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DELIGHTFUL MEMPHIS TAKES OUT MATCHMAKER HEAT

Former Overport Lodge mare Delightful Memphis has taken out an opening $US40,000 leg of the Blue Chp Matchmaker Series for mares at Yonkers Raceway.

The daughter of Bettor’s Delight and Memphis Melody showed a good sense of timing from third spot approaching the turn to catch front-running fellow ex-Kiwi Bettor Joy on the line.

Delightful Memphis, shown when racing in Australia for the Mark Jones stable.

Racing as Delightfulmemphisn in the USA, she scored by a nose in 1:53 for the mile, two laps of the Yonkers circuit on Saturday, March 16 (NZ time).

Trained in North America by “Nifty” Norman, Delightful Memphis became the seasonal USA leader for yearly earnings for the aged pacers after Saturday.

She’s raced eight times this year for five wins and two seconds, earning $US92,250 in stakes.

Another former NZ and Canterbury mare in Seaswift Joy was also successful in a $40,000 Matchmaker Series Heat, leading throughout from the six gate and holding in 1:52.2.

Seaswift Joy (Bettor’s Delight-Swift Belle), formerly trained in NZ by Malcolm Shinn and now racing for the Tony Alagna stable, has won three of her five North America starts for the year, and finished second in the other, for $48,815 in stakes.

This was the quickest of the five Matchmaker Heats, 0.1 of a second quicker than fellow NZ-bred and top USA  mare Shartin N (Tintin In America-Bagdarin), paced in the next heat.

OVERPORT LODGE FILLIES CHASE PINK BONNET

Overport Lodge fillies, Lulu Le Mans and Millwood Tilly, will be better placed against their own sex in next Saturday’s $50,000 Group Two Pink Bonnet at Tabcorp Park Menangle.

The fillies ran a creditable third, and fourth, respectively, against the colts in the $50,000 Slingsby Holdings Sapling Stakes at Menangle on Saturday, March 2.

Sapling winner, Mach Dan, a Mach Three gelding from NZ-bred mare Bettor Give It (Bettor’s Delight-Giveitawhirlgirl), finished too strongly from a handy spot for driver Chris Alford in 1:52.9 for the 1609m.

Lulu Le Mans, Group Two-placed with her third in the Menangle Sapling Stakes on Saturday.

Mach Dan, a $3.30 favourite for the Victorian stable of Emma Stewart, outfinished trailer Sportswriter colt, The Tiger Army, by three metres.

Lulu Le Mans, from four back on the markers for driver Anthony Butt, fought strongly for third a head back third, with Millwood Tilly and Mark Jones, from five back on the markers, running on for fourth.

Overport Lodge stablemate The Bus, who delivered for top reinswoman Natalie Rasmussen in the night’s opener, the Listed $25,000 Lexus Of Macarthur Lady Driver Invitational, has earned a month off.

The Bus, a four-year-old Art Major entire, led from the four gate with Rasmussen rating him to a career best 1:51 mile.

A half-brother to former stable star Saveapatrol, The Bus was racking up his 13th win in 42 starts for owner Grant Hatton.

The Bus held former NZ pacer Wrangler by 1.7 metres, finishing off with his last 800m in 55s and quickening over his last quarter in 26.9s.

The $100,000 NSW Breeders Challenge at Menangle on June 30 will be a target for The Bus on his next preparation.

LAURA McKAY IN SUBLIME FORM

Overport Lodge junior driver Laura McKay was in sublime form at Addington on Friday night, scoring a winning double with stable runner Smoke N Reactor, then repeating with Enchantee two races later.

Laura McKay, in the Hartnell colours, after winning her first race with Kowhai Whiz at Rangiora in 2015.

Laura had settled for minor placings in her drives for the season before Friday, but turned things around with the winning double for her eighth and ninth career wins.

She reined Smoke N Reactor patiently from the five gate in the Telfer’s Electrical Mobile Pace, settling second-to-last, then sweeping the others away with a well-timed final sprint.

Smoke N Reactor swept up five wide turning for home and finished the race off in style, clearing out by 3 1/2 lengths.

The daughter of Auckland Reactor and good mare Smoke N Mirrors (10 wins & $189,675) rated 1:58.9 for the 1980m for her second win in 20 starts.

She’s the fourth to race and fourth winner for Smoke N Mirrors, joining Smoke N Grin (two wins), the ill-fated Smoke N Santanna (p2, 1:58.4, two wins from six 2YO starts), and Smoke N Fire (1:58.5, six wins).

Laura made the most of a catch drive for Nick Le Lievre behind NZ Breeders Stakes-placed mare Enchantee in the Mico Plumbing Hornby (Junior Drivers) Handicap Pace.

Enchantee, the first Group One starter for Le Lievre, when she chased home Dream About Me and Step Up in the Breeders Stakes on February 15, made the most of a drop back in class for the Junior Drivers Pace.

After settling handy on the outer, Laura drove the favourite confidently, easing out three wide at the 1100m when back runners began circling.

She led the running line parked at the 800m, ran clear at the 500m and held by three-quarters of a length from Pat’s Dragon and Young Conqueror.

Enchantee, who paced the 2600m (stand) in 3:17.3, quickening over her last 800m in 56.8s, was recording her sixth win in 39 starts, taking her earnings to $51,186.

NZ HARNESS NEWS, Feb. 27

TERROR TO LOVE’S FIRST WINNER

Three-time New Zealand Cup winner Terror To Love is on the board as a sire.

From his first crop of 61 live foals, 10 have qualified and the first of those to win came across the ditch on Saturday night.

Millwood Tilly, a New Zealand-bred filly, won her debut at Newcastle for Christchurch trainer/driver Mark Jones, who is based in Sydney with a team of horses at present.

Terror To Love, a three-time NZ Cup champion and sire of Overport Lodge 2YO filly winner, Millwood Tilly.

He selected her at last year’s Karaka yearling sale from the draft of Katie Carville, paying just $13,000.

She’s owned by three clients of leading Queensland trainers, Peter McMullen and Chantal Turpin, who have purchased numerous good horses off Jones in recent seasons.

“I’ve had a long association with Peter McMullen and Tony Turpin and sold Mattgregor (A$141,374; 1.50.6) to them,” said Jones.

“She’s from the same family as him and when I liked her at the sales, they bought her.

“She’s big and a good-gaited type of filly. I didn’t think much of her early on but she keeps improving.

“Perhaps lacking in sheer speed but keeps going.”

Jones rushed her off the arm in the six-horse field and never looked like getting beaten, running 2.00.8 for the mile in the A$6,120 event.

Millwood Tilly tackles the Group 2 A$50,000 Sapling Stakes at Menangle on Saturday night, where she will strike a field of quality colts.

She’s joined by stablemate Lulu Le Mans while another Jones juvenile. Mister Finnigan, is second emergency.

“It’s a tough race against the colts, but she needs a run before the Pink Bonnet the following week.

“Ultimately, though, she’ll keep getting better and make a nice horse.”

Jones hasn’t had a big sample size of Terror To Love’s stock, but says if she is typical of them, he’ll do ok as a stallion.

Mark Jones

“She’s the only Terror I’ve had and I can’t fault her gait or attitude-wise.”

Jones took the three juveniles over to Aussie earlier this month and they linked up with The Bus and Life Lavros at his satellite stable in Whittingham, Sydney.

He views the experiment as successful as this stage, The Bus now well over A$100,000 in earnings and the likes of Whittaker and Delightful Memphis doing a job before going to America.

“The Aussie team is going great. The two-year-olds are winning and earning money when they would have struggled to earn anything at home, so financially it’s been successful.

“We have so many options.

“The plan is to have a full-time stable based at a new training farm run by Aaron Goadsby and numbers will continue to rise.

“Aaron is a high strike-rate trainer so I have a very capable horseman running it and where we are based, we have many options.

“I will still be based in Burnham a majority of the time but travel over for major races.

“It’s a great option for my owners to earn a lot more money with their horses.”

Jones has trained 18 winners in New Zealand this year, down on previous seasons, but that’s a result of having a small racing team and over 40 juveniles.

• NZ Harness News

THE BUS & MILLWOOD TILLY WIN, MISTER FINNIGAN THIRD

The Bus, the latest $100,000 earner for the Mark Jones stable, capitalised on a drop-back from Menangle racing to win again in a $6360 C6 and faster pace at Newcastle on Saturday, February 23.

Flashback: The Bus, shown winning last year’s Nelson Cup for Sam Ottley, over Cable Beach and Dexter Dunn. (Photo: Race Images).

A hot $1.33 favourite from the four gate, The Bus led up for driver Guy Chappie and came clear to win by 9.3 metres in a 1:58.5 rate for the 2030m, quickening over  his last 800m in 55.8s and his last 400m in 28.3s.

This was the 12th win in 41 career starts for The Bus, the 4YO half-brother by Art Major to former Auckland Cup place-getter Saveapatrol.

The Bus was notching his fifth win in eight Australian starts this season for owner Grant Hatton, taking his lifetime earnings to $A105,168.

Millwood Tilly, a two-year-old filly by triple NZ Cup winner Terror To Love, led throughout on debut in the hands of trainer Mark Jones in the $6120 HRNSW Guaranteed Two-Year-Old Pace.

A $1.55 favourite on the strength of a 1:57 qualifying run at Ashburton last month, Millwood Tilly held by 6.2 metres at Newcastle in a 2:00.8 rate, pacing her last 800m in 57.2s and her final 400m in 28.3s.

Millwood Tilly, and Sheree Tomlinson, shown leading up in their Ashburton 2YO Fillies trial last month.

Millwood Tilly is the first foal from eight-win mare Albuqerque (1:58.1),  a sister to $600,000-plus winner, Alberto Contador (1:49.8), a winner of 44 combined races in NZ, Australia, and North America.

Mister Finnigan, a first-up second at Newcastle a week earlier, had to settle for third from the outside six gate in Saturday night’s $6120 Like Us On Facebook Two-Year-Old Pace.

He made his task harder by galloping early, but recovered into a one-one sit, before chasing home Mr Feelgood filly Toanui Spirit, and runner-up Hasler.

Mister Finnigan has subsequently been placed out of the draw by stewards for his future mobile start racing.

Meanwhile, debut Newcastle two-year-old filly winner Lulu Le Mans chases her second win at the Monday meeting at the same venue.

The daughter of Bettor’s Delight and Elusive Chick has drawn the ace in a $6360 pace with main dangers, Chezmac and My Ultimate Romeo, drawn in barrier seven and eight.

Former Overport Lodge pacer, Si Si Senor, a last-start NZ winner, makes his Australian debut for the Michael Formosa stable in the eighth at Newcastle.

The Courage Under Fire-Zoe Maguire gelding was sold by his former NZ owners to clients of the Formosa stable after winning at Wyndham on January 6, his third win from 18 NZ starts for the Mark Jones stable.