Picture: AAP
Trial form: A pacer named Barnaby, trained by Steve O’Donoghue and Bec Bartley, trialled at Shepparton last night, let’s hope he was a bit more interested in proceedings than his namesake Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was in parliament yesterday.
A couple of harness racing’s golden oldies teamed up for a win at Melton on Saturday night.
Veteran Moama trainer Tony Peacock, 72, and Bendigo’s amazing reinsman Brian Gath, 77, won with talented trotting mare Illawong Stardust.
Settling near the rear of the field the four-year-old daughter of Muscle Hill was sent from second last to the death seat by Gath with 800m to run and had her nose out on the finishing line in a hectic finish in which only 1.2m separated the first four placegetters.
It was only Illawong Stardust’s second run since joining the Peacock stable.
At her first start for Peacock she ran second to the Victorian Derby winner Stress Factor at Shepparton on June 8.
Peacock is training the mare for owner Kaye Harnett who with her late husband, Martin, has raced horses with him for 40 years.
Illawong Stardust is Peacock’s first city winner since recovering from a horrific training mishap in 2017 in which he broke his neck in three places and was forced to wear a neck brace for more than 12 months.
‘‘I stiff suffer a lot of pain, but I can still manage to do what I want to do with the horses,’’ Peacock said.
‘‘I really like this mare and believe she has a big future.’’
Peacock will try to improve Illawong Stardust’s already impressive resume tomorrow night at Melton.
Illawong Stardust is out of the unraced Sundon mare Lunar Landing, who has left six winners including the Group One winner Spidergirl (20 wins) and the brilliant, but erratic Illawong Armstrong (18 wins).
Russell Jack says good horses make successful trainers and he is lucky at the moment to have some good horses in his Shepparton barn.
Two of those pacers he is referring to are Santa Casa Beach and One Two Many who continued the Shepparton trainer’s recent hot streak last weekend.
Santa Case Beach strung together his fourth successive metropolitan win at Melton.
One Two Many hasn’t saluted at Melton yet, but Jack has no doubts he is capable of it.
The three-year-old son of Captaintreacherous was making his debut for Jack in the time-honoured three-year-old $25,000 George Croxford Tribute at Shepparton on Friday night and driven by David Moran proceeded to run a hot field of rivals ragged.
After working to the front early One Two Many comfortably held out stablemate, the Leigh Suttondriven, Spring In His Step with the Bec Bartley-driven and Clayton Tonkin-trained longshot Go Dancing filling the minor placing.
The least surprised with One Two Many’s win was the trainer.
‘‘I’ve only had him a week, but he fast worked with Spring In His Step and I’ve got an opinion of him, so I knew he would run a big race,’’ Jack said.
Jack acquired One Two Many from trainer and breeder Brett Bunfield a week before the Shepparton race and said the Merrigum mentor deserved all the credit for the win.
‘‘I have always liked him and when the owners of Sonny Weaver sold him to America they bought him (One Two Many) for me to train. I think he is a very good horse,’’ Jack said.
One Two Many has had 12 starts for three wins, three seconds and a third with his wins all on the Shepparton track.
Santa Casa Beach made it a big weekend for Jack on Saturday night when he claimed his fourth successive metropolitan class win and his fifth win on the trot.
From barrier three and driven by Sutton, Santa Casa Beach led all the way to notch his 10th win from 24 starts to lift his prizemoney earnings to more than $100,000.
Jack admits winning with Santa Casa Beach is now going to get a whole lot harder under the current handicapping rules which he admits he is not a fan of.
‘‘He’s the equivalent now of a M4 class pacer under the old system and he is only a four-year-old and has to do most of racing in the city now and against older and more seasoned horses,’’ Jack said.
Three weeks ago Kyabram trots trainer Graham Lyon was wondering when the pacer he trains, Jets Art, was going to win his next race.
After winning on debut Jets Art had strung together 14 top four finishes in his next 15 starts without a win.
That all changed two weeks ago when Jets Art saluted in a heat of a 51-54 class series at Shepparton.
The final was at Friday night’s Shepparton meeting and Jets Art did it again courtesy of a top drive
from David Moran.
Jets Art settled near the rear of the field from a back row draw, but when the leader slackened the pace midrace Moran summed up the situation and sent Jets Art around to the death seat.
It proved a winning move with the four-year-old son of Major In Art surging to the front turning for home and then defying all efforts to be run down.
Part owned by Kyabram Football Club premiership coaches Paul Newman and David Williams and Newman’s father-in-law, Peter Croxford, Jets Art was a 5/1 shot on the tote despite his impressive heat win.
Lyon describes Jets Art as still a work in progress, but believes he is starting to tick some boxes in his progression.
He is likely to try for a hat-trick of wins on Monday at Maryborough.
Former NSW pacer Abettasecret notched her first Victorian win for trainer Craig Turnbull on Sunday at Cranbourne.
Having her fourth start for Turnbull the three-year-old filly by Bettors Delight was driven to a short cut victory by the trainer’s daughter, Abbey.
Abbey had the filly in the oneone sit in the back straight after periods of racing without cover and switched Abettasecret to the pegs behind the pacesetter No Win No Worries when the chance presented itself in the final lap.
It proved a winning move with Abbey getting Abettasecret into some clear running in the home straight, surging to the front and holding out all challengers in the run to the judge.
Abettasecret had eight starts in NSW before joining the Turnbull barn and has now had three wins
and three placings from 12 starts.
Byrneside horseman Damian Wilson had a fruitful time last week.
After winning with Okinawa Beach at the Mooroopna Cup meeting on the Sunday, Wilson then produced winners at Bendigo on the Wednesday and at Mildura on Friday.
Wilson saluted with Cracked Pepper at the Bendigo and new stable addition Stormtide at Mildura.
Cracked Pepper notched her seventh win after a quiet drive from Wilson.
The Shadow Play six-year-old mare came from the rear of the field at the top of the straight with a powerful finishing burst to account for the heavily-backed favourite Joeys Hangover.
Wilson had Stormtide for only four days when he made the long trip to Mildura on Friday with the Mach Three four-year-old worthwhile.
He drove Stormtide aggressively from a second draw to take up the front running early in the race and made a winning break on his rivals on the home turn.
Wilson took over the training of Stormtide from Steve Duffy.
Duffy had the pacer for nine starts for a win at Gunbower, while initially David Aiken trained the pacer for a win before he had a brief and unsuccessful stint with NSW horseman Blake Fitzpatrick
Stormtide has now had 19 starts for three wins and three seconds.
Elmore trainer Keith Cotchin produced three-year-old trotting filly Meadowvalley Lover for an impressive win last week at Bendigo.
Driven by Michael Bellman the daughter of Love You came from last at the 600m and had her rivals covered turning for home, rating a slick 2:00.9 for the 2150m trip.
Out of the Wagon Apollo mare Mangonique, Meadowvalley Lover has now had two wins, two seconds and two thirds from 18 starts, but on her latest performance should enhance this resume in the future.
Avenel trainer Wayne Potter also had a winner at the meeting, getting the money with Better Day, who notched his second win this season from six starts and his fourth from 14 starts.
Harness racing has lost a stalwart of the sport with the sudden death of Nagambie’s Michael Hayes.
Hayes, who was 65, drove 217 winners and experienced 156 training wins in his lengthy career in the sport.
He drove trotter Skye Rocket to Vicbred Super Series and Victoria Trotters Oaks wins and partnered Pride Of Hilary to 14 consecutive wins for trainer Tom Inverarity and also a Sires Classic win and a Victoria Breeders Plate at Moonee Valley.
They were among 1672 drives Hayes had which produced 217 wins, 188 second and 180 third placings.
Hayes had his last drive in the 2005-06 season, he trained until September 2018 after starting his career in the sport in the 1980-81 season.
He is survived by his daughters Emma and Kathryn and sister Trish.
Tanya McDermott has resigned from her role with the HRV HERO program and will finish at the end of next month.
McDermott has driven the HERO program since its inception in 2015, rehoming horses after their racing days with many making a successful transition to the equestrian world.
‘‘Tanya has been a dedicated and passionate driver of the HRV HERO program since its inception and can be extremely proud of what she has been able to achieve in the standardbred horse welfare space during her six years as manager,’’ HRV’s general manager integrity Brent Fisher said.
Could be one for the punters to keep in mind given the political events of this week.
At Shepparton trials last night a pacer called Barnaby was due to trial and given the political events of this week could be an omen to follow.
He trialled two weeks ago at Shepparton and won in dashing style despite racing fiercely.
Barnaby is trained by the Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley team and has yet to make his debut.
