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ROCKER BAND WINS SECOND NEVELE R FILLIES HEAT

Burnham trainer Mark Jones will head south with improving 3YO filly Rocker Band for the $18,000 Caduceus Club Of Southland Autumn Futurity at Invercargill on Saturday, March 21.

The Overport Lodge trainer took out the mobile 2200m Autumn Futurity two years ago with Saveapatrol when the race was worth $25,000.

Rocker Band (Ricky May) strides clear of Katy Perry and Change The Rulz in the $20,000 Nevele R Fillies Heat Addington. Stablemate Champagne Dreams also made the photo wide, but in sixth place.

Rocker Band, who notched her second consecutive Nevele R Fillies Heat win at the Timaru meeting at Addington on Thursday, March 12, is following a similar path to Savepatrol in the early stages of her career.

Saveapatrol took out the Autumn Futurity with his fourth win at his fifth lifetime start.

Rocker Band, the daughter of Rocknroll Hanover and 2005 New Zealand Cup winner Mainland Banner, racked up her third win from six starts this week.

She was again too good for last term’s Australasian Breeders Crown 2YO Fillies winner Katy Perry in a repeat of their Methven Nevele R clash at the Hororata meeting on February 22.

Rocker Band was keen in the open early with driver Ricky May sending her to the top past Katy Perry with a lap to run, but Katy Perry’s driver Dexter Dunn quickly left the markers to wind up in front again with 950m left.

The Mark Jones-trained Rocker Band settled better after her early burn and was travelling sweetly with the drop on the leader turning for home.

Rocker Band had the better finishing kick, dashing through on the sprint lane to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths.

She rated a swift 1:56.7 for the mobile 1950m, the leaders running their last 800m in 58.3s but they couldn’t quite maintain the same tempo over the last 400m in 30s.

Rocker Band, raced by Gold Coast owner Greg Brodie, will keep working towards the $140,000 Nevele R Fillies Final at Addington on May 9.

Stablemate Champagne Dreams, after settling back, was unable to make much impression in the run home, winding up sixth, just under 11 lengths from her stablemate.

Mark, who returned to Christchurch only a few hours before the Timaru meeting, scored a winning training double, earlier reining 2YO trotter Arannalea to a convincing win in the first, the $5529 Honda Cars Mobile Trot.

Arannalea (Mark) has the measure of Aldebaran Ay M early in the run home in the 2YO trot at the Timaru meeting at Addington.

He had been looking after northern-based Eyre I Come until Thursday.

“That makes it worthwhile,” he said after guiding Arannalea to victory.

Arannalea, a Pegasus Spur half-sister to former 2YO stable winner Beau Brummell, was notching her second win from three starts.

She is raced by Timaru accountant Graham Stoddart, “Beer” McCutheon, Kevin Schmack, P Darby, “Bub” Phillips and “Pup” Hulston.

The same group raced Beau Brummell, a former 2YO NZ record holder, before being sold to race in Australia.

Mark’s chances were enhanced when hot favourite Wilma’s Mate broke early.

He crossed to third with Arannalea and was nicely poised in behind leaders Aldebaran Ay M and Motu Great Sensation.

Arannalea moved up in the open at the 900m and wore down Aldebaran Ay M by half a length in 2:33.5 for the mobile 1950m, a mile rate of 2:06.6.

The leaders ran their last 800m in 60.3s and final 400m in 30.1s.

By Jeff Scott

BEAUTIDE UNCHALLENGED TO WIN 2ND INTER FINAL

No one ever doubted he was a true champion!

And today Australia’s best pacer Beautide showed he was a champion stayer as well.

The style of a dual Inter Dominion champion. Beautide and James Rattray are easy winners again in 2015. Photo: NSWHRC.

The former Tasmanian son of Bettors Delight sat outside of the three-time New Zealand Cup winner Terror To Love and simply blew him away with a fabulous win in today’s $750,000 TAB.COM.AU Inter Dominion Grand Final at Tabcorp Park Menangle.

When West Australian pacer David Hercules had a “look” for the ‘death seat’, outside the leader early in the race, Beautide’s trainer-driver James Rattray declared it wasn’t there.

So he raced without cover for almost two miles and outstayed the best field seen in Australia this summer for a sterling performance, rating 1:55.8 for his last mile to beat outsider Flaming Flutter and the fast-finishing For A Reason.

Flaming Flutter (Greg Sugars) had a perfect one-one trail behind Beautide throughout the race and finished well without ever threatening the winner, to be beaten 13.9m with For A Reason, who raced three back on the pegs, emerging late for a flashing third, a further 1.4m back.

“It wasn’t ideal, he threw a shoe, he was feeling above himself, but that’s the way we like to race him,” Rattray said after the win.

“After the way he won his heat, I was confident we’d go well today.

“This horse looks to be labouring until you ask him to go.”

Rattray said there was a good chance he would head to Perth later this year for the next Inter Dominion.

“The $1.3m prizemoney is a tremendous incentive and the three-week carnival will also suit Beau as it gives me time to prepare him for each heat and the final,” he said.

“Beau’s given us such a tremendous journey. We love him to death.”
James’ father Barrie, who bred Beautide, was even more succinct:

“How did we even get here,” he said.

“It’s been a strange journey, changing properties and so on.

“But how lucky are we to have a beautiful horse like Beautide?”

IDEAL FOR REAL WINS NSW DERBY

Master reinsman Gavin Lang admitted he didn’t mind finishing second to Natalie Rasmussen in the feature races on Inter Dominion Grand Final Day.

But he suggested he would like to reverse the placings in at least one of them – and he was hoping it might be the $200,000 Camarda and Cantrill NSW Derby.

Ideal For Real (nearest camera, Gavin Lang) has the last say, defeating favourite Hug The Wind (Natalie Rasmussen) in the $200,000 NSW Derby. Photo: NSWHRC.

And just when Rasmussen looked likely to make it her fourth successive win for the day with Hug The Wind, Lang lifted promising colt Ideal For Real over the line to score a fighting win by the barest margin possible.

Nothing could be taken away from Ideal For Real’s NSW Derby win as he sat outside of Hug The Wing for most of the race and just when she was entitled to be giving ground and feeling the pinch on the home turn, he fought on doggedly to score in a 1:55.8 mile rate.

While Hug The Wind had every chance and finished second, Sporty Spook finished a game third, just ahead of Art Union.

Part-owner of the winner Bruce Carey said he bought this youngster for his wife and four children and it was the perfect advertisement for harness racing.

“If anyone doesn’t have a share in a horse out there, they should get one,” he said.

“And this horse is the reason why. If you told me a couple of years ago we would be here winning a NSW Derby

I would have laughed at you.

“Yet here we are – and it is just fantastic.”

Courtesy of Sean Vella, NSWHRC

ADORE ME PACES 1:47.7 (1609m) IN LADYSHIP MILE

If Natalie Rasmussen set out to make Tabcorp Park Menangle her own today (March 1, 2015) with three successive winners, she was overshadowed by one of the greatest pacers ever seen in the Southern Hemisphere.

. . . And one of the greatest race-winning performances ever witnessed at the south-western Sydney track.

Adore Me wins the Ladyship Mile in 1:47.7 at Menangle. Photo: NSWHRC.

Champion New Zealand mare Adore Me simply blew her rivals away with a record-breaking 1:47.7 victory in the Cordina Chicken Farms Ladyship Mile, smashing Smoken Up’s record by eight-tenths of a second.

She became the fastest mare in the world . . . yes, the world, breaking a record set by Somwherovrarainbow at Pocono Downs in the US in 2014 at 1:48.

(Adore Me’s time is the Australasian & world’s fastest for a 1400m or seven furlongs size track. Somwerovarainbow ran her fast mile on the 1000m, or five furlongs track, at Pocono Downs. The actual world’s fastest mile by a female pacer is 1:47 by Shethebestingin as a 3YO filly on the full 1609m, or mile track, at The Red Mile at Lexington, Kentucky, in the USA, in 2013. The world’s fastest by an aged mare on a mile track is Put on A Show’s 1:47.3 at The Meadowlands, New Jersey, in the USA in 2012. Clarification by site editor).

Sitting outside of second favourite Frith, Adore Me smashed the track record set in 2011 and won the hearts of the massive crowd at Menangle for the TAB.COM.AU Inter Dominion Grand Final.

They began applauding Adore Me as she surged away in the straight to win as she liked.

Rasmussen won three of the first four races on the big day but even she had to admit she was in awe of Adore Me’s performance as she put paid to Beauty Secret, Latteron and Frith by an amazing 18 and a half metres. Remember, these are the best mares in Australasia!

“This is the first time I have sat behind Adore Me in race conditions and she is so beautifully-gaited and has such a great temperament – and she goes like a machine,” Rasmussen said as she accepted the trophy from sponsor John Cordina.

Rasmussen’s partner, leading trainer Mark Purdon, was happy to step aside for a driver that connections rate among the best drivers in the world.

And Rasmussen showed why, putting Adore Me into the 1609m event early in the piece and declaring Australia’s best mare Frith on for the lead in a lightning second quarter of 26.9 for an opening half of 54 seconds.

She finished the race off with her last two quarters in 27.2s and 26.5s to set a record that will live long in the memory of all who were at Menangle on Sunday.

(OUR) SKY MAJOR WINS CHARIOTS OF FIRE

You could never call trainer Barry Purdon and reinsman Zac Butcher “lesser lights”
Yet these two emerged from the shadows of trainer Mark Purdon and champion Kiwi reinsman Dexter Dunn to win the $200,000 Form 700 Chariots Of Fire with Our Sky Major.

Big brother Barry took home a feature as well as his younger brother Mark while Butcher showed why he was almost as highly-rated as Dunn with a dashing display to win with Our Sky Major.

The feature race for four-year-olds is one of the highlights of the TAB.COM.AU Inter Dominion Grand Final day and Our Sky Major made it even more special for the Kiwis – who were on a roll in the races leading up to the Inter Dom.

While $3 favourite Bling It On worked to the front early doors, Butcher refused to panic with Our Sky Major, despite racing without cover for most of the 1609m.

Turning for home Butcher quickly put Our Sky Major into the hunt and could afford several sustained looks over his shoulder to check how his rivals were doing back in the field. He knew he had Bling It On covered as the son of Art Major raced away to win handsomely in a slick 1:51.5 mile rate.

“Barry has stuck by me in these big races and it’s nice to take some cash home to New Zealand,” grinned the effervescent Butcher after scoring a 2.6m win.

HANCOCK DRAWS FIRST BLOOD

Inter Dominion Grand Final Day has been good to Pheasants Nest mentor Darren Hancock over the years.

He won the Inter Dominion with Jofess at Gloucester Park back in 2004.
And since the series has been back on his home soil for the last three years, Hancock continues to be prominent.

Last year he took out the Ladyship Mile with Vansumic and today he supplied the first two winners on the Inter Dominion program when Global View and Ive Gotta Life scored.

Global View set the scene when driven by Kiwi reinsman Dexter Dunn in the Slingsby Holdings World Driving Championship Heat.

Dunn had an unbeatable lead in the series and secured the Championship with a well-timed run on Global View, with the pair crossing the line with more than six metres to spare on Heza Thrill and Spanish driver Guillermo Adrover which finished second.

A race later it was up to one of Australasia’s best reinswomen in Natalie Rasmussen to get the Hancock-trained Ive Gottalife home in the Lexus International Lady Drivers Invitational.

The gelding rated a career best 1:50.7 to beat Saloon Passage and driver Narissa McMullen, the defending champion of the race.

Courtesy of Sean Vella, NSWHRC

DEXTER DUNN HAS UNASSAILABLE LEAD IN WDC

Thursday 26th February 2015

The World Driving Championship headed to Penrith on Thursday night for three heats.  Penrith is a suburb and a major centre in the metropolitan area of Sydney.  Penrith is located 60 kilometres west of Sydney on the banks of the Nepean River.  The Penrith track is 804 metres in circumference.  New Zealand’s Dexter Dunn took a 39 point lead into the night over his nearest rival USA’s Tim Tetrick.

Canada’s Jody Jamieson dominated the evening’s proceedings winning two heats but it was his patience that was rewarded in heat seventeen.  Driving the favourite, Strawberry Courage from gate one, he got buried on the marker pegs.  Showing a lot of skill to get away from the inside Jody Jamieson charged home over the top to beat Emerging Art and Finland’s Mika Forss.  Just Pit Boss and Dexter Dunn finished third with Diesel Shannon and Denmark’s Knud Monster fourth.

Knud Monster brought up his second win of the Championship when he brought Midnight Lights with a well timed run to win heat eighteen but when Dexter Dunn held onto second placing driving Lombo Final Touch it all but sealed the Championship for New Zealand.  France’s Tony Le Beller weaved through to get third with Flying Crusa while Billion Smiles and Mika Forss finished fourth.

Jody Jamieson made it a double when Katsidis charged home late to score a narrow victory in heat nineteen.  Katsidis raced behind the leader for most of the race but when Marquez started to tire, Jamieson was able to extricate away from the marker pegs and build race winning momentum.  Marshal Dale and Tony Le Beller was second.   Norway’s Vidar Hop was third driving Tralee Bromac and Satu for France’s Pierre Vercruysse grabbed fourth.

So with one heat remaining in the Championship the point score is as follows

For all of the latest news and replays log onto

https://Vimeo.com/channels/wdc15

While Dexter Dunn cannot be beaten in the Championship, four drivers are still in contention for second place.  Tony Le Beller, Tim Tetrick, Mika Forss and Jody Jamieson will battle it out to be the runner up.

Australia’s travelling reserve Peter McMullen picked up a drive in a non-Championship race at Penrith and went onto win the event.

The drivers will spend the next two days resting and enjoying the sights of Sydney before returning to Menangle on Sunday for the final Championship heat.  Sunday’s race will be run at Gr. 2 level.

Courtesy of Greg Hayes, Media Coordinator, NSWHRC

DEXTER DUNN EXTENDS LEAD IN WDC, 4 TO GO

Wednesday 25th February 2015

The World Driving Championship ventured to Bathurst on Wednesday night for another four heats.  Bathurst is a regional city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales.  Bathurst is 200 kilometres west of Sydney, the oldest inland settlement in Australia and the site of the first gold discovery in Australia.

Two of the international drivers struck gold at Bathurst with Denmark’s Knud Monster and France’s Pierre Vercruysse recording their first wins in the 2015 Championship but the night will most be remembered for the dominance of New Zealand representative Dexter Dunn as he stretched his lead from 14 points to 39.

Heat thirteen saw Tony Le Beller add to his tally of victories when he used the passing lane to record a strong victory with Fours Enuf Tas.  Bathurst is the only racetrack in New South Wales that has a passing lane.  Canada’s Jody Jamieson secured second with Party Starter while Dexter Dunn and Norway’s Vidar Hop finished third and fourth respectively on Crusinonthe Big Ern and Glenferrie Access.

Knud Monster drove Mister Jogalong to victory in heat fourteen and while the short-priced favourite proved too strong, Spirit Chaser and Dexter Dunn finished second stretching the New Zealander’s lead over the rest of the international drivers.  Spain’s Guillermo Adrover behind Allnight Raid finished third and Australia’s Chris Alford managed to get into fourth with Jethros An Eagle.

The aptly-named Kenny Dee Dee took out heat fifteen for ‘Double Dee’ Dexter Dunn.  The driver closest to him on the leaderboard Tim Tetrick finished second on Iron Outlaw while his North American counterpart Jody Jamieson grabbed third on Precious M.  Finland’s Mika Forss finished fourth on Scots Legacy.

In the final heat of the night reigning champion Pierre Vercruysse drove his first winner in Australia when he lifted 80/1 chance Pride Of Flight to victory.  Dexter Dunn looked to have heat sixteen in his keeping when he pulled to the outside at the top of the straight but Lettucemacru wasn’t quite able to reel in the winner.  Mika Forss drove early leader Valastro into third place while Tim Tetrick got enough out of Hitman Huey to run fourth.

So after sixteen heats the point score is as follows

For all of the latest news and replays log onto

https://Vimeo.com/channels/wdc15

The drivers remained in Bathurst on Wednesday night and were booked to travel to Penrith on Thursday for another three heats.  Penrith is 60 kilometres west of Sydney.

Courtesy of Greg Hayes, Media Coordinator, NSWHRC.