Blowing in the win: Colleen Boyington, part owner and wife of the trainer, with Hurricane Jane, who ended a frustrating run of minor placings to claim her maiden win last week.
There was no more deserving winner at last week’s Maryborough meeting than trotter Hurricane Jane.
Trained and driven by Shepparton horseman Steve Boyington, the fouryear-old daughter of Skyvalley had run five seconds, four of those in succession, at her previous seven starts in a frustrating, unsuccessful bid to shed her maiden status.
But there were no second prizes this time when she sat without cover for the 2190m trip and still outslogged her rivals in the run to the judge in a tough win.
‘‘She is no star, but she is very honest and tries hard. She deserved that,’’ Boyington said summing up the win.
The win was also a bit more special as Boyington’s wife Colleen, their son Michael along Kyabram’s Scouler family and Bendigo’s Steve Baker are part owners. It’s the first horse Baker has owned.
Hurricane Jane is out of the winning Sundon mare Gioiosio Ionica and is the mare’s first winner.
Elmore trainer Keith Cotchin and Shepparton reinsman Nathan Jack also enjoyed wins at the meeting.
Cotchin produced Diamond Shoes for an impressive win, the third of 16 starts to date.
James Herbertson was in the sulky for the win on the four-yearold Betting Line mare who pulled out a PB 1:55.6 mile rate over the 1690m trip.
Jack got the major money on the Tayla Nicholson-trained favourite Sister Evarista who beat the Michael Watt-trained Vici Bloom.
The husband-wife combination of Lisa and Mark Pitt has been on fire in the past week.
They made a successful raid on Friday’s Wagga meeting with a winning double and at Tuesday night’s Shepparton meeting combined to score a treble.
At Wagga trainer Lisa won with Chynchilla and Chivalry in her first training double on a NSW track since gaining her training licence last year.
Hubby Mark Pitt was in the sulky for both wins in which both pacers posted personal bests mile rates.
Chivalry, a Sweet Lou three-yearold gelding clocked 1:54.7 for the 1740m trip to take his record to three wins from five starts.
He had scored at Ballarat at his previous start.
Chynchilla, a Sunshine Beach three-year-old filly who was having her 11th start, rated 1:53.4 over the 1740m trip to leave her rivals standing as a $1.25 favourite.
She was also a runaway winner, saluting with more than13m to spare over the runner-up.
Mark Pitt produced a driving treble at the meeting, also winning on Credulous for fellow Victorian horseman Alex Ashwood.
Credulous was also responsible for a PB 1:57.6 mile rate in notching her third win.
Mark Pitt’s winning streak started with a win on the Dennis Patontrained trotter Larr Dees Son at Kilmore the previous night then extended into Melton on Saturday night with wins on the Emma Stewart-trained Beach Memorial and Hurricane Harley.
Then on Tuesday night he and Lisa struck three times at
Shepparton, winning the opening two races with two-year-old Specta and Ivanabytheseaside.
They completed the treble a little later with new stable addition, trotter Van Doren.
Apart from the Pitts, Shepparton trainer Dave Farrar and Stanhope’s Gary Pekin were other district trainers to produce winners at Shepparton.
Farrar knocked off the favourite Mitzi Said with 8/1 chance Always B Chloe, courtesy of a top Damian Wilson drive.
It was the four-year-old Always B Miki’s fifth win from 42 tries and her 1:56.4 winning mile rate over the 1690m trip was a PB.
Earlier in the program Always Be Chloe’s full younger sister My Four Sisters finished third in the race won by two-year-old Specta.
There was a lot of money to say the well drawn Cresco Threepeat was ready to win again and despite racing in the death seat for the final 1000m outclassed his rivals at the finish to notch his 11th win.
James Herbertson drove the pacer for the first time and one person who was really happy with the win was Jane Pekin, the trainer’s wife who bred and owns the seven-year-old son of Blissfull Hall.
Apart from the impressive win of Larr Dees Son for trainer Dennis
Paton, Kyabram trainer Mark Watson and Codi Rauchenberger also had winners last week at Kilmore.
Watson produced the six-year-old mare Hanover Starzzz for her fifth win with Jack Laugher in the sulky in a pillar-to-post effort.
Rauchenberger kept the hot form of Rocknroll Tallara intact with another dashing front-running display.
It was the four-year-old Rocknroll Dance mare’s fifth win in eight starts since Rauchenberger took over her training.
Arcee is pretty classy
Finley-owned trotter Arcee Phoenix continued his rich vein of form with another scintillating victory at Saturday night’s Melton meeting.
The four-year-old son of Trixton completed a hat-trick of wins this campaign, spreadeagling his rivals over the 1720m sprint trip with a blistering 1:56.6 mile rate performance.
The Chris Svanosio-trained and driven gelding had more than 11m to spare at the finishing line over the Nathan Jack-driven Revelstoke with the Leigh Sutton-driven Egret filling the minor placings.
The minor placegetters are trained by Anton Golino.
Arcee Phoenix zipped home in 27.5 after a 28.9 third quarter and his scorching 56.2 last half told the story of the race.
Finley butchers Ashley Haynes and Chris Shaw part own and bred Arcee Phoenix.
It took more than 12 hours, but Kyabram trainer Peter Hall achieved everything he wanted to with his promising young trotter Shes Ruby Roo on Monday.
Hall made a hit-run visit to race Shes Ruby Roo at Monday night’s Canberra meeting.
He wanted Shes Ruby Roo to have a going-away-from-home experience and also qualify for an upcoming race at Shepparton.
And everything went to script in a 12-hour round trip.
Shes Ruby Roo, driven by NSW horseman Will Rixon, made a flying start from a second row draw and was always in a winning position.
Not only did the three-year-old daughter of Creatine win easily, but her 2:00.3 mile rate broke the track record for the 1770m trip.
Hall confirmed the long trip had achieved a two-fold purpose.
‘’There aren’t any suitable races down here at the moment for her and I wanted to get a win so she was eligible to run at the Shepparton meeting on June 16, so I achieved that,’’ Hall said.
‘‘ I also wanted her to experience a long trip to see how she handled it and she did that well too.’’
Hall has his sights set on a rich NSW Breeders Challenge race at Menangle on July 1 with the promising trotter.
A group of Kyabramites — Mark Schumann Ross Meeking, Terry Nepean and Brendan McConnell,
Rob Whitford and Graham Lyon — race Shes Ruby Roo who has now had three wins with a second and a third in six starts.
‘‘Mark, Terry and Brendan are into the gallopers and I’ve been trying to get them into a trotter for a while, so I might be winning there,’’ Hall said with a chuckle.
Mooroopna Harness Racing Club stages its annual King’s Birthday weekend cup meeting on Sunday at Kialla Raceway, Shepparton.
Excellent nominations have produced an 11-race card with the Lift N Shift Pacing Cup and the Cleaves Garden Supplies Trotters Cup the two features.
A race to honour club stalwart Dulcy Daldy has also been well supported with three heats for fouryear-old and older pacers.
The in-form Lisa Pitt stable looks to have one of the key players in the pacers cup with Chivalry who will attempt to complete a hat-trick of wins after wins at Ballarat and Wagga at his past two starts.
The big card kicks off at 4.20pm with the final event at 9.27pm.
Today: Mildura (d), Ballarat (n)
Tomorrow: Melton (n)
Sunday: Mooroopna at Shepparton (t)
Monday: Warragul (d)
Tuesday: Bendigo (n)
Wednesday: Ararat (n)
Thursday: Ballarat (n)
