Maidstone Miss claims the 2011 Redwood Classic
Host to Victoria’s most revered juvenile trotting title and our oldest classic squaregaiting prize, Maryborough’s 26th renewal of Redwood Day added another magnificent chapter to Carisbrook raceway’s stand-alone celebration of the trotter on July 17.
Named in honour of former Victorian Square Trotters President and founding member, Hugh Redwood, the $50,000 Group 1 Classic for two-year-old trotters and the unique day itself has become synonymous with squaregaiting throughout the land.
While the entrenchment of the Group 1 Seelite Doors and Windows Victoria Derby – now in its 84th year – as a seminal feature of Victoria’s only all-trotting programme has served to add further significance and esteem to a day close to all squaregaiting zealots heart’s.
And so it was once more in 2011.
A dozen years after first claiming Victoria’s most prestigious race for two-year-old trotters’, brilliant Bolinda horseman Chris Alford has secured his second Seelite Windows and Doors Redwood Classic in breathtaking, race record style.
Given responsibility for expatriate Kiwi filly Maidstone Miss by her owner and perennial associate Jayne Davies ahead of the $50,000 Group 1 at Carisbrook Raceway, Alford quietly suspected she may measure up in her first Australian test.
And after safely negotiating her first start behind the strands in the 26th renewal of Maryborough’s 2190-metre stand start feature she did all that and more; smashing the Redwood record by more than a second and announcing herself a potential star of the future.
“Jayne brought her over here a little early so that I could get to know her a bit before the (Australasian) Breeders Crown and she really struck me as a nice filly,” Alford said.
“To be honest I didn’t know what time they’d gone. I was just pleased with the way she handled everything. This is obviously a great race to win and it all bodes very well for the future.”
Sent out a $4.20 third elect, Maidstone Miss passed her first test in flying colours; stepping away well from her gate four draw and securing the coveted sit behind runaway leader Sonofpaco less than 200 metres after the start.
Superbly steered to find her feet by new mentor Alford through a lead-time and first fraction of 46.9 and 31.4 seconds respectively, the half-sister to 20-time winner Countessa Hest travelled sweetly in transit through the early part of the race.
Maintaining her role in the sweet seat through a 31.5-second following section, things only became desperate for Alford’s 2YO daughter of Sundon when race favourite Aldebaran Shades exploded forward down the back straight to pick up the leaders in the blink of an eye.
Hitting the top at the conclusion of a 29.3-second penultimate section, Aldebaran Shades appeared set for success as both Sonofpaco and Prescient broke under pressure from the head of affairs.
But with the wisdom and reflexes developed over more than 4400 race wins, Alford avoided potential disaster, set sail after the leader and bridged a gap of more than 15 metres to come away with the prize.
The final fraction of 30.5 completed a blistering mile rate of 2:04.7 as Maidstone Miss triumphed by 3.2 metres from Aldebaran Shades with Zedalite almost 20 metres astern in third.
As mentioned, the impressive race time also saw Lord of The Gym’s four year old race benchmark usurped by 1.1 seconds and established the 2011 edition of the Redwood Classic as one of the finest in history.
Maidstone Miss is now planning a return to Maryborough to take on a heat of the Australasian Breeders Crown Series and hopefully book her place in the $164,000 Final at Melton’s Tabcorp Park on ‘Super Sunday’, August 21.
Meanwhile, burgeoning three-year-old trotter The Bohemian became just the second squaregaiter to claim the NSW/Victoria Derby double this decade after surviving a marathon protest hearing.
Respected Huntly horseman Anthony Crossland’s gifted gelding joins gun NSW mare Arizona Blue as the only trotters to secure multiple Australian classic success in recent times after taking out the $75,000 Seelite Windows and Doors Victoria Trotters Derby at Group 1 level.
But the history-making triumph was not without its drama; decided in the Stewards Room some 20 minutes after the race was run and won.
Sent out at $5.70 in one of the most open and even Victorian Trotters Derby’s in recent memory, The Bohemian overcame his first obstacle soon after the start as Crossland eased him off the pegs from his gate eight draw and into a midfield position in transit.
Happy enough to let his multiple metropolitan winner find rhythm and balance through a lead time and first fraction of 83.8 and 30.6 seconds respectively, Crossland watched on as Waikare Aristocrat yielded ascendancy to Elegant Image before setting The Bohemian alight.
Travelling sweetly in the one-by-two trial as the bell rang to announce the 2690-metre mobile feature’s final lap, Crossland peeled his Holmfield champion three wide to commence a run; steadily making ground through a 32.2-second following section before the heat went on in earnest.
Quickly putting paid to the leaders careering down the Carisbrook Raceway back stretch, The Bohemian had hit the front by the close of a 29.1-second third split, but the burden of sustaining a searching 800-metre run was beginning to tell on entering the lane.
Well clear but wayward in his gait, The Bohemian shifted in noticeably through a final fraction of 31.6 as Lightning Joy exploded from the pack to lay down a late challenge before going down by 4.2 metres with Living Bonus a further 5.4 metres back in third.
Despite taking up the winner’s questionable manners with stewards following the race, connections of Lightning Joy had to settle for second place as their protest was dismissed and placings stood in an action packed renewal of our oldest trotting classic.
Other highlights from Redwood Day in the central goldfields included the brilliant win of ex-Kiwi filly Maidstone Miss in the day’s eponymous race which saw a new Redwood race record logged.
While the open class event yielded its own drama with the scratching of Nagambie champion Sundons Gift and a late break by Savannah Way paving the way for a fortuitous win by squaregaiting stalwart Earl Of Mot in the Peter Egan Retravision Trotters FFA.
