BEAU BRUMMELL WINS WA TROTTERS CUP Former Overport Lodge squaregaiter (The) Beau Brummell gained easily his biggest win in the $A30,000 The West Australian Trotters Cup at Gloucester Park, Perth, on Friday night, January 3 (Saturday morning NZ time), 2014. Now five, the Earl-Lady Boo Kay gelding made the most of his good stand start manners from the ace draw over the 2503m trip for trainer-driver Bob Mellsop. The Beau Brummell kept going as the $3.60 favourite to hold other ex-Kiwi trotters, Hot Holiday (30m), Prince Eddie (10m), Keepyaguardup (10m) and Idle Maple (10m). He rated 2:07.2 for the trip, …
Swedish champ out of Southern Star
SWEDISH CHAMPION RULED OUT OF SOUTHERN STAR With much disappointment, connections of champion Swedish Trotter Yield Boko have advised Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) that the horse has suffered a reccurrence of a previous tendon injury and will not contest the 2014 Great Southern Star. Australian trainer Chris Lang reported this week that the magnificent entire son of Viking Kronos had progressed well under his care with a slow and meticulous build up toward an assault on the Australian Group 1 features. Lang explained that Yield Boko was almost set for a trial debut on Aussie soil when this week the Swedish 3YO …
Double for Kimberly Butt
KIMBERLY WINS WITH HER OWN HORSE Overport Lodge junior driver Kimberly Butt scored her first win as an owner with Is This Love at Forbury on Thursday, December 19, and notched her first Addington driving victory with Princess Sophia, at Addington on Friday, December 20. Kimberly, on the suggestion of employer Mark Jones, purchased Is This Love from the estate of former stable client, the late Paul Nixon, in October. Mr Nixon’s family were looking to sell some of his bloodstock interests including the Extreme Three mare after Mr Nixon died last August. Is This Love is a half-sister to …
Pomme Roy adds to promising 2YO team
POMME ROY TOO GOOD IN CHRISTMAS @ THE RACES NON-TOTE Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones will spell promising juvenile Pomme Roy for a month after impressively winning the Christmas At The Races 2YO non-tote pace at Addington on Friday, December 20, 2013. Pomme Roy, a Christian Cullen colt from good producer T K Swift (Holmes Hanover-Sly Patron), was untroubled to lead up in the breezy conditions, quickening over his last 800m in 58.3s and final 400m in 29.2s. He rated 2:03.4 for the full 1950m. Bred by Ultimate Breeding of Westport, consisting of Graeme and Katrina Walsh, Pomme Roy has …
Mark 3rd on trainers table
MARK JONES MOVES TO THIRD WITH FIVE-WIN WEEKEND Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones moved to third on this season’s trainers premiership on 26 wins with a five-win spree last weekend. Both Sunoflindenny and Juneamy Castleton were front-running winners of loose class trots on the grass at Waimate on Sunday, December 15, in the hands of trainer Mark Jones. His latest winner, the Butterworth Racing Syndicate-owned Sunoflindenny, justified his strong support after arriving from the Mark Purdon/Natalie Rasmussen-trained barn just a week before Waimate. “Mark Purdon’s a pretty good pre-trainer to get them off,” Mark enthused. “He (Mark Purdon) finished with …
Upcoming Addington Super Series
SECOND SEASON SUPER SERIES, DEC 20 The second Seasonal Super Series to be held at Addington on December 20 is just two weeks away. This series presents a great opportunity for owners and trainers with horses in the lower grades to race for stakes of $23,500 (each Open Race) and $12,500 (each Consolation). All starters in each Open Race are to receive a minimum stake of $500 and all starters in the Consolations will receive a minimum stake of $250. To qualify to start on December 20, a horse must have started in at least one race at a New …
Master Lavros ready for Methven
MASTER LAVROS WINS ADDINGTON MOBILE TRIAL Dominion Handicap winner Master Lavros was successful from behind the mobile gate at the Addington trials on Monday, December 2, in preparation for Sunday’s $14,999 Methven Four Square Supermarket Trotters Green Mile at Methven. Master Lavros and Green Mile race rival Clover Don were transferred to separate C0 mobile 1950m pacing heats when the free-for-all trot trial only attracted the two entries and was deleted. Both started each heat from the outside of the front row. Overport Lodge trainer-driver Mark Jones settled Master Lavros nicely in fourth spot early with the big-striding Sundon gelding …
Saveapatrol fulfils country cup ambition
SAVEAPATROL WINS OWNER HOME-TOWN CUP Owner Grant Hatton achieved a long-held ambition as a racehorse owner when Saveapatrol the $19,759 Mainfreight Geraldine Trotting Cup at Orari on Saturday, November 30, 2013. Mr Hatton, a retired butcher, was Temuka-born and raised and has been a regular at Orari meetings for many years. He went close to winning the 2005 Geraldine Cup as a co-owner of Mulcay, trained by Peter Jones and driven by Mark Jones, who came up half a length short of beating I’m A Dazzler, driven by Blair Orange for trainer Graeme Lamb. Mr Hatton also tried to win …
Mark & Mach Beauty in Miracle Mile
MARK 2ND WITH MACH BEAUTY IN G1 MENANGLE FFA Catch driver Mark Jones did enough with the Shane-Tritton-trained Mach Beauty in the Cordina Chicken Sprint at Menangle on Saturday, November 24, to gain one of the last invited spots for next Saturday’s $A750,000 SEW Eurodrive Miracle Mile (November 30). Mark gave Mach Beauty every chance in the Group One $A100,000 final lead-up, but they couldn’t get past evergreen 11yo Grand Circuit star Smoken Up down the long Menangle straight. Smoken Up, the Menangle track record holder at 1:48.5 set two years ago, and Victorian trainer-driver Lance Justice, lasted in a …
Offtocullect scores first-up in Perth
OFFTOCULLECT . . . GLOUCESTER PARK WINNER Former Overport Lodge pacer Offtocullect made a strong winning West Australian debut for the Greg Bond stable at Gloucester Park, Perth, on Friday night, November 15. The 3YO Gotta Go Cullect-Shazza’s Dream colt overcame the inside of the back row in a $A17,000 3YO pace, improving wide to race parked then outfinishing stablemate Black Mr Mach in a 1:59 rate for the mobile 2130m. The leaders quickened over their last 800m in 58.6s and closing 400m in 28.5s. Formerly raced from the Mark Jones stable by Wayne Higgs, Gotta Co Cullect won four of …