With seven races on the card at Bunbury, it was most definitely a night for favourite punters with all seven race favourites making their way to the winners circle on the night.
It was the two-year-old fillies that opened the meeting at Donaldson Park, with the Justin Prentice trained Punchbowl getting the win for driver Gary Hall Jnr. After surrendering the lead early, the juvenile settled three back on the pegs, using the sprint lane to claim her first victory in a mile rate of 1:57:2 over the 1609m.
The Howlett stable didn’t have to travel too far for success on Saturday night, with their runner Three Rumours NZ making it one from one in the open maiden. Mile rating in 1:59:7, the $1.40 favourite started from barrier two and settled towards the rear, with Lewis putting the debutant in to the race with 1000m to go, the three-year-old sailed past the leaders in the concluding stages to win by 2.8m in race two.
Lamour Dottie won narrowly in race three for Boyanup based trainer Dennis Roche and local reinsman Ash Markham. Winning by just a nose in the final stride, the three-year-old filly pulled out an impressive 1:55:9 and a last half of 56.8 on the rain effected track in the 1609m sprint trip.
The favourites continued in to the first leg of the quaddie with the Michael Brennan prepared Doctor Tom saluting at short odds. Driven by Michael Grantham, the well performed gelding recorded his seventh win in just ten starts and is yet to finish any further back than second place. Making it three in a row, the four-year-old returned to the winners’ circle tonight after almost six months away from the track.
“I (Michael Brennan) kept him in work but somehow he missed the first four-year-old race. Then I gave him ten weeks off and the rest of the time was spent bringing him up slowly,”
“We plan on punching through the grades with an eye to some feature races next prep. He is very good.” Brennan said.
It was a successful night for the Blythewood neighbours, with Sunshine Swift saluting the judge for trainer Vic Breyers, giving Chris Lewis a driving double on the card. Bringing up her fourth win in just 17 starts, the four-year-old mare settled one-out-two-back throughout and raced to the lead 500m from home, managing to stave off her rivals by 2.8m in the finish.
At his first start in the new stable, Star Of Willoughby saluted at extremely slim odds for Josh Dunn and Shannon Suvaljko. The three-year-old Allwood Stud bred and owned resumed on Saturday night after a short let up and managed to work his way to the lead in the early stages after starting on the outside of the backline in race six. The favourite was never in doubt and wen to win effortlessly by 9.9m in 1:59:7.
With a tussle for favouritism in the last, it was only fitting that there was a fight to the finish with the two favourites, with race favourite Justlike Turbo clinging on to win narrowly in race seven. The win gave driver Shannon Suvaljko a race to race double and trainer Rob Abercromby a successful weekend after a win the previous night with Star Of Madonna in the last at Narrogin.
