SAN FRAN LADY SALE CONFIRMED San Fran Lady’s sale to clients of the Keinbah, New South Wales, stables of Shane Tritton was confirmed on Thursday August 26.The in-form Live Or Die mare was very honest for Burnham trainer Mark Jones, winning three and recording five minor placings in 16 starts for $19,784 in stakes for breeders, Max and Frances Bowden. She was a good beginner from both stand starts or mobile and should continue with the good work across the Tasman. “Shane had bought two off me previously and both have done a super job,” Mark said. San Fran Lady’s …
Mainland Banner fetches $135,000
CUP WINNING MARE SOLD AT DISPERSAL SALE Former champion racemare Mainland Banner (1:55.1) was sold for $135,000 to Nevele R Stud’s General Manager Peter O’Rourke, as agent, on behalf of Peter Chambers, at the Cullen Breeding Dispersal Sale at Christchurch’s Addington Raceway on Sunday August 29. The realisation that the 2005 New Zealand Cup-winning mare can only have foals by embryo transfer was of no concern, according to Mr O’Rourke. “There is more chance annually to get foals with embryo transfer,” he said. A first-up consort under her new ownership will be top American sire Rocknroll Hanover, who has frozen …
Algeepee back in winning form
MARK TURNS ALGEEPEE AROUND Burnham trainer Mark Jones turned Algeepee around for the gelding’s first win for 11 months at Addington on Friday night, August 27. The former World Champion driver was in top spring form with a training double, also getting Jackaroozy home narrowly in the final event. For good measure, he also seized the initiative in front behind Raglan on the home turn to dash clear and hold the fast late finish of Stunin Cullen in the night’s feature, the $10,000 Vero Handicap Pace. “Probably a lot of things came together with Algeepee. It all worked into place,” …
Kiwis clean up at Breeders Crown
KIWIS CLAIM BREEDERS CROWN SPOILS By Brad Bishop Kiwis dominated the biggest day in Australian harness racing at the Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown day at Melton on Sunday, August 22, 2010. New Zealand had runners in five of the nine Group 1 finals and won four of them. De Lovely created history in the three-year-old fillies final, Devil Dodger led home a Kiwi trifecta in the boys’ version of the same age group and Paramount Geegee and Miami H won their respective trotting finals. De Lovely became the shortest-priced winner of a pacing final in 13 Breeders Crowns when she …
Mark picks up Raglan drive
WORKOUT WINNER SATURDAY . . . RACING FRIDAY Mark Jones, on four driving wins for the new term after landing Cheval De Triomphe home at Addington last Friday night (August 20), has picked up a nice catch drive for the spring behind the Tim Butt-trained Raglan. Mark reined last season’s Amberley and Northern Southland Cup winner to a head win over the Tim Butt-trained stablemate Cullen’s Creek at the Rangiora workouts on Saturday, August 21. The stablemates and another smart one in the same grade, last week’s impressive Addington winner Stunin Cullen, provide Tim Butt’s Premier Stables with three …
Sundons Gift millionaire winner
SUNDON GIFT HITS MAGICAL MARK Sundons Gift’s status as a harness racing immortal is secure following his win in the Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown Graduate Trotters Free-For-All at Melton’s Tabcorp Park on Friday, August 20, 2010. The Chris Lang-trained superstar became the first Australian-prepared trotter to top $A1 million in prizemoney when he won the $A35,000 Group 2. (He was bred to achieve being by former champion squaregaiter and sire Sundon from Landora’s Gift, a 4-win daughter of Chiola Hanover and former top NZ trotting mare Landora’s Pride (34 wins and $472,842), who numbered wins in both NZ’s Group One …
Auber has Crown runner
VICTORIAN BROADCASTER HAS CROWN CHANCE As a broadcaster, form analyst and scribe, Rob Auber is a figure as tied to the image of Victorian harness racing as any in the sport. But it is in is his other guise, as owner and breeder, that his greatest passion for the industry lies, meaning it comes as little shock to hear the euphoria in his voice approaching Super Sunday and his first crack at racing immortality. Bellas Delight will line up for Auber and his team of owners as a maiden with only five career starts in the $A308,000 Group 1 two-year-old …
Kiwis smiling ahead of Crown
KIWIS SMILING AHEAD OF CROWN By Jason Bonnington Australia’s dwindling chances in the 3YO colts and geldings’ section of this year’s Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown plummeted further on Friday August 13 when Kiwis won both semi-finals. Reigning titleholder Smiling Shard put his rivals on notice when he sat parked but still proved far too good in the second semi-final in scintillating time. With fireworks from the outset Smiling Shard’s chief threat, countryman Kiwi Courage To Rule, struggled to hold the top from his inside draw and while he won that early battle it proved to be of little value with …
Breeders Crown barrier draws
BREEDERS CROWN BARRIERS DRAWN Franco Jamar was the big winner at the barrier draw for the headline race of next Sunday’s $1.56 million Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown finals day at Melton’s Tabcorp Park. The Steve Dolan-trained colt is poised to challenge for favouritism in the 3YO Colts & Geldings Final after landing the coveted inside alley, the position he started from when a scintillating semi-final winner on Friday night. The compatriot he run down, Devil Dodger, drew wide on the front line (six), while defending champion and second semi-final winner Smiling Shard drew awkwardly inside the back row (eight). Lanercost, …
2YOs’ in early workout run
2YOS’ IN RANGIORA WORKOUT RUN Two Mark Jones stablemates were the first South Island juveniles to step out publicly in the new season at the Rangiora workouts on Saturday, August 7. The promising 2YOs’ finished on terms at the end of the 2YO mobile 2000m pace, pleasing their trainer with their manners. They were turned out later in the afternoon for a six-seven weeks spell to develop further. Kristoff, a P-Forty-Seven colt, bred and owned by Trevor Casey, led up for much of the heat for catch-driver Wayne Higgs. Bedlam, a showy black Washington VC colt, bought out of the …