Stormont Star gave reinsman Robbie Morris a treble at Bathurst last week.
MENANGLE Park to Bathurst is amore than a three hour float trip but it’s been a worthwhile excursion on many occasions lately for KerryAnn Turner and Robbie Morris, when bringing well-graded horses over the mountains to Gold Crown Paceway.
Last week’s trip produced a three-from-three result for driver Robbie Morris, in successive races. He scored with Milwaukee Stryder for Londonderry trainer Richard Camilleri, before adding a double for his and Turner’s stable with Stormont Star and Kleened Out NZ.
With the driving duties completed after race four, and back on the road for the downhill run home before seven o’clock, he would have been doubly pleased, by the perfect result and the prospect of being tucked up in bed well before midnight.
Milwaukee Stryder cleared maiden ranks at start 17. After leading early, Morris handed up to Karloo Bentwofifty, and he came out of that trail rounding the home turn to draw level with the leader, grabbing him right on the line in a slogging finish, with a 58.2s last half and a 1:56.7 mile rate.
Stormont Star began well from the middle of the second line in a C1 sprint and was well positioned in the leading division, launching his claim with a 28.1s third quarter before holding off the closing Lucky Lyla in 29.7s for a sharp 1:55.7 victory.
The winner, a half-brother to the top-class Stormont Czar which races out of the stable, is owned by Robbie’s mother Margaret, making this second Bathurst win even more enjoyable for the driver, who believes the horse has a nice future.
“And I’m a fan of his sire For A Reason, which is doing a good job, with a number of nice horses,” he added.
Although clocking in fractionally slower, in a C2-C3 sprint, Kleened Out NZ was the most impressive winner of the meeting, sitting outside the well-performed Callmequeenbee and upping the ante over a gruelling 56.2s final half before forging clear in the straight from Snoop Stride, which worked home well.
Despite the strong support for the local filly, which was looking for a hat-trick, Morris was expecting a strong performance from his horse, and drove him accordingly.
“I thought as a five-year-old he had the edge in race experience and toughness over Mat Rue’s nice filly, and he’d put in some very good runs recently down at Menangle. I considered this race suited him really well, and I’m certainly not surprised by the win,” he indicated on returning to scale.
And that long drive he makes most weeks?
“ It’s a fair hike, but I’m not complaining. It’s no different for Steve, or Bernie, when they bring their horses to race at Menangle, and they do it every week, some weeks even twice,” he acknowledged.
Other winners at a true mid-winter meeting up on the tablelands:
Jeradas Delight, strongly supported into favouritism in 3YO fillies class, and bringing up a hat-trick courtesy of Mark Hewitt’s classy drive - gradually working his way inside and outside into the race before bursting clear - that earned him the Drive of the Night award from racecaller Luke Marlow
Volaticus (John O’Shea for Ed Collins ), sitting in the death and far too good for his maiden opponents at start number 18, his last half in 57.3s suggesting that he’ll be winning more races in coming starts for his very popular owner/trainer
Navua Girl, for Steve Turnbull in the first of two 2YO fillies events, well deserved after being runner-up at her previous three starts, and the Sportswriter daughter likely to have another couple of runs before going for a spell
Soundslikeart (Gemma/Mat Rue ) in the second division, scoring her second win in succession by leading throughout, and a blistering 27.1s final quarter enabling the Art Major youngster to romp in for the easiest win of the night
Captain Cosmonaut (Chris Frisby/ Amanda Turnbull ),the three-year-old enjoying a change of tactics in this CO sprint, sitting back in the field and set loose over the final 600 metres in one sustained run, remarkably Amanda’s only drive of the night.
Some meritorious individual performances, from both horses and drivers, but without question, the honours belonged with Robbie Morris.
Over the hill (literally) and far away the best of the night.
