Something to roar about: Juanita Breen was victorious with Roarforroscoe at Melton.
Two Shepparton-trained horses were front and square in a mammoth quadrella at Saturday night’s Melton meeting.
The Steve Duffy-trained pacer Serg Blanco and the Russell Jackprepared Lettuce Trot were leg winners which contributed to a $74,000 quaddie windfall for those punters lucky enough to stab the four winners in the quaddie .
Serg Blanco was a 22/1 chance and Lettuce Trot a 25/1 hope and along with the other two leg winners, the 80/1 shot Final Collect and the 6/1 chance Cobber produced the handsome dividend.
Serg Blanco, driven by Ryan Duffy, made it three wins at Melton in his past five starts with a strong finishing surge in which he accounted for the Mark Pitt-driven odds-on favourite Like A Wildlife.
The Bettors Delight five-year-old raced by the Duffy family posted a PB 1:54.8 mile rate and has now won six races since crossing the Tasman after winning five races in New Zealand.
Lettuce Trot upset the more fancied runners after being given the run of the race by Nathan Jack on the back of the pacemaker Courage Stride .
The Russell Jack-trained four-yearold has always shown he is a talented trotter, but has had his moments with fitness issues and this would be one of his most significant wins.
He now boasts a record of seven wins and five placings from 17 starts.
Punters take a beating
Blow-out wins were also on the menu at the Mooroopna cups meeting at Shepparton on Sunday evening.
The two features — the pacers and trotters cups — were won by longshots.
The pacers cup was claimed by Kendys Butterfly, a 150/1 shot trained by Paul Parsons and who was driven to the upset win by Heathcote reinswoman Tayla French.
The five-year-old Bettors Delight mare had not won in her previous eight starts, but had placed two starts previously at Ballarat on May 25 and was a nine times winner going into the race.
So she had some credentials to cause the shock result in which she defeated the Rochester-trained Warrantee and the Lisa Pittprepared hot favourite Chivalry who was shooting for a hat-trick of wins.
Odds about the Mooroopna trotters cup winner weren’t quite as generous as the pacing cup victor, but as a 30/1 chance Kyvalley Surfrider was still popular with those punters who supported him in what was an open race.
It was the Love You six-year-old’s 10th win from 81 tries with 26 minor placings.
With both cups legs of the main quaddie the result was always going to be healthy windfall and it was — $37 355 70 to be precise.
And no, of course I didn’t get it.
Baccarat, back a winner
Greybeard pacer Baccarat did what he had done 29 times previously when he stepped out at the Mooroopna meeting — he won.
The win wasn’t as extraordinary as Baccarat’s age — a sprightly 14-yearold who was having his 287th start and his 25th outing this year which have yielded five of those 30 wins.
Now being prepared by mega two state trainer Ben Yole, Baccarat’s racing career started in 2011 when being prepared by Jane Davies.
All of his racing has been done in either Victoria and Tasmania and he’s shooting for four straight at tonight’s Shepparton meeting.
Pitts Blend perfectly
NSW-trained pacer Perfect Blend’s win at the Mooroopna meeting was a brotherly affair.
Leeton-based trainer Andrew Pitt puts the polish on Perfect Blend who was driven to a victory by his brother, star Victorian reinsman Mark.
Perfect Blend came from second last 800m from the judge to sweep past her rivals after getting a nice trail in the race.
A mare by Betting Line, Perfect Blend was having her ninth start which have produced two wins, two seconds and a third.
Perfect Blend wasn’t the only NSW-trained pacer to win at the meeting.
Narrandera-based trainer Ellen Bartley and her partner reinsman Blake Jones combined to win with the hot favourite Hypo Active and also Binalong Week.
Hypo Active completed a hat-trick of wins, having won at Coolamon and Leeton at his previous two starts.
Jones brought up a driving double when he saluted on Binalong Week who was an all-the-way winner on debut for trainer Ronny Callega.
An Always B Miki three-year-old gelding Binalong Week accounted for the Brett Bunfield-trained and Josh Duggan-driven Barney Bill.
Ambiguous decisive
A midrace move to the front set up a win for lightly-raced pacer Ambiguous at the Mooroopna meeting.
Ace reinsman Nathan Jack summed up the situation coming for the bell lap and his move to take over the front running spot proved the winning factor for the Wayne Potter-trained Sportswriter threeyear-old gelding.
Ambiguous was never in danger of being run down after getting to the front.
He had almost 7m to spare at the finishing post over the runner-up Blissfull Mind with the Cameron Maggs-prepared and driven Momentum Swing filling the minor placing.
Ambiguous must not know anything about superstitious numbers as he was having his 13h start and was at nice odds, paying $8 for the win.
Girl is a good sort
Kyabram trainer Dean King produced four-year-old mare Willowdene Girl at the Mooroopna cups meeting for her second win in four starts.
Driver Jack Laugher settled Willow Dene near the rear of the field before making his move 500m from the judge and the daughter of Sunshine Beach, although forced wide, went on to a strong win in 1:57.3 mile rate time for the 1609m trip.
Willowdene Girl made her debut at the May 2 Shepparton meeting and put up a strong run to beat another debutant Michen Roy who franked the form when he won at his second start at Cobram on May 11.
Willowdene Girl is the first foal from the Art Major mare Fast Art to race.
Roscoe too zippy
Talented pacer Roarforroscoe made a triumphant return to racing for Avenel trainer-driver Juanita Breen over the short course at last Saturday night’s Melton meeting.
The four-year-old Betterthancheddar gelding had not raced since late December, but was able to hang on and beat another Avenel-trained pacer, the Colin Duncan-trained veteran Zuberi, over the 1200m sprint trip after racing in the death seat.
A six times winner from 18 starts going into the race Roarforroscoe is building a nice bank with his latest win taking his prizemoney earnings to more than $76,000.
Quirky Lover is Speedy
Avenel trainer David Aiken would be first to tell you Speedy Lover is not the best mannered horse he has trained, but will concede he has his share of ability.
This was evidenced at Melton last week when Speedy Lover outclassed his rivals to notch his fourth win in 12 starts.
Reinsman Chris Alford took Speedy Lover around the field to the death seat for the last 1200m and he was more than up to the challenge, rating a respectable 2:01.0 for the 2240m trip.
Speedy Lover has a rich pedigree. He is by top sire Love You out of the Sundon mare Right Interest, a winner of 18 races who has left six winners including Right Moves a winner of 18 races.
Goulburn Valley drivers Mark Pitt and Tasmyn Potter also enjoyed wins at the meeting.
Pitt drove a double, winning on the Emma Stewart-trained Some American and Supersede who were long odds-on favourites.
Potter brought up win number three when she saluted on the Adam Stevens-trained Silver Domino who was a $14 shot.
Well worth the drive
Shepparton reinswoman Jordan Chibnall isn’t afraid to chalk up the kilometres to try and drive a winner and she was rewarded for this approach last Sunday.
Chibnall made the long trip to Warragul and was successful on one of her three drives at the meeting.
Chibnall saluted on the Geoff Walker-trained The Chancer who came from an outside second row draw to sit parked outside the leader before making a winning move to the front with 1200m to run and holding off all challenges in the run to the judge.
It was the first time Chibnall had driven the six-year-old son of Bettors Delight who notched his eighth success from 37 starts.
Alex loves Wagga
Merrigum-trained pacer Keayang Alex is becoming a Riverina Raceway specialist.
Three of his past three visits to the Wagga track have produced wins, the latest at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Reinswoman Grace Bilney gave Keayang Alex the run of the race in the one-one sit and the six-year-old Roll With Joe gelding finished powerfully to win in a tight photo finish.
His 1:58.3 was a PB in his 63 starts which have produced nine wins and 15 placings and took his prizemoney earnings to more than $50,000.
The Luke Bryant-trained pacer won successive races on the track on May 16 and 23 before a last start third at Geelong May 31.
His four starts on the track have produced the three wins and one unplaced finish and Bilney has been in the sulky for all of those wins.
Rinse and Threepeat
Seven-year-old Stanhope-trained pacer Cresco Threepeat put up one of the runs of Tuesday night’s Bendigo meeting to hoist his 13th win and complete successive wins.
The Blissfull Hall gelding, who had scored at his previous start at Shepparton on June 6, won the hard way, three wide to outside the pacemaker for the trip, but still able to hold his rivals safely in the run to the judge after surging to the front on the home turn.
With 15 minor placings to go with his 13 wins, Cresco Threepeat is building a nice bank with his prizemoney earnings now nudging $60,000.
Coming up
An interesting 10-race program is set down for Shepparton tonight with the first race at 5.04pm and the last at 9.39pm.
Today: Mildura (d), Shepparton (n)
Tomorrow: Melton (n)
Monday: Charlton (d)
Tuesday: Yarra Valley (d) Echuca (n)
Wednesday: Ballarat (n)
Thursday: Ballarat (n)
