Photo: Harness Racing NSW
What a win: The Russell Jack-trained Lettuce Trot, driven by Nathan Jack, triumphs at Menangle.
The Jacks came up aces at NSW meetings at Wagga and Menangle late last week.
Last Friday Shepparton horseman Nathan Jack rolled out the first three winners at Wagga and the following night drove the trotter his father Russell trains, Lettuce Trot, to claim a feature race at Menangle.
At Wagga Nathan produced pacers, two-year-old The Bigboss, threeyear-old Skinnydip and six-year-old Notsokool, all of whom he drove, to win the first three races.
Punters wouldn’t have filled their pockets backing the trio as Thebigboss paid $1.04, Skinnydip $1.10 and Notsokool $1.45.
The Bigboss, a son of Bettors Delight, was making his second racetrack appearance after debuting with a second placing at Shepparton on June 16.
Skinnydip, a three-year-old by Downbytheseaside, was on debut, while Notsokool was having his first start for Jack and went into the race with a record of two wins from 16 starts.
Notsokool rated 1:54.1, Thebigboss 1:57.6 and Skinnydip 1:56.6, all over the 1740m trip, in securing front-running wins.
Jack had the chance to drive four winners at the meeting, partnering the Rochester-trained Talk Is Cheap into third place in the fifth race.
At Menangle the Russell Jackprepared and Nathan Jack-driven Lettuce Trot claimed the $50,000 NSW Four Year Old Group Two Trotters final.
The four-year-old son of Tin Tin In America worked to the front early before handing up and then held off the strong finishing Jungle Eyes in the drive to the finishing line.
Lettuce Trot has hit form and it was his seventh win from 18 starts and followed a last start win at Melton on June 10 when he saluted at 25/1.
Lettuce Trot’s 1:56.0 mile rate for the 1609m dash was a PB.
Another GV-trained totter chasing the big money at the same Menangle meeting, the Peter Hall-prepared Shes Miss Ruby Roo, didn’t give her supporters much chance after breaking stride twice and trailing the field.
Top reinsman Mark Pitt extended some winning streaks in the sulky for premier trainer Emma Stewart late last week.
The Stanhope-based horseman drove trebles for Stewart last Friday at Maryborough and at Melton the following night.
His win on Joyful at Maryborough, extending the winning streak of the Always B Miki three-year-old filly to six.
Joyful was actually resuming after stringing five wins together at the end of her 2022 season and now boasts a record of seven wins and five placings from 16 starts.
Pitt’s other winners for Stewart at Maryborough were Dannemora and Perfect In Pink.
A four-year-old Betting Line mare Dannemora made it six starts for six wins in Victoria after crossing the Tasman with Kate Gath in the sulky for her first five wins.
Perfect In Pink, a three-yearold American Ideal filly, who was resuming, made it four wins and seven placing from 12 starts when she saluted.
Pitt has driven her to all four wins. The Stewart-Pitt juggernaut continued at Melton on Saturday night with the pair combining for another three winners — Loco Diablo, Mach Dan and Tempting Tigress.
Loco Diablo, a three-year-old Sunshine Beach filly, made it three wins from four starts, while Tempting Tigress, a Bettors Delight three-year-old filly, made it six wins, three seconds and a third from 10 starts.
Pitt has been in the sulky for all her wins.
Pitt also maintained a fantastic winning strike rate on fast class pacer Mach Dan with their latest win.
In 12 drives on the six-year-old son of Mach Three the pair has saluted six times and boosted the pacer’s stake earnings to $813,000.
Shepparton-trained pacing filly Little Miss Lily is on track to tackle two feature events in Queensland after a strong win at Albion Park last Friday night.
The Patrick Ryan-trained threeyear-old filly was forced to do it the hard way, racing without cover for the 1660m trip before dashing clear on the home turn and then determinedly fending off a wall of challengers in the run to the judge.
Her winning 1:54.7 mile rate in securing her third win from 12 starts was a PB and was an ideal lead-up performance to tackle the $31,000 Queensland South East Oaks at Albion Park tomorrow night when she again has drawn favourably in barrier three.
According to Ryan how Little Miss Lily fares in this race will be the guide to her getting a run in the Queensland Oaks in a fortnight.
But he said he was happy with the filly at the moment.
Another race at Albion Parkl tomorrow night with district interest is a three and four-year-old trotters feature carrying prizemoney of $151,000.
Finley owners Ashley Haynes and Chris Shaw will be represented by the in-form Chris Svanosio-trained and driven Arcee Phoenix, who is attempting to win his fourth successive race this campaign.
Possibly his main danger could be the Chris Lang-trained and driven Courage Stride, but there are a host of in-form trotters in the race.
There is some strong breeding coursing through the veins of young trotter Rapid Return who made it two wins from four starts for Tatura trainer David Abrahams when she saluted last week at Geelong.
Driven by Tayla French, Rapid Return came from last over the concluding stages to nab the $1.40 favourite Stevie Gee on the finishing line.
By top sire Orlando Vic, Rapid Return is out of the Muscle Mass mare Nieta, an extra-smart trotter who won nine of her 24 starts.
Her second dam La Biscuit was also a winner of nine races, while her third dam was the legendary La Coocaracha, a winner of 23 races, who has left 10 winners, including the brilliant mare Dance Craze, who won 24 races.
Another Goulburn Valley win at Geelong was posted by reinswoman Codi Rauchenberger who won on the Paul Parsons-trained pacer Our Bella Lucia, breaking a run of 13 starts out of the winner’s circle.
Wahring horsewoman Mel Thackeray made the most of her first drive on pacer Cee Oh Dee on Friday at Maryborough.
The five-year-old Roll With Joe mare, trained by Peter Salathiel, was given the run of the race by Thackeray on the back of the pacemaker Imawingate and speared along the sprint lane in the home stretch to claim his fifth win.
The win was Thackeray’s sixth in the sulky.
Shepparton trainer Connor Crook and reinswoman Jordan Chibnall enjoyed wins on the long road trip to Mildura last Friday.
Chibnall produced a driving double at the meeting, getting the chocolates on the Crook-prepared Sharkbite Alto, who was a $1.40 favourite, and the Kate Attardtrained Apache Wind who was a 15/1 shot.
It was her first drive on Apache Wind and her second on Sharkbite Alto.
Chibnall was also a winner at Monday’s Charlton meeting, partnering the Kyabram-trained trotter Yankee Lover to his fifth win.
Chibnall gave the Mick Blackmore-prepared Yankee Lover a perfect drive and the five-year-old of Love You gelding was too strong for his rivals at the business end of the race.
Continuing her fruitful week in the sulky Chibnall also won on the Lisa Miles-trained Myzarmi on Wednesday night at Shepparton.
Avenel-trained pacer Letsrockletsroll posted a PB mile rate winning his 17th race from 92 starts when he saluted on Saturday night at Melton.
Prepared by David Aiken and driven by concession reinsman Ryan Sanderson, Letsrockletsroll finished powerfully to beat the favourite Wheres The Gold and Joe Nien in a tight finish.
The nine-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven gelding rated a blistering 1:52.7, zipping home his last quarter in 57 seconds in a PB effort.
Lancaster’s Merilyn Dixon owns Letsrockletsroll who took his earnings to $163,000 with the win.
Plenty of district flavoured wins on Wednesday night at Shepparton.
Trainers Mark Lee, Gary Pekin, Steve O’Donoghue and Bec Barley and David Moran produced winners.
Lee produced four-year-old gelding Victortheinflictor first-up from lengthy spell to notch his second win in 11 starts.
The son of For A Reason just held out the Laura Crossland-trained and driven Macs A Dude.
Seven-year-old pacer Cresco Threepeat notched his third win in his past four starts for Stanhope trainer Pekin, the 14 of his 95 starts.
The O’Donoghue-Bartley team struck first-up with former Kiwi trotter Antonov, while Moran steered the good thing of the program Viking to his sixth win in 18 starts.
Today: Melton (n), Mildura (n)
Tomorrow: Bendigo (n)
Sunday: Ararat (d)
Monday: Yarra Valley (d)
Tuesday: Shepparton (n)
Wednesday: Bendigo (n)
Thursday: Ballarat (n)
