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Race 1: WHITTAKER (SCR): “Been sold to America.”
Race 7: IMMORTAL CHANGE (8, Samantha Ottley), mob. 2000m: “Been disappointing and drawn bad, but I am a lot happier with her and give her a good chance.”
Whittaker, a $100,000 winner for the Mark Jones stable, was sold this week to follow the path of Delightful Memphis and do his future racing in North America.
Whittaker (1:52.9), who will do his future racing in North America.
The Sportswriter-Anarchy entire leaves New South Wales with a 1:52.9 winning mark (1609m) at Menangle.
Now five to NZ and North American time, Whittaker left NZ in October 2017 a winner of four from 12 starts for $31,068.
After transferring to Menangle, he extended his earnings to $105,158 and his career record to 32 starts for 10 wins and 10 placings for Gold Coast owner, Greg Brodie.
His biggest win in New South Wales was the Group Three $40,800 Paleface Adios at Menangle in February in 1:53.9.
The win earned him a spot in the Group One $200,000 Chariots Of Fire a week later, where he ran a creditable fourth behind Jilliby Kung Fu, Let It Ride and Atomic Red,the winner posting a fast 1:48.8.
He ran third in his last Menangle start on July 28 behind winner Loorrim Creek, who won in 1:52.5.
Meanwhile, The Bus ended his busy three-year-old racing after a second to Rock With Sam in a C2+ pace at Albion Park, Brisbane, last Saturday.
“He’ll go out for a six-week spell,” said trainer Mark Jones.
The Bus, a younger half-brother by Art Major to Saveapatrol, won six of 18 NZ starts last season, including the Nelson Cup in January, before heading to Australia.
He ran on well for fourth in the Gr. 1 NSW Breeders Challenge at Menangle on July 1 to star 3YO Ignatius, who held in 1:51.3 (1609m), and was beaten by a tough draw again in Master Moonlite’s Gr. 2 Queensland Derby at Albion Park on July 21.
His record stands at seven wins and 11 placings from 33 starts, for $79,233.
NZ HARNESS NEWS,
August 4, 2018
BIG NIGHT OUT FOR OVERPORT LODGE STAFF AT ADDINGTON
Mark Jones and Sam Ottley stole the show on the opening night of the harness racing season at Addington on Friday night, but it was also fitting that with a Super Rugby Final next door 24 hours later that there was a distinct rugby flavour to some of their success.
Jones trained three winners on the programme, with Ottley chipping in with three driving wins during the night – the perfect way for our leading female driver to celebrate her birthday.
Ottley has a bit of a habit of celebrating the day with success – her first ever race day drive fell on her birthday and she was successful with Nigel Paul for her mother, Denise.
Izzy Dagg holds for a super maiden win at Addington on Friday, August 3, the third win on the night for the Mark Jones stable. (Photo: Race Images).
But while Jones and Ottley were the star winners, they each played a part in ensuring a few notable rugby figures, particularly Canterbury and Crusaders men, found their way into the winners’ enclosure as well.
The first winner drive of Ottley’s treble, First Class Lady – for Woodend Beach trainer, Regan Todd is a member of the Woodlands Partnership No.2 Syndicate and also co-owned by All Black captain Keiran Read and his former teammate, Andy Ellis.
First up for Todd after previously racing in the North Island with Barry Purdon, the daughter of Artsplace dashed up the lane to win nicely in her South Island debut.
Jones made sure he wasn’t left out of the rugby celebrations either when Izzy Dagg won later in the night, with Ottley sitting in the sulky.
The three-year-old pacer is part-owned by his namesake, All Black Israel Dagg and his wife Daisy, and showed he has a future with a long, sustained run from last in the field at the 800 metres to win impressively.
“That was a pretty good performance,” Jones said.
“To come that wide and sustain a run for that long, he showed a fair bit, I thought.
“He’s going to be a really nice horse in time. He’s still learning what it’s all about but has shown us enough to suggest he’s got a future.”
Purchased at the Yearling Sales, Izzy Dagg is by A Rocknroll Dance from Rodney Dickson’s mare, Cantina.
Jones also tasted success on Friday night with Maninthemirror, who won the amateur drivers race early in the programme with Neil Munro doing the driving.
Then relative newcomer His Royal Harness made it two wins from three starts from new quarters.
Sheree Tomlinson, who snared herself a double at the meeting, played the patient game with him and unleashed down the outside late to win rather impressively.
“We got a really fit horse when he arrived with us, and we’ve just put the polish on him and he’s done a good job.
“He’s got a bit of speed at the end of his races which will bode him well wherever he ends up in the future.”
Ottley’s third win for the night was a long-time coming, but she managed to do enough to get Majestic Moment over the line for punters in a wide-open trotting affair.
The Sam Smolenski-trained runner had been knocking on the door for months and things finally fell perfectly into place on Friday night for him to grab the victory.
Some Excusesomewhere, who raced strongly for the Mark Jones stable at Blenheim in June, has been sold to race for the Pete McMullen stable in Queensland.
“He will race though the grades there, then come to Sydney,” Mark said of the pacer, who turned five to NZ time this week.
Some Excusesomewhere, who firstly raced in the south for Clark Barron, raced only three times for the Overport Lodge team for a win, a second and a luckless first-up run at Oamaru when checked out of the race.
He won second-up for the stable on the first day at Marlborough, recovering from a slow stand start to give his rivals a sound beating in a 2:02.1 rate for the 2300m.
The tall Somebeachsomewhere-Sarah’s Excuse gelding then ran Alta Shelby to half a head in a 1:57 rate (2300m) on the second day.
Some Excusesomewhere, from the same family as 2003-04 New Zealand Cup winner Just An Excuse (1:55.6), is also from the family of other stand-outs, D B Bopper (1:50, US), Second Wind (1:49.8, US), former top filly Smooth Performer (1991 NZ 3YO Pacing Filly Of The Year) and 2003 Australian Derby winner Franco Sequel (1:51, US).
Taimate Angus, second to Red Hot Poker on the first day of the Marlborough June meeting, has subsequently been sold to Perth interests.
The now four-year-old Raffaelo Ambrosio gelding won his maiden at Nelosn in early June, and picked up two placings, from eight starts for the Jones stable.
Race 3: GETARATTLEON (6, Chris Geary), mob. 2125m: “Drops back in grade from racing at Menangle and a strong chance.”
Race 1: MANINTHEMIRROR (7, Neil Munro) & JOEY MAGUIRE (11, Paul Wallace), mob. 2600m:
“Maninthemirror has freshened up and a winning chance.”
“Joey Maguire will need luck from the draw but is always competitive in this grade.”
Race 3: IMMORTAL CHANGE (1, Samantha Ottley), HIS ROYAL HARNESS (8, Sheree Tomlinson) & BELLE OF BROOKLYN (11, Laura McKay), mob. 1980m:
“Immortal Change is drawn to get the right run. Has been on the beach so is an each-way chance.”
“His Royal Harness has to be driven for one run but has the DNA to beat this field.”
“Belle Of Brooklyn is good enough to be a threat but needs luck.”
Race 4: ROBYN’S GEM (12, Sheree Tomlinson), mob 1980m: “Has got to behave herself to be an upset place chance.”
Race 10: IZZY DAGG (17, Samantha Ottley), 2000m std: “Has drawn terrible but is good enough to be a threat.”
Race 11: ROCKAHULA JOE (7, Mark), mob. 1980m: “Disappointed last week so will need to improve.”
Race 1: THE BUS (Adam Sanderson), mob. 1660m: “Looks my best chance of the weekend.”
Overport Lodge mare Delightful Memphis has become a winner in three countries.
DELIGHTFUL MEMPHIS, SHOWN WHEN RACING IN AUSTRALIA.
The Bettor’s Delight-Memphis Melody mare won second-up in North America on Saturday (NZ time).
She settled sixth from the six gate and unwound strongly to win by a length and a quarter in a $14,500 mares pace at Harrahs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1:51.4 (10ths).
Racing as Delightfulmemphisn for the Richard “Nifty” Norman stable, she had finished well for a first-up third at the Meadowlands, New Jersey, on July 20 (race-timed in 1:51).
She still holds the NZ 3YO fillies and open mares 2400m stand start record of 2:55.5, set at Winton in April 2017 for the Mark Jones stable when beating the older pacers in the Winton Businesses Cup.
Delightful Memphis was also a former 1:51.9 mile winner at Winton at three, notching six NZ wins, kicking off her career with back-to-back Gr. 3 wins at Addington and Invercargill at two.
She was luckless running into top filly Spanish Armada during her NZ two and three-year-old filly racing.
Delightful Memphis was the runner-up in no less than eight Group, listed or feature age group races in NZ, including six times second to Spanish Armada in her classic racing.
A founding member of the Mark Jones stable at Menangle for here late 3YO filly and 4YO racing, Delightful Memphis ran fourth in the Queensland Oaks, and added five Australian wins in 14 starts across the Tasman, the quickest in 1:51.5 at Menangle.
Her record now stands at 38 starts for 12 wins and the equivalent of over $NZ330,000 in stakes.
Race 2: ROCKAHULA JOE (5, Samantha Ottley), mob. 1980m: “Went well in the Breeders Crown Heat last week and an each-way chance.”
Race 4: SI SI SENOR (6, Samantha Ottley), mob. 1980m: “Has come back a bit stronger and should keep improving.”
Race 6: JOEY MAGUIRE (10, Laura McKay), 2600m std: “Battling away but looking for the right luck. Just looking for a win to pick up his Met Multiplier.”
Race 2: WHITTAKER (7, KerryAnn Turner), mob. 1609m: “Form a bit mixed lately. Good enough to win but needs the right luck from the draw.”
Race 1: THE BUS (9, Darrel Graham), mob. 2138m: “Should get a good run through. Will appreciate a drop back to grade racing and can’t be left out.”
Race 6: GETARATTLEON (4, Chris Geary), mob. 1609m: “Battled away last week in a similar field. Has first four show again.”
Race 4: IMMORTAL CHANGE (6, Samantha Ottley), mob. 2000m: “Got the shuffle up at Addington on Friday, but ran home really good. With the right luck, she should be an each-way chance.”
Tres Vite is likely to head the spelling paddock, despite holding off her rivals convincingly as a $2.60 favourite in a C1-2 pace at Albion Park, Brisbane, on Friday night.
Burnham trainer, Mark Jones, in Brisbane to put the finishing touches on Tres Vite and The Bus during the Queensland winter carnival, says Tres Vite is looking for a let-up.
“She actually went pretty good but now likely to head back to Aaron Goadsby’s farm for a spell in Sydney and have a month or so off,” Mark said.
The big Bettor’s Delight-Tres Bien Franco filly went to Brisbane for the Queensland Oaks, but has paid for expenses in support races in recent weeks.
Tres Vite, raced by NZ breeders Stewart Gillan and Kevin Watson, was notching her third win in five Australian starts over the last two months.
Caught three wide early, she pressed to the front inside the final 1600m for driver Robbie Morris and held by 3.8 metres in a 1:58.9 rate (2138m).
Tres Vite, who lowered her best mile rate to 1:55.8 over 1730m at Bathurst on June 27, has now raced 15 times for five wins and two placings, for $30,614 in stakes.
