Abbey Turnbull had her most successful day in the sulky in her relatively brief career at last Friday’s Wagga meeting with a driving hat-trick.
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Turnbull scored on the Russell Jack-trained two-year-old debutant Bravo Stride and then drove smart three-year-olds National News and Hiranya to victory for her Tatura trainer father, Craig.
In what was literally a stride for stride battle in the concluding stages, Bravo Stride accounted for stablemate Erupt Stride to kick off her treble.
Bravo Stride led and singled out with Erupt Stride, who was driven by Brad Hewitt, over the last 200 metres to fight out the finish.
Bravo Stride, a son of Captain Treacherous and a $3.30 chance, dug the deepest and pulled away from the odds-on stablemate to win convincingly in sizzling 1.53.6 mile rate time for the 1740m trip.
Erupt Stride, a $1.60 favourite, was having only his third race start and his first since March when prepared in NSW by Darren Binskin.
Both those starts when driven by Nathan Jack were at the Bathurst carnival and produced a third in a heat of the Gold Crown and a win in the Crown consolation.
Three-year-old National News and Hiranya also scored pillar-to-post wins for Abbey at Wagga as short-priced favourites.
Having his first start since running third in the Tasmanian Derby to stablemate Hiranya in March, National News spaced his rivals, winning by nearly 13 metres with a scorching 55.5 final split.
The exciting Sportswriter gelding has now won four of his nine starts with two minor placings.
Hiranya completed a hat-trick stretched over nearly six months with his runaway win at Wagga.
He had won at Shepparton on March 8 before claiming the Tasmanian Derby on March 19 at his previous start.
The son of Bettors Delight was driven straight to the front by Abbey at Wagga in his return to racing and had nearly 15 metres to spare over the runner-up in 1.54.7 mile rate time for the 1740m trip at the finishing post.
Like his stablemate he is putting an impressive resume together with five wins, three seconds and a third from just the 14 career starts.
More than just a Bitta Luck
Kyabram trainer Mick Blackmore had a big week last week with wins with two of his promising trotters, Yankee Lover and Bitta Irish Luck.
After Yankee Lover’s dominant win at Shepparton on the Tuesday night, Blackmore lined up Bitta Irish Luck for a big win at Bendigo on the Friday night.
The three-year-old daughter of Father Patrick was settled three back in the one-wide lane by reinsman James Herbertson and pounced on the home turn when the long odds-on favourite Amandine went off-stride and dashed away from her rivals.
Bitta Irish Luck’s three career wins from just eight starts have all been on the Bendigo track and in quick time, which suggests the Darrel Pell-bred and owned filly may go on to bigger things all going well.
Venetian honeymoon
Shepparton trainer Steve Duffy also produced a winner at the Bendigo meeting, completing successive wins with Roll With Joe filly Venetian.
Driven by Leigh Sutton, Venetian settled mid-race and finished strongly for an easy win.
Venetian had won at his previous start at Shepparton on July 21 after a third placing on debut at Cobram on July 11.
Sutton has been in the sulky for all three starts.
Shan’s the man to topple Bernie
Veteran pacer Shannonstheman conquered track specialist Bernie Winkle at last Friday’s Mildura meeting.
The Julia Douglas-trained Bernie Winkle was attempting to win an incredible 37th race on the Mildura track and his 59th career win. Turning for home it looked a distinct possibility when he surged to the front. But Shannonstheman who had raced in the death seat for the trip fought back doggedly to win by a head in a gutsy effort.
Currently trained at the Kyabram trots complex by former Cowra and Tasmanian horseman Connor Crook and driven by his partner, concession reinswoman Jordan Chibnall, Shannonstheman is a veteran of 158 starts which have now produced 22 wins, 22 seconds and 15 thirds, with his latest win taking him over the $200,000 prize money milestone.
Bernie Winkle has had an even busier racetrack career with 264 starts which have produced an incredible 58 wins and 68 minor placings which have netted $599,252 in prize money earnings.
Jordan Chibnall reined home another win at the Kyabram Cup meeting on Sunday night, partnering the Mark Watson-trained Casting Shadow to a strong win.
It was her fourth driving success since moving to the Goulburn Valley but she has driven over 60 winners in her career, most of them in a stint in Tasmania.
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The Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley team struck twice at the Kyabram Cup meeting at Shepparton last Sunday night, including a win with new stable addition New Yorker in the Techies Tyres Kyabram Pacing Cup.
A four-year-old Bettors Delight gelding, formerly prepared by Belinda McCarthy, New Yorker was having his first start for the joint Shepparton trainers.
Driven by Bec Bartley, New Yorker led for the 2190m trip and just held off 33/1 shot The Last Chance to win by a head with the Graham Lyon-trained Jets Art filling the minor placing in his return to racing.
New Yorker won three races for the McCarthys with four placings in 16 career starts before changing stables.
Bartley completed the double for the stable with Changeover Girl who was also a pillar-to-post winner in the final event.
A five-year-old mare by Changeover, Changeover Girl was having her 30th race start which have now produced five wins and seven minor placings.
Fancies deliver
Favourite punters were on the ball at the Kyabram Cup meeting with seven top fancies delivering, five of them odds-on chances.
The longest priced winner on the nine-event card was the Rita Burnett-trained and Monique Burnett-driven Im The Mightygramps who paid $7.50 for the win.
The only favourite who won and didn’t start in red figures was the Rosie Weidenbach-prepared and Oliver Weidenbach-driven Goodlookin Rooster who scored a runaway win and paid $3.40.
Apart from the O’Donoghue-Bartley team, Laura Crossland was another Goulburn Valley trainer-driver to produce an odds-on winner at the meeting.
Crossland scored in the two-year-old maiden pace with Chirripo, who ended a frustrating run of minor placings with a dominant win.
The two-year-old Always Be Mikki filly had chalked up a third and three successive seconds at her previous four race starts so was well overdue to go one better.
Poole of hope to salute
Congupna studmasters Blanche and Dean Poole will be taking more than the average interest in tomorrow night’s three-year-old fillies final of the Australasian Premier Trotting Sale.
They bred one of the top fancies Just A Bit Touchy in the Group One, $50,000 feature.
Now in the Andy Gath stable, Just A Bit Touchy made a successful return to racing, winning his heat at Maryborough on August 3 when beating the Sydney visitor Lindys Love, who looms as his main danger tomorrow night.
Other district trainers after some fat cheques tomorrow night are Laura Crossland (Dessie Gee), Russell Jack (Spring In His Step) and the Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley team with Western Sonador who are all contesting the $30,000 TAB Melton Pace final.
Veteran Moama trainer Tony Peacock is also chasing the Maoris Ideal Free-For-All feature at the meeting with Inter Dominion finalist Illawong Stardust, who is returning to racing.
They race again at Shepparton’s Kialla Raceway again next Wednesday night.
Meetings coming up
Today: Mildura (d), Ballarat (n)
Saturday: Melton (n)
Sunday: Swan Hill (n)
Monday: Maryborough (d)
Tuesday: Kilmore (n)
Wednesday: Shepparton (n)
Thursday: Yarra Valley (d) Ballarat (n)
Friday : Mildura (d), Bendigo (n)
Kyabram Free Press