Ominous Warning was a strong heat winner at Bathurst's Gold Crown Paceway last Wednesday.
HONORARY local KerryAnn Turner took driving honours with a double at Bathurst’s Gold Crown Paceway on Wednesday, and in keeping with the night’s theme, both were heat winners.
Seven heats, for three different series, dominated the 10-race meeting and the Menangle visitor scored her wins right at the end of the night with Pacific Cullen in a HRNSW Rewards Series ( C0 ) heat, and with Tretyakov in a Kevin and Kay Seymour Evolution Series (3C0/3C1 ) heat.
Pacific Cullen led throughout, slipped in a sharp 28.1s third quarter and roared away over the closing stages by a 23 metres margin, for the night’s easiest win.
The Cullen daughter of a winning half-sister to prolific winner Saint William $798,759 and the classy No Ah Saint $232,035 will start favourite in next Wednesday’s final, despite drawing outside the front row.
Tretyakov occupied a trailing possie behind the well-fancied Bettor Jiggle in the Evolution Series heat, with Turner electing not to wait for the sprint lane but to switch to the outside on the point of the turn to make her run.
The Art Major colt, resuming from his close second in the Breeders Challenge Regional final at the track back in July, responded well to win clearly, pleasing his trainer-driver who had been hopeful but not confident about his prospects at this first run back.
On a night when leaders won eight of the ten events, racecaller Craig Easey gave his Drive of the Night award to Turner for her well-judged performance.
At this time of the year 101 years ago, the famous Australian Light Horse carried out history’s last cavalry charge, at Beersheba in Palestine, and the three heat winners of this year’s R.S.L. Soldiers Saddle Series competed in like fashion, minus the bayonets, charging out of the gate to lead all the way.
My Secret Beach gave trainer-driver Amanda Turnbull a pleasing send-off to her Inter-Dom. campaign with Ellmers Image - she headed off very early the next morning, along with dad Steve, uncle Chris Frisby and cousin Anthony Frisby - when he completed a hat-trick of wins by taking out the opening heat.
The Somebeach four-year-old continues to improve with each run under his belt, and slipped home in 58.5s for his 1:56.8 win, a clear testament to the Bathurst track and its curator Tony Hagney, after non-stop rain all day.
After competing in the second round of the Inter-Dom. at Ballarat on Tuesday, Amanda plans to be back in Bathurst to drive My Secret Beach in the following night’s second semi-final, where she’s drawn a little wide in five.
Scarlet Babe didn’t quite match that mile rate in the following heat, but Bernie Hewitt gave the daughter of Ashlees Babe a little more rein in a back-straight quarter of 27.5 s and she completed the trip in a 28.9s closer for a narrow but comfortable win.
Like the first heat winner, she’s lightly-raced, full of potential but still a work in progress, and she’s also drawn gate five for the first semi-final next Wednesday.
Ominous Warning (Cameron Hart for Peter Trevor-Jones), the closest of seconds in the recent Star-Trek Final won by Delilaah, showed he’ll be the testing material again in this C1/ C2 series, when he burst from gate five to take the final heat, in his characteristic free-wheeling style.
It was his seventh win from 10 starts this season, and number 17 from 30 lifetime starts, taking his earnings past the $100,000 mark, those statistics clearly demonstrating how well he’s been placed by his connections.
Exceptional gate speed has enabled him to control most of his recent races, but Cameron Hart suggests that he is equally capable if driven with a sit, should he draw the second line.
That view might be put to the test in Wednesday’s second semi-final, where he’s drawn gate 11, which will allow Hart the option of settling in the field, or taking off around them, depending on the race circumstances.
Like Pacific Cullen, the other heat winners from the Rewards Series justified their favourite status by leading throughout.
Smiling Sam ( Tom Pay for Gemma Rue ) set a comfortable tempo throughout the first heat, quickening only slightly for a 59.1s last half to hold off Flash In Sam, giving HRNSW Chairman Rod Smith, and his grandson Sam for whom his male horses are named, a race quinella.
Aphorism provided Anthony Frisby with a driving win on the eve of his Inter-Dom. campaign with Our Uncle Sam when the Ben Settree-trained four-year-old, first-up since June, came again after looking beaten several times in a slugging finish.
His breeder and part-owner Fran Hausfeld always comes up with thoughtful and interesting names for her horses, and this son of Well Said is a typical example.
Bathurst race again next Wednesday, with $10,000 Soldiers Saddle semi-finals and the $10,600 Rewards Series Final, as the count-down continues to the Group 2 Shirley Turnbull Memorial, the time-honoured feature of the Carnival of Cups meeting on Boxing Night.
Breeders are reminded that entries close this week for the 2019 Graeme Board Gold Crown Yearling Sale, to be conducted for the first time at the Gold Crown Paceway.
