Jilliby Slays ?Em
Jilliby Spirit is fast earning a
reputation as a killing machine.
The four-year-old pacer showed
his older rivals little respect at his country cup debut on Friday night, trouncing
them in the $15,000 Tooleybuc Sporting Club Nyah Pacing Cup.
Each week this campaign trainer Peter
Manning has presented the emerging Jilliby Spirit with a new challenge and each
week he has responded.
The gelded son of Armbro Operative has now strung together
five consecutive wins and is yet to miss a place in eight starts since a
mid-season freshen up.
Considered risky under standing start conditions, Jilliby
Spirit ($2.10) began cleanly from a front line handicap and assumed the lead
within a lap.
From there it was all smooth sailing for stand-in pilot Grant
Campbell who dictated terms in front only having to break 30 seconds for the
final quarter on a rain-soaked Nyah track.
At the end of the 2570 metre battle, Jilliby Spirit had
2.5 metres to spare on the early leader and trailer Smooth Laura ($16.40) with Golden
Katia ($20.70) a head away in third.
The win was 27 year-old Campbell?s third country cup of
the season having won the Boort and Charlton features with another
Manning-trained four-year-old, The Good Guy.
Owned by the Craven Family of Terang, Jilliby Spirit now
sits just $2,980 shy of the $100,000 stakes mark with 16 wins and 17 placings
from 44 starts.
With a C8 M3 assessment he?ll return to the regional circuit,
most likely at Ballarat this Friday night, in search of a country penalty race
and that magical $100,000 in stake earnings.
Looking ahead, next month?s Queensland 4YO Championship
looms as a possible target should the talented Great Western pacer maintain his
sparkling form.
Morgan?s Guineas
Avenel trainer Graeme Morgan continued his purple patch on
Saturday night delivering an upset win in the $10,000 Bendigo Guineas.
Since returning from a six week holiday at the beginning
of March, the Morgan stable has enjoyed a phenomenal 27.7% winning strike rate
with 23 winners and 24 placegetters from just 83 starters.
Ever the opportunist, Morgan capitalised on an early breakneck
speed to bring former Tasmanian pacer Richie Walton ($12.90) with a well-timed
sprint to win his third race in four starts.
Favourite Prince Bonton ($2.30) assumed the lead as
expected in the seven horse feature, but was attacked relentlessly for the top by
Lord Vader ($9.50) as the field whipped through the first quarter in a
blistering 28.5sec.
With the leaders rightly feeling the pinch, Richie Walton
and then Mister Sloy ($4.20) swooped over the final 400 metres to stage a
stirring battle with only a short half head separating the duo.
The improving Immortal Quest ($15.30) was a further 10
metres in arrears.
Richie Walton rated a smart 1:59.9 for the 2415 metre
journey, his second sub two minute win at Bendigo in the past month.
The 16 start veteran now gets the chance to open his
metropolitan account when he debuts at Moonee Valley this Saturday night.
In other news, driver Shane Hayes earned the wrath of HRV
stewards for his efforts on Lord Vader being suspended for eight weeks under
Rule 149(1).
Stewards were of the opinion that Hayes failed to take all
reasonable and permissible measures to obtain the best possible finishing
position with his sustained attack on the lead.
Unfortunately, the Guineas was also marred by the late scratching
of pre-race favourite Foxfighter.
Barry and Chris Alford?s smart Tasmanian import was found
to be lame in his off-side fore leg late Saturday afternoon, but connections
are confident it?s only a minor setback and he?ll be back trackside soon.
Stihletto Stands Up
Stihletto stamped herself as a serious Oaks contender when
she displayed her versatility to win the $10,000 Bendigo Oaks Trial on Saturday
night.
Renowned for her blistering gate speed and front-running
abilities, the Fake Left filly sat rearward from a second line draw before
unleashing a withering sprint at the 300m mark to take top honours.
The Robbie O?Connell-trained youngster was well handled by
former star junior Scott Dyer who celebrated his 25th birthday in
style with the feature win.
Stihletto ($2.10) enjoyed the three wide trail on the back
of Breeders Crown runner-up Julies Equity ($14.30) before unleashing a 28sec
last quarter to claim the 2415 metre feature.
Highly-rated Kiwi import Zig Zag ($4.90) was far from
disgraced coming off the trail behind Stihletto to run her to 1.5 metres on the
line.
A courageous Julies Equity was a further neck away in
third.
A winner of eight of her 12 appearances, Stihletto will be
given the chance to claim for first Group One title when she heads north to
tackle the $50,000 Queensland Oaks on 28 June.
From there a return to her native state is on the cards
for a tilt at the prestigious Victoria-Australia Oaks double on 17 & 31
July.
Zig Zag will make her next appearance in the $16,000
Ballarat Oaks Trial on 21 June where a clash with budding superstar Ashlees
Babe and WA Oaks runner-up Fleur Moreau looks on the cards.
Ralph Finds A New Buddy
In-form freelance reinsman Grant Campbell made a winning
debut behind the talented Mands Ralph in Saturday?s $10,000 Bendigo Trotters
Cup.
Picking up his second feature in just over 24 hours, the
27 year-old brought the lightly-raced Moama trotter with a well-timed run to score
his fourth victory at Lords Raceway.
Normally a brilliant beginner from the tapes, Mands Ralph
was tipped to be one of the pacesetters returning to a front line draw, but he
began sluggishly and maintained a rearward position for a majority of the 2415
metre event.
After unleashing a powerful sprint out three wide Mands
Ralph ($3.60) knuckled down to maintain a half-head advantage on the line over
Action After Dark ($6.30) who was charging along the sprint lane.
Veteran squaregaiter Stirling Kiwi ($16.30) who?d sat
three back on the pegs filled third place, only a day after his fifth placing
in the Cobram Trotters Cup.
The disappointment of the race was Twebby Twotter ($3.20)
who?d enjoyed a charmed throughout but could only get within nine metres of the
winner.
Campbell, who was deputising for trainer Mal Whiteford and
the recently suspended Max Wishart, will retain the drive when Mands Ralph
heads to Moonee Valley this Saturday night in a $12,000 metro handicap.
