrow night’s lucrative final with an effortless heat win in the series at Melton on April 17.
In that heat she accounted for the Emma Stewart runners Eureka Jo and Decree Of Force, the only other Victorians contesting tomorrow night’s race at 7.20pm.
Jack’s partner and top NSW reinswoman Amanda Turnbull, who has driven Eye Believe at her past two starts, will be in he sulky again.
Not two, but one will do
They just missed out in the big one on Mildura Cup night, but the Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley team didn’t return home to Shepparton empty handed.
They chased home the blowout winner Sahara Tiger of the Mildura Cup with Western Sonador, but struck back in the following race with Anyonewilldo.
A Western Terror mare, Anyonewilldo was having her sixth start for the stable after 25 starts on NSW tracks for one win.
Bartley gave Anyonewilldo the run of the race in the one-one sit and warded off a herd of challengers in the run to the judge.
Western Sonador had his colours lowered in the cup by the bolter Sahara Tiger who paid more than $126 for the win on the TAB and $200 on the NSW tote.
The David Moran-trained and driven Curly James just missed third place in the $60,000 feature, pipped for that spot by the favourite Cant Stop This.
Western Sonador qualified for the final with a close-up fourth placing in his heat to Cant Stop This.
In the final he enjoyed a good run three back on the pegs before finishing strongly on the sprint lane along with the winner who stalked the pacesetter Serg Blanco for most of the 2600m trip.
The Steve Duffy-trained and Ryan Duffy-driven Serge Blanco led the field into the home straight, but was relegated to fifth, only 6.2m from the winner, in the concluding stages.
Beauty it’s a double
Bunbartha trainer John Newberry didn’t waste any time getting two recent stable additions on the winning list.
He won with both pacers — Hez Harrywho and Kia Ora Beauty — at last week’s Shepparton meeting.
A four-year-old Live Or Die gelding Hez Harrywho was having only his fifth trip to the races and only a second time for Newberry, while Kia Ora Beauty was having his 43rd start and his third outing for the Newberry stables.
Both were driven by Newberry’s son, Matt, and were all-the-way winners.
Hez Harrywho posted a PB 1:57.4 for the 1609m trip, but was just beaten in quicker time at his previous start when making his debut for Newberry.
Kia Ora Beauty, a five-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven mare who had won five races before joining the Newberry stables, went sub two minutes over the longer trip, but does have a 1:55.8 over the 1690m trip at Bendigo.
Moran plays his Ace
David Moran landed a driving double at last week’s Shepparton meeting on two pacers he doesn’t train.
He partnered the Greg Fleming-prepared Bart Bentley to his maiden win at his second start and also scored on the Lisa Hardy-trained Ace Montana.
A three-year-old gelding by Bettors Delight Bart Bentley had finished third in quick time on debut to Kingofglitter on the same track the previous week to indicate he had his share of ability.
Giving plenty of cheek
Cheeki Philtra is a Shepparton track specialist.
When the Donna Castles-trained and driven seven-year-old pacing mare saluted at last week’s Shepparton meeting it completed successive wins on the track and her seventh triumph on the track in her 10 wins.
The Modern Art mare has also had 24 minor placings from 89 starts.
Slick Sebastian
Promising trotter Sebastian Boy made a successful return to racing with a win at last Friday’s Maryborough meeting.
The four-year-old gelded son of Sebastian K, trained and driven by Kyabram horseman Brent Thomson, came from last over the last 1000 m to round up his rivals in effortless fashion in another pointer that he is a talented trotter with a big future.
Sebastian Boy is out of the winning Keystone Salute mare Prettygirl Lassie and the first foal to race out of that mare and was having his ninth start.
Shepparton horsemen Russell and Nathan Jack and Leigh Sutton also combined for wins at Maryborough.
Sutton drove the Nathan Jack-trained Listen To My Heart to a narrow win to record his second win in eight starts with the paer’s 1:58.8 mile rate for the 1690m trip a PB.
Nathan Jack piloted Lettuce Trot, trained by his father Russell, to his fifth win in 13 starts.
Nathan gave the four-year-old son of Tintin In America the run of the race on the back of the pacesetter Canera and finished strongly along the sprint lane for an easy win at the finish.
Undera boys score
Some former Undera footballers were celebrating after Miki To Success won on debut at last week’s midweek Melton meeting.
A colt by Always Be Miki trained by Emma Stewart and driven by Baily McDonough Miki To Success held out the Greg Fleming-prepared and Cody Rauchenberger-driven Maurlen Annie, a filly by American Ideal, who was also on debut and put up a bold showing in 1:54.9 mile rate time for the 1720m trip.
Longtime Goulburn Valley breeder and owner Ray Sellwood was in the syndicate which bred the pacer and is also a member of the group along with former Undera players Kevin Powells, John Hommes, Joe Minutoli and Bobby Boyer.
Some of these owners are also involved in pacer Jo An Jo, now being prepared by NSW horseman Jason Grimson, who runs at Mernangle tomorrow night and Serengeti Sunrise, who is engaged at tomorrow night’s Launceston meeting.
Taking Miki out of rivals
Echuca trainer Ros Rolfe enjoyed a successful Mildura carnival last week with a winner on the opening night and also at the Friday night meeting.
Rolfe produced Beach Time to win at the opening meeting and the second night claimed the $10,000 Tenderprint final with Dallas Miki after winning his heat the previous week.
While South Australian horseman Wayne Hill drove Beach Time to victory Rolfe was in the sulky for Dallas Miki’s win.
The four-year-old son of Always Be Miki, the $2.20 favourite was set alight by Rolfe before the bell lap and was up to the challenge of leading the three deep line for most of the last lap and prevailing by a neck over the outsider Southern Burgundy.
Four of Dallas Miki’s past five starts have produced wins on the Mildura track with his only other career win also in the northern region at Swan Hill.
Enjoying the spoils
Trainers Codi Rauchenberger, Mick Blackmore, Gary Pekin and Jan Murray flew the flag for Goulburn Valley trainers at the Shepparton Anzac night meeting this week.
Rauchenberger produced Rocknroll Tallara to win her third race in her past four starts with a dominant all-the-way win.
These three latest wins have come from five starts the mare has had since Rauchenberger took over her training.
Her other two wins came from her previous 35 starts.
Kyabram trainer Blackmore got a well deserved win with No Neigh Philtra whose five previous runs had produced four top four finishes.
The Sportswriter four-year-old gelding, driven by Jack Laugher, had to win the tough way, eyeballing the pacemaker Helasin for the 1690m trip and proving too good in the concluding stages in PB 1:56.2 mile rate time, the quickest of the 11 races.
No Neigh Philtra’s 26 starts have produced three wins and 15 minor placings, including nine seconds.
No Neigh Philtra was the first leg of driving treble for Laugher who then won the next two races on Our Vincent Can Gogh and Firefly for Bendigo trainer Julie Douglas.
Seymour trainer Murray, daughter of legendary horseman Kevin Murray, struck for a second time in his past four starts with pacer Ringer Russ.
Reinswoman Taylor Youl had Ringer Russ, a six-year-old son of Village Jasper, parked on the back of the pacemaker and favourite Fly Like An Angel and once into clear running in the home straight quickly put a winning gap on his rivals to notch his fourth win.
Stanhope horseman Pekin produced the longest priced winner on the program, scoring with Cresco Threepeat who paid $23 for the win.
The Blissfull Hall seven-year-old came from well back 600m from the judge and maintained a winning surge to the finishing line to notch his 11th win from 88 starts which have also produced 15 minor placings.
The week ahead
Today: Bendigo (n)
Tomorrow: Melton (n)
Monday: Hamilton (d), Swan Hill (n)
Tuesday: Shepparton (n)
Wednesday: Ballarat (n)
Thursday: Bendigo (n)