Flaming Flutter explodes to the line in first place.
Five-year-old Flaming Flutter almost broke dual Horse of the Year Caribbean Blaster’s 2240-metre stand-start mile rate record at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight.
The five-year-old son of Bettors Delight/Twice As Hot from the Geoff Webster camp proved too classy in the Port Philip Village Pacers Handicap with Greg Sugars in the sulky.
Despite parking without cover for the bulk of the race, Flaming Flutter knuckled down best at the business end to score by 5.5 metres over runner-up Im Samuel James, with Brookfield Ruler third.
Flaming Flutter has won 15 races from 36 career starts. Last season he finished second in the Mildura Cup, fourth in the Breeders Crown four-year-old entires and geldings’ final and won the Tontine Pacers’ Final and the Boort Pacing Cup.
Meanwhile, Garry Coghill trained five-year-old mare Cool Machrista continued her winning ways with a neck triumph over Roy George in the Pakenham East Probus Club Pace Final.
The punters had the pair clearly the horses to beat with Cool Machrista starting at odds of $2.50 and Roy George a $2 favourite.
They spaced their rivals, with My Mach Scooter over 11 metres behind the runner-up in third place.
Gordon Rothacker medallist Kerryn Manning’s impressive week continued, the Great Western trainer capturing the Doreen Probus Club Pace over 1720 metres with five-year-old Grinfromeartoear/Chiavari mare On Ice.
On Ice was sent out a long odds-on favourite from pole position and used the draw to full advantage to lead and hold off all comers in the finish to score by a neck over Bit Of A Babe.
The David Aiken stable was to the fore in the Mernda Combined Probus Club Trot over 2240 metres with Cold Sister too strong from the poll at odds of $1.50 while stable-mate Thanesan ran second.
Josh Aiken drove the winner, a seven-year-old Like A Prayer/Aspenglow mare, while David Aiken drove the second placegetter.
The sixth race saw another stable quinella, this time with Emma Stewart pair Johnny Quid and Born Again Sassy finishing 1-2.
Johnny Quid, a six-year-old Modern Art/Clarenden Dreamer horse, was driven by Gavin Lang while Daryl Douglas drove Born Again Sassy.
Amanda Grieve trained a winning double for the night with in-form mare Tandias Bromac winning at odds of $1.70 in the Victorian Seniors Festival On Now Pace over 2240 metres.
With leading driver Chris Alford in the cart Tandias Bromac finished 4.4 metres ahead of another in-form pacer in Im Barney Rubble from the Lance Justice stable.
The second leg of Grieve’s double came in the last race, the Taylors Hill Retirement Village Claiming Pace, with seven-year-old Mcardle/Another Sheila gelding Eliminator taking the chocolates again with Alford in the gig.
Trainer/driver David Murphy took out the Tabcorp Park Melton Trot with seven-year-old mare Monica My Dear, which prevailed by 1.1 metres over runner-up Dora Pepperell.
Monica My Dear is by It Is I out of Biddy My Dear and rated 2:00.2 tonight.
In-form totter Kvintet Avenger notched a comfortable win in the TAB.com.au Trot over 2240 metres, the Brent Lilley trained and Rodney Petroff driven horse defeating runner-up Theywannacallmesue by over seven metres.
And finally, it’s a long way from Glencoe in South Australia to Melton but the trip home never seems as long after a victory.
Trainer Barry Finniss combined with son reinsman Jayson Finniss with slick five-year-old gelding Flaming Hero (by Courage Under Fire out of Surfing Queen) to win the Empire Stallions Vicbred Pace over 2240 metres.
The early quaddie paid $21.10 and Good Form followers will have jagged that dividend times by six if they’d followed the Game Plan. The standard quaddie paid $200.80.
