9 March, 2004
The Wangaratta Harness Racing Club staged one of the
biggest race meetings seen at Avian Park Raceway in years with a record crowd
witnessing last Sunday evening?s 2004
McPhails Furniture Wangaratta Pacing Cup.
The meeting bettered all the Club?s benchmark figures
for its Cup meeting. With a 29% increase on off-course turnover compared to
last year?s Cup, the on-course turnover was up 6% and the attendance of 1021
bettered last year?s figure of 952.
The 2004 McPhails Furniture Pacing Cup was a
memorable one with victory going to the very well performed, Top Speed, from
the green machine stables of Jayne Davies and of course driven a masterly race
by Chris Alford.
Top Speed, one of the best performed pacers in the
open field, defeated local pacer Elusive Asset (Grant Campbell) from the Jim
Canny stable and race favourite Massarua (John Justice).
The change to a mobile start Cup proved an
outstanding success with a top and action packed race. Top Speed rated a slick
2:01 for the 2210-metres.
The other great highlight of the evening was a top
win by Albert Kelly in the heat of the Vicbred 4YO Super Series.
Albert Kelly must be remembered as starting his
feature race career with early wins at Wangaratta in the Breeders Plate and
Croxford Tribute Final.
In a great tussle, Albert Kelly, trained at Wagga by
Bernie Kelly and driven by Bruce Harpley scored a length win over leader, the
smart pacer, Maggies Son, owned in Shepparton but now in the strong Darren
Hancock stable in Sydney.
Rating a slick 2:00.3 for the 2210-metres, these two
star four-year-old pacers streeted the rest, with outsider Rock Opera (John
Ryan) in third place.
The Main Bout, trained by John Senior and driven by
Shane Ticehurst, scored back-to-back wins at Wangaratta with an easy win over
Blown Budget and Wedding Sun in the annual $6,500 Daniel Boone Trotters Cup.
