My Sweetchilliphilly in action at Bathurst last Sunday.
SUNDAY’S Cathedral Parish Race Day at Bathurst drew a very large crowd, swelled by many once-a- year family groups (the Irish Catholics love a punt!), clergy and school students.
They all had a rollicking good time, but it's unlikely anyone enjoyed themselves more than winning owners Dave and Helen Harper, and Rob Davis, whose wins came right on the back of major successes at Saturday's feature Menangle race meeting.
The morning (well, almost) after the night before, where the only hangover was the sweet smell of success.
The Harpers race Mysweetchilliphilly NZ, which scored a truly amazing win on debut in the opening event for 2YO fillies, flying the gate, bursting clear of the field in the run to the first turn, then extending her lead throughout to score by a mere 59.7 metres from the chasing pack!
She stopped the clock at 1:55.3, which easily lowered the fillies record held by last year's Tiara winner Don't Think Twice, and came close to Bullet Stride's 1:54.7 overall record for that age group.
She's a daughter of Betterthancheddar, the Alabar-based sire whose first crop race this season, and a true free-running type, a fact acknowledged by driver Chris Geary and Shane Tritton, who co-trains the filly with his wife Lauren.
"We wanted to give her a look at the track before we bring her up for the Tiara in a few weeks, but we knew she was capable of doing this, based on her work at home, where she works with Divine State and keeps up with him all the time," Tritton commented at the presentation.
That colt, bought as a going 2YO from New Zealand by the Harpers, set tongues wagging with his own sensational debut a few weeks ago then followed up with an Australasian record of 1:51.6 in Saturday's Sapling Stakes on his home track at Menangle.
He, too, is heading to Bathurst for the Crown, and the Harper youngsters will line up in their respective heats as short -priced favourites to take out the double.
In the meantime, Dave and Helen will be cheering on Salty Robyn whose placing in the Chariots Of Fire earned him a run in Saturday's Miracle Mile at Menangle, together with Yayas Hot Spot from the Tritton team.
It's an exciting time for the couple, and Sunday's one minute and fifty-five seconds was an exciting time for everyone at Group One Feeds Paceway, as they witnessed the start of what looks likely to be an exciting career.
Rob Davis, whose team all carry the "Red" name which derives from his initials, enjoyed the win of Power Of Red in a C1/C2 2260 metres class, trainer-driver Steve Turnbull dodging some early trouble then bringing him with a strong run from mid-field to score a narrow but convincing win.
It brought up a hat-trick for the four-year-old, after heat and final wins the previous two Sundays on the grass track at Orange, but his owner was only thinking back as far as the previous night at Menangle, where the younger full-brother Atomic Red won a heat of the NSW Derby in a world-record 1:54.4 rate over 2400 metres.
Rob Davis is known for his exuberant finishing bursts, as he races his horses to the line, but he must have been worn out by all the excitement from the Derby heat, and could manage just a few fist-pumps as Power Of Red came hard down the centre of the track.
Steve Turnbull, who scored a training and driving double after an earlier come-from- behind win with Joes Star Of Mia, was also excited by the Derby success. He'd instructed Amanda to be aggressive on Atomic Red, who can be a difficult customer, but he needn't have worried as the youngster launched early on and just kept running.
Much in the style of Mysweetchillipilly!
Amanda Turnbull also backed up well at Bathurst, scoring a training-driving double with My Bettor Bella NZ, in C0 company, and What A Curtainraiser NZ, in a C1/ C2 sprint, both leading throughout as very warm favourites.
The feature G.J. & A.D. Turnbull Cathedral Parish Cup also had a Menangle to Bathurst link, with recent Chariots contender Sams The Master scoring a soft win in 1:56.4 (last half of 56.5 seconds) for trainer-driver Nathan Turnbull, who was joined at the presentation by his children Jett and Lacey, Bishop Michael McKenna and the legend himself, Tony Turnbull.
Owner Rod Smith, who has often declared that his childhood trips into Bathurst when A.D.Turnbull was racing is the reason he's involved in harness racing today, will be flattered by A.D.'s call that "Rod Smith is the best thing that's happened to trotting!"
Nathan Turnbull is keeping his options open with Sams The Master, with some rich country races being considered, and the Four-Year-Old Breeders Challenge series in late June as his main goal.
Shane and Lauren Tritton featured as part-owners of their other debutant winner Lynnsanity, which sat in the death before scoring a promising win in the 2YOColts/Geldings event.
While the mile rate of 1:59.6 was much slower than their earlier winner, it was the manner of the win which impressed, with the Mr Feelgood colt displaying a very professional attitude, and push-button capability. "Just like driving a car," was the trainer's comment to Chris Geary after the win.
When the Trittons sought permission from Brisbane Heat cricketer Chris Lynn to name their trialling-sale purchase after him, he decided to take a share in the colt, and though the name isn't listed in the racebook, former Kangaroo and league commentator Gordon Tallis shares in Lynn's ownership.
Lynnsanity also made the trip up the mountains to get experience on the Bathurst track before the Gold Crown series, and his trainer is hoping that both Lynn and Tallis can make it to Bathurst at some stage of the carnival.
The late, great Artie Beetson never made it to Bathurst carnival, but his namesake did him proud by winning the Crown back in 2010, and he continues to race well, scoring his twenty-seventh career win, for trainer Peter Trevor-Jones and driver Mat Rue, in Sunday's final event. It was a good effort, after striking some bother early in the race.
The focus at Bathurst is very much on the juveniles as the carnival fast approaches. This Friday sees the running of heats of the Graham Board & Co. Sales Race, with the finals on Friday March 3.
