FRENNING TEAMS UP WITH IM THE BOSS TO ROMP TO A BRILLIANT VICTORY IN MILDURA CUP
Kima Frenning is making her own indelible mark on the Australian harness racing scene as a driver and last Saturday night she experienced the most significant win of her relative brief career in the sulky when she won the Mildura Cup on Im The Boss.
Cups double: Kima Frenning and Im The Boss have combined to win the Mildura Cup and the Cobram Cup this year for trainer David Aiken.
In a repeat of their tack record breaking heat win, Frenning took Im The Boss to the front from his barrier two draw and in a quinella for Goulburn Valley-trained pacers beat the Steve O’Donoghue-trained and Bec Bartley-driven Shakahari with the longshot Kotare Roland filling the minor placing.
Kyabram-trained Brallos Pass finished fourth in the $50 000 feature, giving GV-trained pacers three of the first four placings in the Group Two event.
After his dominant heat win, when he was an 8/1 shot, Im The Boss was sent out the $1.90 favourite in the final and always had his backers on good terms with themselves.
Frenning has now partnered Im The Boss to six wins, including the Cobram Cup in January, since the six-year-old son of Major In Art joined the Avenel stables of master trainer David Aiken.
It was a big week for Frenning who also partnered the Ashleigh Camilleri-trained Tommys Song to win at odds of 34/1 at the second meeting of the carnival on the Thursday night.
O’Donoghue and Bartley also enjoyed a win at the carnival with the consistent She Keeps Coming on the first night.
Frenning didn’t rest on her Mildura laurels, two days later at Charlton she drove Curlimore and Pocket Thedeal to wins for Bendigo trainer Glenn Douglas.
Chasing Oaks glory
Plenty of district interest in the Victoria Oaks heats at Melton tomorrow night, headlined by the Mark Pitt-trained and driven Shez All Rock in the first heat.
The recent NSW Oaks winner, now owned in American interests has drawn barrier five with one of her main dangers, the recent South Australian Oaks winner Passions Delight, now in the Brett Bunfield stable at Merrigum and to be driven by Gavin Lang, drawn next to her in barrier four.
In the second heat, Kyabram trainer Brent Thomson has Sheer Modern engaged from a poleline draw with the Josh Aiken-trained and driven Im Scorching coming from barrier eight.
Nathan Jack drives Trinity Dreaming in this heat for Emma Stewart and another Stewart runner Carlas View in the third heat in which Mark Pitt is also booked to drive another of Stewart’s runners, Frankincense.
Ky boys to the fore
It was a big week last week for Kyabram Trotting Club and its trainers.
Trainers Graham Lyon and Mark Watson produced pacers to win the last two races at Bendigo last Thursday and the club enjoyed another successful Techies Tyres Cup meeting at Shepparton on Sunday evening in which another Kyabramtrained horse Jacksons Square saluted for Mick Blackmore.
Lyon produced Mana Master for a win in at nice odds of 12/1 and the Watson-trained Recork paid more than $6 for the win.
Lyon owns and races Mana Master in partnership with Bob Souter, while former Wyunaites Mal and Neil Lennie own Recork.
Watson also produced another of the Lennie-owned pacers Brallos Pass in the $50 000 Mildura Pacing Cup last Saturday night in which he finished fourth.
Blackmore climbed back in the sulky after five years to win at the Kyabram Cup meeting on trotter Jacksons Square.
Blackmore said it was his first race drive since partnering the star trotting mare Claudys Princess to a third placing behind Miracle and Im Stately on debut as a two-yearold at the Shepparton in May 2013.
‘‘John Caldow usually drives him, but he was driving in Tasmania the same night,’’ Blackmore said of what is likely to be a brief comeback in the sulky.
Caldow was back in the sulky behind Jacksons Square at yesterday’s Cobram meeting where Jacksons Square made it two wins on the trot.
Starlight shines
Bunbartha trainer Brian Bourke scored a well-deserved win when Starlight Storm saluted at the Kyabram Cup meeting at Shepparton last Sunday night.
It was 21 starts ago in July since the six-year-old Yankee Spider gelding had been in the winner’s circle, but there were a lot of top four finishes in those starts and his recent form was also sound.
Coming off the 10 m strand and driven by Laura Crossland, Starlight Storm beat the Russ Thomsontrained Graciella Pinevale who was partnered by Bec Bartley and I Am I Cried.
Starlight Storm was facing the starter for the 41st time and has now won four races and placed seven times.
Maverick strikes
Congupna trainer Shane Gilligan produced Grey Maverick for a longshot win at at Shepparton last Sunday night, courtesy of a perfect drive.
Gilligan ushered the grey fouryear-old son of Big Jim into the one-one sit early before making a winning move on the pacer going off the back straight for the last time.
Grey Maverick, who paid $16.50 for the win was able to hold another outsider Cavallo Volante by a halfneck in the run to the judge with the Gary Pekin-trained Ima Dad filling the minor placings.
Two of Grey Maverick’s three wins have been on the Shepparton track.
Doubling up
Nathan Jack and Laura Crossland were the stars of the Kyabram Cup meeting at Shepparton with driving doubles.
As well as partnering the Brian Bourke-trained trotter Starlight Storm to a well-deserved win Crossland was also in the sulky on the former South Australian campaigner Glenisla who was a 15/1 shot and led all the way after a slick getaway from a wide front row draw.
Crossland also trains Glenisla who beat the ageing warrior Brother Rabbit in the battle to the finishing post.
Reinsman Jack struck in the inaugural Techies Tyres Kyabram Pacing Cup on Platinum Power who was a $2.40 favourite and an all-the-way winner for trainer Steven Zammit
In the previous race Jack had won on Scotlynn Beach, a pacer who he trains and drives.
Better times ahead
Elmore trainer Keith Cotchin looks to have a handy two-year-old on his hands in Betternbetter, who made it successive wins when he saluted last week at Bendigo.
Betternbetter, driven by Greg Sugars, achieved his latest win in style too with a 1:54.3 winning mile rate over Its All Business and Lonchinvar Art who was impressive also on debut for Laura Crossland.
After running third on debut at Shepparton in late February, Betternbetter followed that form up with a win in slick 1:57.5 mile rate time at Echuca’s Frank Ryan Raceway on April 1.
By the Bettor Delight stallion Betterthancheddar and bred by the Pangrazios at Rochester, Betternbetter is out of the winning Christian Cullen mare Cee Cee Sheffield who has also left multiple winner Vicky Sheffield (by Village Jolt), a 1:56.7 performer.
Cotchin’s recent run of success continued at Kilmore on Tuesday night with a training double.
With Ryan Duffy in the sulky he produced Gone Too Far for his fifth win and fourth success in his past five starts.
He also won with Penny Anne, who was driven by Anthony Butt, in a three-year-old fillies race to record her first victory.
Hector the collector
The David Jack hot streak is continuing to linger much to his delight with the Euroa horseman producing another winner at Kilmore on Tuesday night.
This time it was his training partner Cameron Maggs in the sulky, but the desired result was achieved with the Jack-trained pacer Call Me Hector.
Another son of Art Major, Call Me Hector is building an impressive record with five wins from 13 starts.
Jack’s nephew Nathan Jack also tasted success at the meeting, partnering the locally-trained trotter Opia to a win.
