OUR WAIKIKI BEACH will be out to extend his amazing unbeaten streak to 20 races when he tackles a semi-final of the NSW Breeders Challenge at Menangle on Saturday week (June 11).
The Purdon/Rasmussen-trained three-year-old posted his 19th win in a qualifying heat of the Breeders Challenge at Penrith last Thursday night.
It was an armchair drive for Luke McCarthy, who pushed through to hold the lead from gate one, dawdled through a 63.5sec middle half then zipped home in a 26.9sec last quarter to win by six metres.
If things to go to plan and Our Waikiki Beach keeps winning, he could be trying to equal Courage Under Fire’s NZ record 24 unbeaten runs when he tackles the Breeders Crown final at Melton in late August.
While Our Waikiki Beach’s win was low-key, his stablemate My Mackenzie sparkled winning her Breeders Challenge heat by a thumping margin in quick time on the same night at Penrith.
McCarthy took her to the front from gate five and just kept going further in front.
My Mackenzie won by a thumping 29.5m in a 1min57.7sec mile rate for 1720m, which is blistering around the old, tight and slow Penrith circuit.
My Mackenzie’s major rival in the three-year-old fillies Breeders Challenge division will be Victorian star Heavens Trend.
The Emma Stewart-trained filly hardly raised a sweat winning her qualifying heat at Wagga last Friday.
Gavin Lang made the trip to Wagga, took Heavens Trend to the front from gate three and won without being extended by 9.7m in a 1min57.7sec mile rate for 1755m. It was just 1.1sec outside the track record.
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GARY Hall Sr flexed his open class muscle again at Gloucester Park last Friday.
Despite his stable star Beaudiene Boaz being sidelined with an eye injury, Hall Sr still snared the trifecta in the free-for-all with Run Oneover beating Waylade and Norvic Nightowl.
Run Oneover, who played second-fiddle to Beaudiene Boaz through some of the major WA four-year-old races this season, grabbed a record of his own with last Friday’s win.
The son of Changeover claimed the 1730m track record with a 1min52.5sec mile rate after leading throughout to beat Waylade by four metres.
It was a night for slick times with Greg Bond’s exciting former Kiwi pacer Simply Susational running just 0.1sec slower than Run Oneover in the preceding race.
Simply Susational, a five-year-old son of Elsu, led throughout for driver Ryan Warwick and left his rivals standing with closing splits of 55.5 and 27.5sec and 1min52.6sec mile rate.
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IT has taken former Kiwi pacer Heza Thrill a few runs, but he is back in peak form after a long stint away from the track.
Trainer-driver Steve Turnbull has nursed him back through some bush races after being sidelined for more than nine months.
The son of Christian Cullen posted his first win in five starts on the comeback trail when he won in a slick 1min55.2sec mile rate for 2300m at Menangle last Saturday night.
Turnbull took the reins himself.
“I think Menangle is a young person’s track when it comes to driving, but I’ve put a lot of work into those horse and he’s a bit of a favourite,” Turnbull said.
Turnbull had a training double on the night with Jedi Mind impressively winning the fourth race, but his daughter Amanda took the reins.
Between them, father and daughter won four of the eight races at Menangle.
Amanda drove a treble and trained Oh Johnny B Good and Fcee to win as well.
Fcee looks to be going place with three wins from as many starts since coming across from NZ where he raced just twice for a second and third.
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TRAINER Darren Hancock must wish there were more “marathon” trotting races at Menangle.
His classy trotters On Thunder Road loves them, as evidenced by his win in the Group 3 Trotters’ Marathon last Saturday night.
The six-year-old has tackled five 3009m races at Menangle for three wins, a second and a fourth.
Last Saturday night he absolutely demolished a handy field in fantastic time.
On Thunder Road came from a 30m backmark, won by a staggering 31.1m and posted a 2min0.7sec mile rate.
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HUSBAND and wife team Grant and Trista Dixon made Queensland’s “industry night” their own.
They combined for four wins on the Qbred Triad finals night, including both $100,000 Group 1 finals for three-year-olds with Get In The Groove and Frankie Rocks.
While Grant drove that pair, Trista took the reins on their first two winners of the night: Applause (race three) and Bio Marinus (race four).
Both Get In The Groove and Frankie Rocks are bred and raced by Kevin and Kay Seymour, who have long been the backbone of the Queensland industry on so many different levels.
The Qbred 4YO finals went to Kylie Rasmussen’s gelding Major Cam and Shannon Price’s mare Bettorthanspecial.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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