Vicbred Super Series heats and semi-finals over the past week have produced plenty of winners with district links.
In the Emma Stewart-dominated pacing semi-finals on Saturday night at Melton, Goulburn Valley horsemen Mark Pitt and David Moran drove winners for the master trainer.
Pitt in fact bagged four winners for Stewart with one of them, Techys Watching, at nice odds of 15/1 in a three-year-old colts and geldings semi.
The son of Hes Watching is owned and was bred by Shepparton’s Mario Cirillo and is a winner of six of only 10 starts.
He returned the quickest mile rate of 1:54.0 of all the semi-final winners.
Other winners, all odds on, Pitt drove for Stewart were Stormryder (two-year-old colts and geldings), Petracca (three-year-old colts and geldings) and Sweet Bella (threeyear-old fillies).
Moran also got on the Stewart bandwagon which gathered an incredible nine wins from the 12 races, driving the exciting Amore Vita to win a four-year-old mares semi-final.
Elmore’s Keith Cotchin flew the flag for northern Victorian trainers, producing Our Luciano for an upset win in a two-year-old colts and geldings semi-final.
Settling midfield, Heathcote reinswoman Tayla French secured inside runs to victory with the son of Sweet Lou who was a 15/1 shot.
Our Luciano was having his fourth start and won at his debut at Shepparton on August 1.
The heady ride for Finley owners and butchers Ash Hayes and Chris Shaw continued in trotters heats of the Vicbred Super Series at Bendigo last week.
They bred and own the talented trotter Arcee Phoenix who outclassed a smart field of rivals with a dominant display in the four-yearold entires and gelding heats.
Trainer-driver Chris Svanosio made his move to the front at the bell lap on Arcee Phoenix who then ran his rivals ragged over the final lap.
Arcee Phoenix rated a blistering 1:57.8 for the 2150m trip which was outstanding time considering the race was run when rain was falling.
Arcee Phoenix is building an impressive resume with his 21 starts producing seven wins and seven minor placings and healthy prizemoney earnings of just on $112,000.
The son of Trixton tackles the $100,000 final of the series at Melton tomorrow night and despite a second row draw still looks the one to beat.
Trainer John Newberry’s Bunbartha stable has been enjoying its share of success of late and has produced two winners over the past week.
The Newberry-prepared pacer Diamond Eclipse was rewarded for some recent good form when he tackled the 1200m short course at Melton last Friday night for the first time and came up trumps.
Driven by the trainer’s son Matt the Pet Rock five-year-old got no favours from his wide front row draw.
After an unsuccessful early burn for the lead Diamond Eclipse had to race outside the pacemaker Mister Cheese for the entire trip, but was still too tough for his rivals.
Three immediate previous starts at Melton had produced a second and two fourths and the pacer has now won nine races, with six of these and four places coming in the current season.
Newberry struck again at Shepparton this week with pacer Amber Alert.
The six-year-old Mr Feelgood mare worked to the front early and after some cheap mid-race sectionals dug deep in the concluding stages to post her sixth win with the trainer in the sulky.
Tiny trotting mare Dances completed a hat-trick of wins on the Shepparton track and was one of several northern Victoria winners at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Trainer-driver Donna Castles utilised the barrier one draw of the daughter of Bacardi Lindy who led and ran away from her rivals at the finish with a 14m margin to the runner-up over the 1690m short course.
The win took her record to 12 wins with 28 placings, including 22 seconds.
John McLean is a trainer from way back and he showed he can still produce a winner, ironically striking at Shepparton with a young pacer called Alive And Well.
A son of the great Lazarus, making his debut and driven by Leigh Sutton, Alive And Well stormed over his rivals at the business end of the race, coming from second last over the final 400m in sub two-minute time for the 1690m trip.
McLean, 70, mainly breaks in horses these days, but has been associated with some good pacers over the years and his latest winner was his 285th.
Five-year-old pacing mare Royal Starzzz was first out and first home for Avenel trainer-driver Juanita Breen at Shepparton.
Having her fifth start this season Royal Starzzz zoomed straight to the front from barrier four and was never in danger of being run down over the 2190m trip.
It was the mare’s fourth win in 24 starts and to make the win even more enjoyable Breen bred and races the pacer with her husband Aaron Brown.
Consistent pacer Wemade Freo chalked up win number 11 for local trainer Steve Duffy when he saluted at Shepparton.
And in his all-the-way win after a typical slick getaway the five-yearold son of McArdle posted a PB mile rate of 1:56.3 for the 1690m trip in accounting for Jeremy Wells and iron mare Roslyn Gaye.
It was Wemade Freo’s sixth win for the season along with 11 minor placings including seven seconds from 35 starts.
Wemade Freo has had seven top four finishes in his past nine starts, including a win at Echuca early last month.
Codi Rauchenberger was again in the sulky for the latest win.
Four-year-old gelding Cannon Beach made a successful return to racing at Shepparton.
The five-year-old son of Heston Blue Chip was having his fifth start and had not raced since December when he won at his second start in his first campaign.
Driven by his Avenel trainer-driver Ian Montgomery, Cannon Beach settled four back on the outside and rounded up his rivals over the last 300m to hold off the 70/1 shot Only One Don in smart 1:58.8 mile rate time for the 2190m trip.
Punters were on the mark when Echuca-trained pacer Be A Good Scout saluted at Shepparton.
Backed into $4.20 from $10 the BGS Folly seven-year-old gelding had to work to hold the front running position, but top reinsman James Herbertson was able to rate him to perfection for the rest of the race to keep all rivals at bay.
Be A Good Scout was having only his fifth start for Echuca mentor Susan Hunter and had been doing his racing in the Mallee and Sunraysia area before switching stables.
He was having his 51st start which have now produced six wins and 13 minor placings.
A midrace move proved to be a winner for Shepparton-trained pacer Kialla Kid last week at Echuca.
Reinsman Damian Wilson whipped the three-year-old Sunshine Beach gelding from last before the bell lap to the death seat and despite racing without cover for the rest of the trip was able to fend off all rivals.
The Dave Farrar-prepared Kialla Kid was having his 12th start which have now produced two wins and three minor placings.
He scored his debut win at Wagga when having his eighth start which came after four successive top four placings.
Craig and Abbey Turnbull combined to score a maiden win with Betting Line four-year-old mare Bet Sheza Lady at Echuca.
Settling initially three back on the outside Abbey took Bet Sheza Lady to outside the pacemaker and favourite Twilight Beach and prevailed in a tight finish with Letsdancetilldawn splitting the pair at the finishing post.
Bet Sheza Lady deserved the win as her previous four starts had produced three top three finishes including successive seconds leading into the race.
There is some stout breeding on her maternal side.
She is out of the McArdle mare Shes Got It All who has left some smart ones in Be Major Threat (23 wins), Malcolms Rhythm (14 wins) and Wyattflynn (8 wins).
A copybook drive landed trotter Van Doren one of the biggest winners at Echuca.
The Lisa Pitt-trained and Mark Pitt-driven four-year-old son of Love You was ushered into a one-outone-back sit early from a back row draw and when unleashed getting off the back straight whizzed by his rivals before going onto a decisive win.
Van Doren was having his sixth start for Pitt which have produced two wins and a second with his record standing at four wins and six minor placings from 29 starts.
The trainer was no doubt happier than most about the win as she owns him as well.
It’s been a while — in fact 27 starts — between drinks, but Fantasy Beach has returned to the winner’s stall.
The eight-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere enjoyed a cosy trip on the back of the pacemaker and was able to get up along the sprint lane to score at Echuca.
Trained and driven by long time district trots stalwart Jeff Gledhill, Fantasy Beach was having start number 165 which have produced nine wins and 40 minor placings.
Fantasy Beach’s win broke a run of 27 starts without a win with his losing streak starting after winning in early May at Shepparton last year.
Shepparton horsemen Steve Boyington and Corey O’Donoghue enjoyed success on Sunday at Kilmore.
Boyington produced Night School for a well deserved win after top three finishes at his previous four starts.
Over the 1690m trip Boyington took the Blissfull Hall gelding to the front early and was never in danger after that, bringing up his seventh win in 37 starts. He’s also placed 12 times.
O’Donoghue ticked off his fourth win in the sulky when he partnered the Luke Cabone-trained Im Wesley to an impressive all-the-way win.
Australian trotter Aldebaran Zeus certainly wasn’t out of his depth in the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot last weekend.
He finished fifth against some of the world’s best 10 trotters after being given every chance by driver Chris Alford.
Alford positioned the Brent Lilleytrained star in a good spot three back the pegs from his wide front row draw and although looking a place chance turning for home tired a little to finish fifth behind Italy’s Vivid Wise As.
Wednesday: Yarra Valley (d), Swan Hill (n)
Thursday: Kilmore (n)
