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Shepparton News Sulky Shorts 15-12-17

Having hot Hakuna Summas

RUSSELL AND NATHAN JACK COMBINE FOR A COUPLE OF IMPRESSIVE WINS WITH PROMISING TYPES

There was no more deserving winner in the past week than Hakuna, a three-year-old filly who won last Sunday night at Kilmore.

Having only her second start this campaign, the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere went into the race for her Shepparton trainer Russell Jack and his reinsman son Nathan winless, but with a record of eight top three finishes from nine starts.

Punters who were convinced the filly was well overdue for a win and supported her into a $1.60 favourite did not have any stressful moments collecting.

Nathan made full use of the poleline draw to lead from pillar to post on the filly.

Hakuna is bred to be good with her dam, the Art Major mare Miss Elvira, a multiple winner from limited starts who was raced by Russell and his late father Robbie, who also bred the mare.

Hakuna’s win followed Russell Jack’s win with Three Summas last week at Shepparton.

A beautifully bred son of Somebeachsomewhere, Three Summas had a win and a second from only two previous racetrack appearances in May and punters had no doubts he was ready to improve on that record when he stepped out at Shepparton, supporting into a $1.10 chance on the tote.

Reinsman Nathan Jack worked Three Summas to the front early and it was game over from then on.

Three Summas has breeding depth, not only being by a top sire but his dam, the Live Or Die mare Summa Of Dreams, was a multiple winner, but has had little luck getting in foal in the breeding barn.

Storm strikes bright

Three-year-old trotting filly Theresa storm coming, a winner for Tatura north trainer David Abrahams on debut in a heat of the Platinum Home Grown series at Melton on Monday night, should be good.

She is by Muscle Hill, the most sought after trotting stallion in America, out of the former brilliant trotting mare Why Worry.

Trained for most of her career by Russ Thomson, Why Worry won 20 races and more than $100 000 in prize money between 1993 and 1999 and time trialled in 1:57.6, which was a benchmark for a trotting mare back in those years.

By Electric Guitar, Why Worry has left six winners with Question This, who won 10 races, the most successful so far.

Driven by Nathan Jack Theresa storm coming gave a flaw less display on debut with a 28.9 last quarter getting her home over the other top fancy in the race, Mar Pacifico, a daughter of Bacardi Lindy.

It was one of Jack’s three winners of trotting races on the program with the impressive Anton Golinotrained My Chimera and the Bill Milner-prepared Dellsun his other two winners.

Crest at his best

Youthful Kyabram trainer Robert Caton did not waste any time in winning with former South Australian pacer Commander Crest — and at nice odds, too.

Having his first start for Caton and driven a well judged race by Tiana McMahon, Commander Crest finished all over his rivals to win a R1-R2 race last week at Shepparton at odds of 35-1.

In an all-local trifecta, the John Newberry-trained and Matt Newberry-driven Village Encounter finished second with the Ian and Tania Ward team filling the minor placing with Krisney Symbol.

Not only did Commander Crest win, but he also produced a career best 1:58 mile rate in claiming the win.

Commander Crest was a winner at Port Pirie in early September and then finished fourth again on the same track at his next outing on September 22 before heading east to be prepared by Caton.

The pacer had 44 starts for three wins and six minor placings in South Australia and provided Caton with his second win as a trainer.

His first winner was Egyptian Art in March last year at Yarra Valley.

Luck turns around

Connections of trotter Primz Luck were partly rewarded for their patience when he scored a dominant win in a T0 Only class trot last week at Shepparton.

The six-year-old son of The Pres was having just his second hit out for 27 months when he took to the track for Shepparton trainer Clive Dalton and reinsman Nathan Jack.

Originally trained by Kerryn Manning after having won four of his seven starts in New Zealand before coming to Australia, Primz Luck made his comeback at Cobram on November 13 when he ruined his chances when favourite by breaking.

But he put it all together last week working straight to the front and safely holding his rivals in the run to the judge in a 2190 m trip.

Dalton is hopeful Primz Luck will stay sound because he knows he has a talented trotter on his hands.

Still only a six-year-old he has had only the 11 starts for five wins.

Filling up on Shotzzz

Well bred four-year-old gelding Four Shotzzz made a triumphant return to racing with an effortless all-the-way win at Shepparton last week.

The Brad Aylett-trained son of Fours Starzzz Shark from the extra smart racemare Elixir, was stepping out for the first time since late September when he ran third at Shepparton.

He was primed for his return to racing and Nathan Jack didn’t hesitate to spear him to the front after giving him time to balance early from a wide draw.

He dictated terms from then on to beat the Kyabram-trained pacers Recork and Liberty Tee Jay.

Elixir was a star pacer in the 2008-11 period for Aylett, chalking up 14 wins for more than $230 000 in prizemoney.

Four Shotzzz has had only the 17 starts, which have produced five wins and four placings.

They’re golden oldies

You can’t keep a good horse or a good man down — no matter how old they are.

In the case of septuagenarian Violet Town trainer Brian King and his trotter Kains Boy, a rising 10-year-old, age is certainly not wearying them.

Kains Boy, an upset winner the previous week at Echuca, repeated the dose last week at Shepparton.

Not quite at the same juicy odds as at Echuca, but still rewarding for those who stuck with him.

Talented reinswoman Kima Frenning was in the sulky again and camped Kains Boy on the back of the pacemaker Tenno Sho and then sprint laning to victory, just edging out the 50 m backmarker and Charlie Ewert-owned Forestspider in a photo finish.

Kains Boy has been around for a while now with his latest appearance — his 164th start — bringing up his 12th win (there have also been 44 minor placings) and taking his prizemoney earnings to more than $80 000.

Bewitching times

Reinsman Mark Pitt and pacer Tabatha Bromac obviously hit it off pretty well.

The four-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover chalked up her sixth win for Shepparton trainer Isabel Walsh last week at Shepparton and Pitt has been in the sulky for all of these wins.

Pitt made maximum use of the mare’s barrier one draw to lead and dictate the terms to beat the favourite Kotare Yarra with an extra slick 56.7 last half making her hard to run down.

Tabatha Bromac is one of five winners, including Tanabi Bromac, Lord Aviator and Tiana Bromac, left by her dam, the unraced Village Jasper mare Tanabi.

Knife carves ’em up

Seymour horseman Bill Morgan was one of 10 Goulburn Valley trainers who notched a win at last week’s Shepparton meeting.

Morgan produced four-year-old gelding Mach The Knife for a runaway win in aC 0 Only class race at only his third trip to the races.

Driven by Gavin Lang, Mach The Knife dictated terms from the front of the field and won untouched, beating the Steve Boyingtontrained and driven Sheza Sportsgirl and the Wayne Potter-trained Im Joe Louis.

A son of now deceased top sire Mach Three, Mach The Knife is well bred.

His dam, the Sands A Flyin mare Golden Flyin, was pretty smart herself with 14 wins and more than $154 000 in stakemoney earnings.

Gems rocks buffs

Breeding buffs were scurrying for the stud books after the second race last week at Shepparton which was won by Gems.

Gems is by Rocks, not a fashionable stallion by any stretch of the imagination, but his former owner Ken Wills of Niota stud Girgarre who bred Gems was able to explain the breeding.

Wills said Gems was the resultant mating of the Million To One stallion Rocks and the multiple winning Village Jasper broodmare Frans Jewell.

‘‘The late Graham Rice gave me Frans Jewell and I bred Gems from her as I had Rocks at the time. It’s the Lombo Pocket Watch, Lombo Mandingo family, so I thought it was worth chance,’’ Wills said.

Wills said Rocks wasn’t successful at stud with 62 foals for just the two winners, but because he was a magnificent black, equestrian breeders had patronised him.

Now being prepared by Greg Albert at Nanneella, four-year-old mare Gems was stepping out for the 20th time.

Her only other win was on the Frank Ryan Raceway at Echuca in September.

Despite running second at her previous start at Echuca in a heat on November 29, Gems was almost friendless at Shepparton and was a 33/1 chance.

In a photo finish Gems just got the nod from another outsider, the Tony Peacock-trained and Brian Gath-driven One For Granny.

Congratul-eight-ions

The eights aligned for the Rosie Weidenbach-trained pacer Stuart at Tuesday night’s meeting at the Frank Ryan Raceway Echuca.

When the eight-year-old D M Dillinger gelding, driven by Kevin Weidenbach Jr saluted in a C1 Only class race at his 81st start it brought up his eighth win.

He has also recorded eight seconds and eight thirds.

While district trainers and drivers weren’t as dominant as they were at the previous Echuca meeting there were some local victories.

Rochester trainer Mark Thompson’s recent hot run continued when Times A Bonus completed successive wins on the track with Todd Matthews again in the sulky.

Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs was also in the winner’s circle at the meeting partnering the Peter Romero trained Art Major debutant Saving Major Percy to an impressive win.

Byrneside horseman Damian Wilson was successful, reining Spirit Walker to victory in the trotters handicap for Bendigo trainer Richard Holland.

Riverina reinsman Blake Jones took the driving honours at the meeting with a winning double including a win on pacing mare Anakena who has now won his first two starts for her new trainer, former Merrigum girl, Ellen Bartley.

Nearing his century

Grand old pacing warrior Destreos is just two wins away from being only the second Australian pacer to win 100 races.

Saluting at the Elwick track in Hobart last Sunday took the rising 15-year-old’s career wins to 98 from a staggering 442 starts.

He also has finished second 70 times and third on 64 occasions.

All of his wins apart from the last two which have been achieved in Tasmania and one success at Menangle were in Queensland with the majority at Albion Park.

Now back campaigning in the home state of Tasmania for trainer Ken Rattray, Destreos has had seven starts there for two wins, two seconds and three fourths.

 

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