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Ricky May made the trip from Methven to drive Stylish Memphis for Elite Racing at today’s (Wednesday) Rangiora trials and headed home suitably impressed.

May, who will be kept busy once the Mark Jones and Brendon Hill stable hits top gear, gave the thumbs up after a resounding trial victory, the filly in good order heading towards her first start as a three-year-old.

“She felt really good – a bit keen first up – but felt great when she went,” said the champion driver.

Stylish Memphis rattled through closing sectionals in a good overall 2:30.5 for the 2000m mobile, the leaders home in 57.8, she was clocked in 57.1, the 400m in 28.3, untested and allowed to coast.

“She had nothing race with her (from the 250m mark). If something was there to race her she’d have been off again,” said May.

Mark and Benny have pencilled in the $12,000 Stella Frost Stakes at Wyndham on November 10 as the most likely target before an Alabar Sires Stakes heat leading to the journey north and the riches at Alexandra Park in December.

Her maiden win came when she posted a 26.1 final 400m to beat promising filly Might Be Me (Des Baynes) in winning at Winton in May and was spelled after tidy fifth to Sweet On Me in the Harness Jewels at Addington in a swift 1:57.5 mile rate on a very wet track.

Four wins at Auckland, Christchurch, Forbury, and Menangle

Signing off on his own account, Mark delivered in spades in his final weekend alone with four wins on the board, three in New Zealand another in partnership with Aaron Goadsby in New South Wales.

Jones will join Brendon “Benny” Hill in partnership this week, and was pleased to have some good success prior to the alliance beginning.

Slightly better than expected was the vibe after a winning turn from last season’s smart juvenile filly Lulu Le Mans, coming from last to power home and win the opening heat of the Alabar Sires Stakes Fillies Series at Alexandra Park last Friday night.

“The plan was to have her up there earlier than most,” Mark said of the daughter of former top pacing filly and mare Elusive Chick.

“I thought she’d trialled a bit fair, and worked OK before she went up, so it was really good to see her go so good (knowing there was further improvement to come).

“She can race in the grades up in Auckland now, and at this stage she will run in the Alabar heat again December 6, and the Peter Breckon Memorial Ladyship Stakes on the 14th.

“All going well, of course, into the Sires Stakes on December 31,” he added.

Jones sent Lulu Le Mans north to good friend Jeremy Young who usually handles the Jones team when based in the north, and she was just as expertly handled by another pinch-hitter for Jones over the years in champion reinsman Maurice McKendry in rating 1:59 for the mile on a rather blustery evening.

Joining Lulu Le Mans in the Ladyship Stakes will very likely be Stylish Memphis who makes her first public appearance as a three-year-old at this Wednesday’s Rangiora workouts.

“Stylish Memphis heads back Wednesday for a wee run along. We’ll play it by ear where we go and when we head to Auckland. She won’t run up there until the Ladyship.

“I’d like to have a run or two down here first, but will not be heading to Cup week – we will probably go down south and back (to Canterbury) for a heat of the Sires Stakes.”

Overport Lodge bagged wins with a very-much in-form Jamies Bad Boy in the amateur at Addington, also Friday night, and another with talented trotting mare Orlando Magic at Forbury Park on Sunday.

That was soon followed by another big win from smart pacer Takara Truffle at Menangle for Jones and Goadsby, the American Ideal mare rating 1:53.6 to win a $A20,000 race and claim win 17 from just 32 starts.

Jones had prepared the filly at Burnham before she headed to Goadsby unraced in 2016. Takara Truffle has won her last three in a row, a superb return after serious injury over a year ago looked likely to curtail her career.

Goadsby also co-trained Lulu Le Mans with Mark when she performed to a high level in Sydney last season.

By Paul Courts – National Trotguide

By Jeff Scott

Overport Lodge-developed Cruz Bromac is scheduled to return to the Allstars stables at Rolleston next Friday to continue his preparation for the $750,000 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup on November 12.

Avalon (Victoria) trainer Amanda Grieve confirmed last year’s New Zealand Free-For-All winner is to return to the top Australasian stables of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen at Rolleston for the NZ Cup, the NZ Free-For-All, and the Auckalnd Inter Dominions in December.

“He should arrive in Christchurch next Friday morning. The plan is for him to race at Ashburton on the Monday, so it’s all go here trying to make sure he’s ready for the Ashburton,” Amanda said.

“His was a fantastic run last week in the Vic Cup. I was very proud of Cruz. He even gave me goosebumps watching that last 200m,” she said.

“I think this season people will really fall in love with him as most people in Australia don’t regard him as a top open class pacer at the moment, yet he’s won the Len Smith Mile at Menangle (1:50.1) and the NZ Free-For-All on Show Day last year.”

“They forget he also ran second to Have Faith In Me in the Chariots Of Fire as a four-year-old.  Last season was the most starts the horse had ever had in a season and to be unlucky in the NZ Cup, come out a few day’s later and win the FFA, and then go to Melbourne for the Inters and win all three heats was very good”.

Grieve says Cruz Bromac, now an eight-year-old by Falcon Seelster from Crown Defender, has really matured with his big season last term of open class racing under his belt.

She says it’s sad to lose a horse like him but with other commitments training a small team now near Geelong in Victoria, it would have been difficult to pack up for seven-eight weeks campaigning Cruz in NZ.

The logical move was for him to rejoin the Allstars, giving Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen six chances of taking out a sixth consecutive New Zealand Cup.

The top NZ trainers also have the $2 NZ Cup favourite Spankem, last year’s winner Thefixer ($5.50), Ultimate Sniper ($5.50), Chase Auckland ($9) and Ashley Locaz ($15), as contenders this year.

Cruz Bromac is rated a $11 chance for the cup on the NZ futures market for the 3200m cup.

TEXAS TERROR PACES 1:50.3 IN USA

Former Overport Lodge-developed pacer Texas Terror is still a money-maker as an 11-year-old in North America.

The Western Terror-Alicia Maree gelding led throughout at Mohegan Sun Pocono last weekend in a $UIS11,000 pace, winning by three lengths in 1:50.3 (fifths).

Driven by Antony Napolitano for trainer Jose Godinez, Texas Terror was racking up is fifth win of the year for just over $US90,000 in stakes.

He’s also picked up six seconds and three thirds.

Texas Terror, who has a lifetime best mile of 1:50.2 (10ths) has now had 34 career wins from 190 career starts, for earnings for the equivalent of just over $485,000 in stakes.

He only raced one for trainer Mark Jones, being sold after finishing fourth to subsequent NZ Sapling Stakes winner Monaghan in a 1:59 2YO mile at Winton way back in 2010.

Three years ago he was the fastest elimination winner of a $US50,000 George Morton Levy Memorial Series Heat at Yonkers, New York, in 1:51 on the half-mile track that night.

After leaving NZ for Australia, he won 16 in Australia, including winning his his last start there at Menangle on October 31, 2015, in 1:51.8 (mile) in the hands of Luke McCarthy.

Texas Terror is from the same maternal family as former smart Overport Lodge filly/mare Delightful Memphis (1:51.4, also a notable earner in the US this year).

Both have the 1999 NZ Broodmare Excellence Award winner Deborah Dundee as their great grand-dam.

This is the same line that produced former brilliant 2 & 3YO, and now successful sire Courage Under Fire (1:54.1), who despite his death last year, still has chilled semen available from Stallions Australasia at Bromac Lodge this spring.

Another ex-Canterbury pacer to slip under the radar in the USA last weeekend was the former David Gaffaney-trained Micky Gee, a regular drive for Overport Lodge reinswoman Sam Ottley in his former his Addington racing.

Micky Gee ran top USA free-for-aller and $US4 million winner McWicked to a nose in the $US250,000 Dan Rooney Memorial at Yonkers Raceway, New York, last Sunday (NZ time).

The 6YO Bettor’s Delight-Corbell gelding has won $US254,810 from eight wins in 25 starts for the year, racing mostly on the half-mile at Yonkers.

These days a stablemate of former dual Australasian Grand Circuit champ Christen Me in the Lance Hudson stable, Micky Gee has taken a fast 1:50.2 (10ths) on the half-mile circuit there.

BLING IT ON SETS NEW VICTORIA CUP RECORD

The “perfect horse” Bling It On put in a clinical, explosive performance to win a record-smashing Pryde’s EasiFeed Victoria Cup, capping a stunning comeback story.

The 2017 A. G. Hunter Cup winner has barely been seen since that career-best performance owing to a bad fall and subsequent injury, but though fresh off a 10-month “retirement” and only second up he showed he had lost none of his brilliance in rounding up the Group 1 field.

“He’s such a special horse,” said reinsman Luke McCarthy. “Everyone knows his story by now and for him to come back second up after having that long off and win a Victoria Cup is just a credit to the horse.

“He’s so sound and wants to do it, he’s a beautiful horse, open bridle, no head check, no boots, no tongue tie – he’s just a professional. The trip worked out beautifully tonight and lucky enough he was good enough to finish it off.”

The speed map’s proved true as Cash N Flow crossed Colt Thirty One to lead and placed Bling It On three back on the pegs, while San Carlo worked to the breeze ahead of Buster Brady and Tam Major.

The brisk 42.7-second lead time preceded little respite through the 29 and 28.5-second first and second quarters, and when Buster Brady faded from the running line mid-race the door opened for Bling It On to explode into contention.

Off the 27.6-second third quarter Bling It On ate into the leader’s gap to the final turn, easing three-wide outside San Carlo and by the 100-metre mark he was a length clear and had the race in hand.

Colt Thirty One and Cruz Bromac (formerly developed and sold unraced by Overport trainer Mark Jones) filled out the placings and San Carlo got over Cash N Flow in his final strides to fill out the first four, but it was Bling It On’s title for McCarthy and trainer Craig Cross. A 27.4-second final quarter sealed a 1:51.5 mile rate record, breaking Lennytheshark’s 2018 mark.

“He’s just an utter professional, just a brilliant racehorse, we got a beautiful run tonight and it just worked out perfect,” McCarthy said.

“It’s hard to explain, he’s just such a perfect horse, he’s that smart. He’s getting collected, serving mares as we speak – he got collected yesterday and then jumped on the float and come down for Vic Cup.

“He feels as good as ever. Being an older stallion he should only race into better form through the preparation.”

Bling It On will likely carry plenty of favour as he turns his attention to a New Zealand campaign that will likely include the New Zealand Trotting Cup and Inter Dominion to follow.

Courtesy of HRV Trots Media _ Michael Howard

PLUTONIUM LADY, BURNHAM BOY WIN AT GORE, SAM SCORES 400TH WIN

Burnham trainer Mark Jones has always been a fan of Southern Harness racing. He loves to head south to set up his three-year-olds for both the Southern Supremacy Stakes and the Southland Oaks later in the season.

In consecutive races at Gore (Saturday, October 12, 2019) he produced a couple of those age group pacers that look capable of featuring in both those finals at Ascot Park in April.

Plutonium Lady easily won the $15,000 Ladyship Final beating hot favourite Need You Now by six lengths after leading and clearing out at the top of the straight.

The winning time of 2-43.2 was impressive, in the cold easterly conditions.

“She’s still got a lot to learn but a typical Bettor’s on race day when she becomes a racehorse,” Jones said.

Plutonium Lady had won two races ago at Winton and is now the early season leader on the Southland Oaks leader board.

“She might have one more go at the Sires Stakes Heat at Addington.”

“We won’t take her to Auckland. We’ll just target the filly’s races down here and she may go to the New South Wales Oaks in February. Late in the season will be the Nevele R and New Zealand Oaks and the Southland Oaks. She’ll be a better filly later on so if we look after her now it’ll work out good.”

Plutonium Lady is owned by Sir Loins Limited and Starmark Limited which consists of Grant Hatton, Michael Jones and Jim Haines.

“It looks as though we picked the right one out at the sales.”

In the next race Burnham Boy was posted three wide from the start with driver Sam Ottley having to let him drift back to the rear. With just over a lap to run she took the Bettor’s Delight gelding three wide to improve round the field and sat parked from the 800m.

Just before turning in,Ottley pulled the ear plugs and soon took the lead from pacemaker Fireforefiddle,and typical of the Bettor’s Delight breed, Burnham Boy fought bravely to beat Targaryen by a length and a quarter.

In the last race of the day Ottley reined Ideal Draw to win. It was the driver’s 400th winner.

Courtesy of Bruce Stewart, Southland Harness Racing, (www.southernharness.co.nz)