Family affair: Castle Retreat with trainer Stephen Boyington (left) and owners Andrew Boyington, Thomas Crosbie, Craig Scouler, Michael Boyington, James McBain, Colleen Boyington (with Elke Hiscock), Rowan Hiscock and Simon Marshall.
At a meeting in which Goulburn Valley trainers excelled Shepparton horseman Russell Jack took centre stage on finals night at the annual Bathurst Gold Crown carnival on Saturday night.
Jack produced not only the winner of the prestigious Gold Tiara series final for two-year-old fillies in Just Hope, but also the runnerup Captains Queen.
Driven by Zac Phillips Just Hope gave her rivals a trouncing, beating her Amanda Turnbull-driven stablemate Captains Queen by more than 16m in 1:54.1 mile rate time which included a 56.3 final half.
It was the Victorian reinsman’s first Group One win on a pacer.
Just Hope’s victory also completed a hat-trick of Gold Tiara wins for Jack, who prepared Sheza Lobell and Yeronga Songbird to win the 1992 and 1995 versions of the $100,000 Group One feature respectively.
Jack also qualified Shez Bettor Babe for the Tiara final with a second placing in her heat, but she wasn’t a factor.
He has also produced a winner of the Gold Crown for two-year-old colts and geldings, winning with Albert Terrell in 2004.
Jack said it was great to snare another Tiara triumph and even more special to snare the quinella.
As well as providing the winner and runner-up in the Tiara Jack was represented in the Gold Crown final with Lightning Dan in which he finished seventh.
Jack said he knew Just Hope and Captains Queen were talented pacers before heading to Bathurst.
‘‘Just Hope ran an enormous race on debut when second at Geelong and Captains Queen had won at Albury, so we knew they were going pretty well,” Jack said.
Jack predicted bright futures for both pacers, who now have the upcoming APG series on their radars.
Just Hope’s win gave part-owner and long-time harness racing fan Laurie Cormican a big thrill as well.
He owns the pacer in partnership with Adelaide couple Terry and Ros Clues, who also have ownership interests in Captains Queen and Lightning Dan.
Apart from Jack, fellow Goulburn Valley trainers David Moran and Craig Turnbull were happy with their runners on final night.
Moran produced Lochinvar Chief to win the $25,000 Gold Chalice Gold Consolation for three-yearold colts and geldings with a dominant, all-the-way win.
The Turnbull-trained Masquerading, driven by his niece Amanda, signalled he is a colt with a big future with a close-up second placing in the Gold Crown final to the unbeaten Riverina-trained pacer Mister Rae.
Six-year-old pacer Castle Retreat won’t be lacking any support when he attempts to win his third race in his past four starts at Melton tomorrow night.
Shepparton trainer Steve Boyington’s wife Colleen and their sons, Andrew and Michael, are in the ownership group along with other locals Rowan Hiscock, Tom Crosbie, Craig Scouler, James McBain,
Ryan Sidebottom and Simon and Noel Marshall.
Castle Retreat saluted at the March 6 Melton meeting when another of the Boyington team, Frankie, secured the quinella for the stable.
Castle Retreat then fronted up to claim a metro class race the following week and at his last outing on March 20 was beaten into third place, only 3m behind the winner Equity Stride when attempting a Melton hat-trick.
Steve said Castle Retreat, originally prepared by the late Gavin Lang and then Merrigum horseman Brett Bunfield, had been advertised for sale and it had gone from there.
The sale has proved a bargain buy according to Boyington.
Although it took 12 starts for Castle Retreat to win his first race for Boyington his current purple patch of form has not surprised the trainer.
‘‘When he was getting beaten he was still running big races and good times. But he was having no luck with draws or in his runs, but was still finishing close up,’’ Boyington said.
Boyington said Castle Retreat was the best horse in his stable of 10 horses and believes he can win more races.
But he said tomorrow night was not likely to be the night to secure one of these wins.
‘‘It’s a really good field and he has drawn the inside of the second row, so he will need a lot of luck. I would be very happy if he could run into a place,’’ Boyington said.
One thing is sure about the race though — Castle Retreat won’t be lacking any vocal support from his large band of owners.
Harness racing lost a loyal, enthusiastic and generous servant and all-round good guy last weekend with the death of Ken Wills.
Ken, 67, who with wife Jan, owned the breeding and agistment property Niota Bloodstock at Girgarre west, had bravely battled ill health for many years, but was always positive in his approach to
life and with an unbending passion for harness racing.
In recent years he stood successful stallions Straphanger, Great Success and Yankee Spider and had been keenly looking forward to the progression of the first crop of yearlings by Centurian ATM, who stood at Niota and also the promising Love You stallion Kvintet Avenger.
He was also an agent for Queensland-based Trump Bloodstock which provided frozen semen to the world’s fastest ever trotter, the ill-fated Sebastian K.
Ken also bred some handy pacers and trotters down the years including the dual Vicbred final winner Plettonic and trotter Belts, a multi country cups winner.
The extra talented Mornings who has won 12 races already for trainer Damian Burns and Frankntank, who has won many races in the Sunraysia area, are horses currently campaigning who were bred by Ken.
Niota has been a generous sponsor of harness racing for many years.
I’m going to miss my chats with Ken who had a wealth of knowledge of the harness racing industry and was down to earth on all his predictions and assessments.
His funeral is being held today week (April 9) with a service to celebrate his life to be held at the Joan Moody Memorial Chapel in Albion St, Kyabram, from 1.30pm followed by internment at Kyabram Cemetery.
Shepparton horseman Steve Duffy produced an impressive winner at his second start on Monday at Cobram.
Driven by Darby McGuigan Almost Ident Eagle, a three-yearold colt by Mcardle, swept over his rivals in the concluding stages of a maiden three-year-old pace for an impressive win.
Almost Ident Eagle made his race debut at Kilmore early last week, but ruined his winning chances by breaking.
Coming from an extreme outside front row barrier draw on Monday, McGuigan gave the colt plenty of
time to settle down off a fast early pace and, although, temporarily held up on the home turn and forced out four wide, finished all over his rivals for an easy win.
The victory was even more satisfying as Almost Ident Eagle was bred by the trainer’s wife Julie, who races the pacer in partnership with Shepparton’s Darren Whitehead and his teenage son Josh.
Steve said Darren and Josh helped out around the stables on weekends and he offered them an ownership share in a horse and they had picked out Almost Ident Eagle as a yearling to be involved in.
‘‘Darren was in Almost El Eagle, a pacer I trained who won 21 races, but he is not related to this bloke (Almost Ident Eagle),’’ Duffy said.
Riverina-trained pacers were well to the fore at Cobram.
Leeton trainers Tony Piltz and Chris Hughes produced winners.
Piltz prepared the well-backed Shark Dancer, driven by Michael Towers, who scored an effortless win, accounting for the Mick McMahon-prepared Lagom and the Damian Wilson-trained and Laura Crossland-driven Cracked Pepper to notch his second win in 19 tries.
In the following race the Leeton trainers struck again with Hughes scoring with Illtellyounothing, who was reined to victory by leading Riverina horseman Blake Jones.
It was the seven-year-old son of the Art Major sire For A Reason’s fourth win from 28 starts.
Another Riverina horseman, David Kennedy, completed a hattrick of wins for NSW mentors at the meeting when four-year-old Bettors Delight gelding Harry Ovens saluted with Jordan Leedham in the sulky.
Harry Ovens had finished no further back than fourth in 15 of his previous 17 starts on Riverina tracks, so he took plenty of positives into the race in which he accounted for the Laura Crossland-trained and driven favourite Cool Rocking Daddy and Nota Replica.
A drop back in class was the trigger for some solid support for consistent veteran pacer Hayjoshandco at Cobram.
And it was vindicated with the $1.40 favourite saluting — but not before some anxious moments.
Hayjoshandco and Staress hit the line locked together, but the photo finish revealed a slight margin for the favourite backers, who was driven a treat by Damian Wilson for Shepparton trainer Dave Farrar.
Before Monday’s success Hayjoshandco had not won in 16 outings since November when he scored at Cobram.
He has proved to be a quite achiever for his dedicated owners Pam and Stuart McDonald.
The win also provided a good lift for Pam, who was diagnosed the previous week with breast cancer.
A nine-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear Hayjoshandco has now chalked up 15 wins, 19 seconds and 27 thirds in his 162 starts and has prizemoney earnings of $95,165.
There was a time when trotter Bacardi Wood was one of the most unreliable trotters going around.
But that’s all changed and he is now one of the most reliable — and consistent.
At Cobram he chalked up his seventh win and first for the new season for Girgarre East trainer Ken Covington and reinsman Gary Pekin.
The seven-year-old son of Bacardi Lindy was given the run of the race by Pekin and finished too strongly for some tiring chasers.
It was a well-deserved win as he had run third three times in his previous four starts.
A five times winner last year Bacardi Wood has now won seven races and been placed 12 times in 49 starts which have produced close to $40,000 in prizemoney.
Four-year-old pacing mare Yarrawonga Lassie was no doubt popular in the town she was named after when she upstaged her rivals at Cobram.
Yarrawonga Lassie put up a tough run, forced to race in the death seat and headed on the home turn.
But she dug deep in the concluding stages to fight back and account for Monterei Heaven and Roslyn Gaye in a tight finish.
Yarrawonga Lassie’s owners and breeders Jack and Lindy Gale are residents of the Murray River town and love their horses racing at nearby Cobram.
The talented mare is trained and driven by Avenel horsewoman Juanita Breen, who has now won five races with six minor placings with the Hueston Blue Chip mare.
Yarrawonga Lassie’s previous win was also on the Cobram track on January 10.
