Shepparton-trained pacer Santa Casa Beach completed a hat-trick of Melton wins on Saturday night to continue his unbeaten return to racing.
The Russell Jack-trained and James Herbertson-driven four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere returned to racing on May 22 after a break stretching back to November and immediately peeled off wins at Melton meetings in successive weeks.
Stalking the pacesetter Ozzie Battler in his latest win, Herbertson secured a sprint lane run on Santa Casa Beach and he prevailed in a blanket finish to record his ninth win from 23 starts.
And Santa Casa Beach will attempt to make it four wins on the trot at Melton tomorrow night when he tackles the Long May We Play Pace from barrier three.
Italian Delight
Class prevailed when pacer Max Delight claimed the Italian Cup at Melton on Saturday night.
The David Aiken-prepared five-year-old son of Bettors Delight was sent from last to first approaching the bell lap by top reinsman Chris Alford and was able to comfortably hold off the Steve Duffy-trained Boncel Benjamin and stablemate Malcolms Rhythm in a Goulburn Valley trifecta.
A NSW Derby winner and three-year-old Breeders Crown victor Max Delight has now won 17 of his 39 starts and almost $450,000 in prizemoney.
Boncel Benjamin’s second placing again confirmed the son of Grinfromeartoear is at home in this company and is a credit to his trainer.
He is back at Melton tomorrow night tackling the Long May We Play Pace from a second row draw.
Mum and son strike
The Crosslands — mum Laura and son Cody — landed winners at the Mooroopna Cup meeting at Shepparton on Sunday night.
Cody saluted on the Terry French-trained pacer Pinnacle Hope and Laura partnered the Brian Bourke-trained trotter Starlight Red to victory in the Mooroopna Trotters Cup.
Cody had an eventful first drive on Pinnacle Hope, making an unsuccessful bid to gain an inside run on the home bend and being relegated to last straightening up before coming home with a wet sail to nab the John Newberry-trained Feeling Enerjetic and Hard Road.
There were no such anxious moments with Laura’s win on Starlight Red who trotted straight to the front and led throughout to account for Dellsun and Levina in the trotters cup.
Kicking goals with Art
A frustrating run of minor placings by Kyabram-trained pacer Jets Art ended when the four-year-old saluted at the Mooroopna meeting.
Prepared by Graham Lyon Jets Art had run 12 top three finishes, including eight seconds, in his 15 starts going into the race after winning on debut in May last year.
Given the run of the race by top reinsman Greg Sugars on the back of the pacesetter Gotonebettor, Jets Art quickly put paid to his rivals halfway down the home straight when he got into clear running.
He zipped home in final sectionals of 28.7 and 28.9 for a mile rate of 1:57.4 over the 1690m trip.
Kyabram premiership football coaches Paul Newman and Dave Williams and former president Peter Croxford got a big kick out of the win.
They own and race the four-year-old with the trainer’s nephew Dennis Bice.
Jets Art is by the Art Major sire Major In Art out of the winning Jeremes Jet mare Neishars Jet.
While mentioning breaking a frustrating run of placings Eva and I enjoyed a win with our trotter Claudys Prince at Brisbane’s Albion Park on Saturday night.
Claudy had clocked up four successive seconds — two of them by a short half-head — in his first four starts in the Sunshine State.
Echuca excels
Echuca district trainers enjoyed wins at the Mooroopna Cup meeting.
Echuca’s Ros Rolf scored with Our Art Work, while Lockington mentor Ted Jepsen got the major money with Wenthestarzzzaline.
Rolf had two runners Our Art Work and Beach Time contesting 44-50 class race and they bookended the result.
Punters got it right plumping for Our Art Work, who was favourite, duly delivered with reinswoman Olivia Weidenbach in the sulky, while Beach Time, who was driven by Rolf, failed to beat a runner home.
Our Art Work is a four-year-old by Artiscape out of the unraced In The Pocket mare Our Poppi Girl, who has also left the multiple winner Frankincense, and has won two of his 11 starts.
Wenthestarzzzaline’s win for Jepsen was well deserved.
The Fourstarzzzshark seven-year-old mare had eight top four finishes from her previous 12 starts since her last win on January 11.
Her latest win was popular with punters as she started an odds-on favourite.
Enjoying the Beach
In what was a successful meeting for northern Victorian trainers, Damian Wilson struck the first blow for the locals at the Mooroopna Cup meeting.
Wilson prevailed with 15/1 shot Okinawa Beach in the opening event for three-year-old 30-49 class pacers.
A three-year-old filly by Somebeachsomewhere Okinawa Beach, driven by Wilson, sustained a strong run from the tail of the field over the last 400m to just nab the well-backed favourite Ifitstobeitsuptome who had no luck in the run.
It wasn’t the first time Okinawa Beach had displayed her ability.
In late November and early December she won successive races as a two-year-old at Shepparton and Echuca.
Change making notes
Cobram-trained pacer Some Change made it two wins from his past three starts when he sprint laned to victory at the Mooroopna meeting.
The Don Rudd-prepared and Rodney Lakey-driven seven-year-old by Somebeachsomewhere was another beneficiary of the sprint lane, tracking the pacemaker What A Pleasure and then taking the short cut to prevail in a photo finish with Didnt I, who also took the sprint lane home.
Some Change was a Melton winner two starts previously and his latest win the 10th of his 50 starts.
Big guns fire shots
The time-honoured George Croxford Memorial at tonight’s Shepparton meeting has lured the top trainers.
Emma Stewart and Russell Jack are launching two-pronged attacks on the $25,000 threeyear-old feature.
Stewart has Platinum Sparkle and Farady Hanover engaged, while Jack will be represented by Spring In His Step and latest stable addition One Two Many.
The Anthony Butt-Sandra Smith team will also be chasing the riches with Platinum Stride and they also have the first emergency in Radar Stride.
David Aiken will pin his hopes on the lightly raced filly Kekoa, while Shepparton trainers Isabel Walsh and Laura Crossland will be chasing the spoils with Vintage Blu and Dessie Gee respectively.
Coming up
Today: Mildura (d), Shepparton (n).
Tomorrow: Melton (n).
Sunday: Cranbourne (t).
Monday: Charlton (d).
Tuesday: Bendigo (n).
Wednesday: Echuca (n).
Thursday: Kilmore (n).
