Make Mine Cullen claimed the Victorian mares Triple Crown at Tabcorp Park on Friday night
The Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable flexed its muscle in the most dominant of fashion on Friday night, taking the trifecta in the Group 1 Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series Final for 3YO fillies.
The early fireworks which were tipped to have come didn’t eventuate, Beauty Secret able to find the lead relatively unchallenged for Daryl Douglas with Hexham Heartbeat and John Caldow straight on to its stable-mate’s back, with Real Bonus punching the breeze.
At the 1200m, race favourite Shake It Mama (Chris Alford) cruised to the breeze for the last lap, leaving the Stewart runners 1-2-3 at the bell.
Braeview Creation and Lisa Miles were the first to get on their bike from the rear of the field to apply some pressure up front, tracked up by Modern Scooter and Dobop.
On the turn for home, Shake It Mama had edged narrowly ahead of Beauty Secret, but Hexham Heartbeat was travelling like a winner and ready to pounce along the sprint lane. Braeview Creation had peaked on its run, while the rest were just battling.
Hexham Heartbeat hit the front halfway up the run, while Shake It Mama and Beauty Secret battled on gamely to fill the placings.
An Artesian filly, Hexham Heartbeat has rarely put a foot wrong in her eight runs to date, with three wins and a further four placings.
Friday night’s earnings took her career prize earnings to over $75,000 to date.
Meanwhile, Stewart and Tonkin also have an enormous hand in next week’s 3YO colts and geldings final after long odds-on favourite Philadelphia Man saluted in the second semi-final by 2m earlier in the night.
With Alford in the gig, Philadelphia Man led and clocked a mile rate of 1:59.1 to score over Keayang Steamer and Mr Nickel.
Tony Dillon and driver Mark Hayes combined to score in the first semi-final with Metro Mike, who defeated well-backed Macca Kelly and the fast-finishing Kickittochris.
In the trotters’ feature for the night, the Group 3 Sundons Gift Trotters Free For All, son of Sundon Aleppo Sunrise scored his 11th career victory from 40 starts with a tough head win over race favourite Earl Of Mot.
The Chris Lang-trained squaregaiter, with Douglas in the sulky, enjoyed a cushy one-out-one-back run before making his move in the home straight to edge clear of Lance Justice-trained Earl Of Mot, who’d endured a tough run in the breeze throughout for driver Caldow.
In the night’s other Group 1 event, the Nevele R Stud Queen of the Pacific, powerful mare Make Mine Cullen showed she was the state’s standout mare, overcoming a 20m handicap to win by 2.7m over Our Torias Secret, with Glenferrie Alexis third.
But she needed a pinch of luck to do it, with Dean Braun-trained Pacific Playgirl going off stride in the home straight when she looked like sprinting past Make Mine Cullen.
The Glenn Douglas-trained, Daryl Douglas-driven champion six-year-old made it 36 career wins with the victory, for prizemoney nearing $800,000.
Race favourite Bettor Cover Lover made a bad start and virtually lost all winning chance.
Meanwhile, in the Group 2 Pegasus Club Tatlow Stakes two-year-old fillies’ final John Yeomans-trained Im Smouldering made up for stable-mate Life Inthefastlane losing its chance in the Queen of the Pacific with a half-head win for driver Gavin Lang.
