There was plenty to be festive about on the trials circuit, where three Blackbookers emerged including a few very likely types.
SHEPPARTON 19/12/19
Trial 1: – JACKSON SQUARE did a good job for a trotter taking on the pacers and finished off boldly after being fifth on the markers early then moving into the one out and one back trail. He was able to dash home and snare victory from SALVATOR MUNDI, which finished stoutly via the sprint lane from three back on the markers. He did seemingly have something in reserve at the finish. JANG PEL finished third and wasn’t far from the winner. He began well to find the markers first then took a trail behind MOONSHINE LINDA. MOONSHINE LINDA ended up finishing in fourth position after booming out of the gate and finding the lead from a wide alley. HEADLINE ACT didn’t have a great deal of luck after he was left without cover and was restrained to last. He finished fifth ahead of SPORTY BEN, which moved up without cover from fourth at the 800m mark and SHEEZABAY (Alta Christiano – Pacific Made) failed to beat a runner to the line from her position of being six back on the markers.
Mile Rate: – 2.2.8 Final Half: – 58.7 Margins: – Neck, Neck
Trial 2: – IM JOEY JONES settled three back on the markers and moved up strongly into the breeze with 800m remaining. He sustained his determined run to hit the lead in the straight and drew clear to win nicely. SHOWGUN THOMAS dashed across the field from a wide draw to find the front and set up a reasonable tempo. He couldn’t repel the challenge of IM JOEY JONES late but he beat the remainder of the field by a comfortable margin. YOUNG ROOSTER came from four back on the markers to finish third in front of THINK ABOUT ME, which trailed him into the race. IDEAL SUSPECT was without cover in the early stages but restrained back to last. He was able to get past ROCKON LOCKSLEY in the latter stages after ROCKON LOCKSLEY started to drop off from behind the leader.
Mile Rate: – 1.59.7 Final Half: – 57.0 Margins: – 5m, 8m
Trial 3: – JULIACA trailed the leader in the early stages then circled around to find the front running role at the mile marker. She set up an even tempo and was able to hang on and score. REPUTATIONAL began quickly to lead early but appeared to be lazy and was driven along before taking cover behind JULIACA. He appeared to be more tractable when following another runner and made a late challenge to go down narrowly. REALITY WRITER put in an eye-catching trial performance after coming from last of the six runners and making up plenty of ground in the latter stages. He finished third in front of SHEZ ALL STYLE, which settled three back on the markers. ROCKY CREED was slow to move and settled down five back on the markers. He worked into the one out and one back trail behind CRESCO GOLDDIGGER, which moved away from the markers (4 back) to race without cover with 600m remaining. ROCKY CREED was able to get past CRESCO GOLDIGGER in the home straight.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.7 Final Half: – 60.6 Margins: – Neck, 4m
Trial 4: – CHRISKEN KIOSK was without cover on the outside of ITSARAPT and pressed hard to find the front at the mile marker. Once in front, he was trotting nicely and he never appeared to be in any danger of defeat. ITSARAPT was well clear of the remainder of the field in second position after using some energy early and SUPER ANGUS finished in third after trailing ITSARAPT throughout. ULTIMATE HUGHEY (Sunshine Beach – Goodtime Annabella 1.59.7, $13,120) was four back on the inside and moved into the death seat half way down the back straight. He was picking up some ground but broke stride shortly afterwards. He did beat home TEQUILA BREE (Bacardi Lindy – Maori Sunshine 2.3.2, $45,075) after she galloped away and was tailed off throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.7.6 Final Half: – 62.5 Margins: – 8m, 12m
CRANBOURNE 21/12/19
Trial 1: – DEFT TOUCH was able to trail the leader from a nice barrier draw and cruised to a very easy victory in the opening trial. ICANMOTOR (Somebeachsomewhere – Blue Seelster 1.56.2, $54,905) set the pace and had no answer to DEFT TOUCH’s challenge but beat the remainder of the field by a decent margin. CHANCE TO DANCE (A Rocknroll Dance – Magic Music 2.1.9, $28,855) finished in a distant third after being three back on the markers and the trotter MASTER SPARK (Majestic Son – Arcupango 2.4.9, $16,140) was last throughout.
Mile Rate: 2.4.2 Final Half: – 60.6 Margins: – 15m, 50m
Trial 2: – MOTA MATE began very quickly to find the lead and was coasting in the lead throughout. RECLUSIVE angled in behind MOTA MATE and never peeled to the outside at any stage. He went to the line jogging in second position. MELCHOIR settled down last of the four runners and moved into the death seat with 500m remaining. He got the better of GEE HE ROCKS (Pet Rock – On Fifth 1.59.2, $12,670) in the latter stages of the event.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.0 Final Half: – 58.3 Margins: – 3m, 10m
MARYBOROUGH 22/12/19
Trial 1: – TOPSIES DELIGHT was able to hold the lead around the first corner and ran along at an even tempo. She was challenged by the open class trotter DELTASUN on the home turn but she kicked clear in the final 30m to win the trial. DELTASUN came from three back on the markers and moved up without cover from the 700m mark. He joined TOPSIES DELIGHT turning for home but just peaked in the latter stages. JULES PEACH settled last off the five runners but was able to move away from the inside to race one out and one back at the 600m mark. She finished third in front of IMA SHOWGIRL, which trailed the leader. SUMARIAN ARTIST was last of the five after being four back on the markers throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.9 Final Half: – 57.2 Margins: – 2m, 8m
Trial 2: – SAVVY KYVALLEY (Andover Hall – Aldebaran Dream 2.3.4, $53,200) settled sixth on the outside (1-2) and produced a good finish out wide on the track to win the trial from SPEEDWAY QUEEN, which finished quickly from seventh on the markers. MY HONEY DON’T (Dream Vacation – Feona Joy) settled fifth on the markers and burst home late for an eye-catching trial third. PIESRIDINGSHOTGUN was fourth after gaining a one out and one back trail throughout with SUGAR HIGH (Peak – Sugar Times) in fifth after being behind the leader. CANADIAN ALM raced without cover and hit the lead at the quarter pole before being run down. LEOTARDANDLACE (Down Under Muscles – Estee Poppy) settled in last position and was struggling to keep up from the bell and MISS SWEDEN (Majestic Son – Zoia Boko) virtually took no part.
Mile Rate: – 2.10.1 Final Half: – 63.2 Margins: – 4m, head
Trial 3: – COMMON COURTESY settled down in last position before moving up without cover with a mile remaining. She got the better of her rivals approaching the home turn and raced to an easy victory. WYATTFLYNN began quickly to find the lead and set up a moderate tempo. He beat the others by a handy margin but was outclassed by COMMON COURTESY in the straight. FURIOSA finished in third position after trailing the leader throughout and was ahead of YERING BROMAC (Roll With Joe – Seshny Bromac 1.53.9, $124,554) (4 back markers). LORIMERLAGG finished fifth after being three back on the markers throughout and CREATIVEACCOUNTANT (Modern Art – Mymumsabankmanager 1.58.8, $16,203) was always trailing him.
Mile Rate: – 2.3.63 Final Half: – 59.2 Margins: – 20m, 8m
Trial 4: – RIGONDEAUX gained the perfect trip behind the leader SKY EAGLE and that pair dominated the trial, racing a mile clear of the remainder of the group. RIGONDEAUX got the better of SKY EAGLE late but SKY EAGLE lost no admirers with his fighting second. SUGAR DANNI was without cover in the early stages and restrained to be sixth on the markers. He ran into third late but was a long way behind the leading pair and LA MAJESTIC (Majestic Son – Blaring), was fourth on the markers throughout and remained in that position at the finish. FRENCH TA LAI (Used To Me – Variable Star) was the horse asked to chase after the tearaway leaders but she tired into fifth. She finished ahead of SHEZAPLAYER (Shadow Play – Soaringly), which made a mistake at the 1200m mark. Both HOT ZIGGITY and FORGOT TO REMEMBER made mistakes at the start and were tailed off throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.5.5 Final Half: – 59.1 Margins: – 4m, 100m
Trial 5: – VANITY BAY (Western Ideal – Forest Bliss) trailed the leader and switched back to the sprint lane before accelerating beautifully to win the trial comfortably. The time wasn’t fast but it was a handy performance by the Aaron Dunn trained pacer. BELLASTEEL (All Speed Hanover – Universal Alice 2.1.7, $22,326) settled three back on the markers before moving into the one out and one back trail at the bell. She finished second ahead of the early leader SHELDON. LENNY T (Betterthancheddar – Our Pocket Princess) broke at the start before tacking on at the mile marker and immediately coming to the outside to race without cover. He finished in fourth position ahead of STATESWOMAN, which raced three back on the markers and FEELIN THE BEAT (Mr Feelgood – Kay Dee Hanover 1.58.5, $27,705) broke stride in the latter stages, finishing last of the six runners.
Mile Rate: – 2.7.3 Final Half: – 59.2 Margins: – 4m, 10m
Trial 6: – KATIES WAY (B G’s Folly – Rileys Way) settled four back on the inside before moving into the death seat with 800m remaining. She moved up alongside the leader LAST WALK and proved to be superior over the latter stages. LAST WALK led out, took a trail then gained an inside run at the 900m mark to find the lead again. He finished second in front of the trotter THE SUMMER CAT, which settled fifth on the markers before moving into the one out and one back trail. TOKEN DREAMER pushed forward to find the lead with 1800m remaining but hung out badly and presented the run to LAST WALK in the turn of out the front straight on the final occasion. He tired shortly afterwards and finished a distant fourth. LORIMERMAJOR (Art Major – Rose of Hollywood) yielded ground after being three back on the markers for the majority of the trial and failed to beat a runner to the line.
Mile Rate: – 2.2.2 Final Half: – 60.6 Margins: – 2m, 25m
Trial 7: – PACIFIC ROCK (Pet Rock – Shesasign) settled four back on the markers and moved into the death seat in the final circuit. He got the better of the early leader ROYAL APOLLO on the home turn then just held off the late challenge of FIFTYSHADES CRESCO (Jet Laag – It’s Game On 1.58.1, $29,978). FIFTYSHADES CRESCO followed the winner throughout from five back on the markers into the one out and one back trail and missed out narrowly. PARIS SCENE finished third after trailing the leader and being held up for a run early in the straight. ROUGH CUT was able to run past ROYAL APOLLO from three back on the inside.
Mile Rate: – 2.6.2 Final Half: – 61.0 Margins: – Short head, 8m
Trial 8: – TRAVEL BUG wasn’t the best to begin but trailed the leader MAJESTIC JEWEL early before ending up being three back on the markers. He picked up nicely when asked for an effort and proved to be too strong. STRAZEELE broke stride momentarily at the start but quickly got moving to tack onto the group on the first bend. He moved to the death seat and eventually worked his way to the lead with 1400m remaining. He tried hard but was no match for TRAVEL BUG in the latter stages. MAJESTIC JEWEL led out then took cover and finished third but was sixteen metres from the winner. FROM THE WEST galloped at the start, settled last of the four runners and moved to the death seat with 800m remaining but tired late.
Mile Rate: – 2.11.2 Final Half: – 61.8 Margins: – 6m, 10m
BENDIGO 23/12/19
Trial 1: – LAW LEGEND was able to step to the lead and ran along at an even tempo. He was strong at the finish and scored by approximately one length on the line. ANYWHERE HUGO settled three back on the markers and waited for the sprint lane in the home straight. He motored through in the latter stages for an eye-catching second and he seemingly had something in reserve. CHRISKEN KIOSK settled fifth on the markers and moved up without cover from the 600m mark. He battled into third ahead of MAJESTIC TIME, which trailed the leader, and MASCOTT finished last of the five after being four back on the markers throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.5.7 Final Half: – 60.5 Margins: – 3m, 2m
Race 2: – TIGER FOR LIFE possesses a good turn of speed and won the trial impressively. He broke at the start and lost approximately 20m before tacking on and racing four back on the markers. He trailed into the race nicely coming out of the back straight and launched a winning claim. YANKEE TWISTER (Yankee Spider – Telern Grace) settled three back on the markers and worked into second position with the early leader SENTIMENTAL WIND finishing third. It appeared as though she would be runner up but she broke stride with 50m remaining. The former pacer MCKILLA EXPRESS broke at the start and lost approximately 30-40m but was able to beat home WILL PATRICK (Fling It – Conchs Critter 2.3.1, $90,846), which trailed the leader and made an error in the back straight on the final occasion.
Mile Rate: – 2.14.0 Final Half: – 62.3 Margins: – 5m, 9m
Trial 3: – DALLAS FRANCO began quickly to find the lead and fought off his rivals in the latter stages. He appeared to be under pressure when challenged on the final corner but he lifted nicely in the straight. ROCKING BUGATTI trailed the leader throughout and finished solidly but missed out by a narrow margin. PUNTARNO STRIDE raced without cover early then angled onto the markers (3 back) but wanted to race keenly. He then moved into the one out and one back trail before making his move approaching the home turn. He finished a close up third with MISS FANDANGO being in fourth position after she settled four back on the markers. IDEALLY SAY YES was last on the markers throughout and worked past RAANI, which endured the toughest run in the race being without cover.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.7 Final Half: – 58.3 Margins: – Head, 2m
Trial 4: – The 2yo pacers went around in trial four with trainer Rita Burnett providing the first two horses across the line. SHEFFIELD PEAK (Artspeak – Chloe Sheffield) showed very good gate speed to lead and rolled along at a good tempo. SWISS LIGHTNING (Betterthancheddar – Virginia Lightning 1.57.1, $76,375) trailed his stable mate throughout and finished off well but just failed to snare victory. That pair got well clear of IRE OF THE DRAGON (Auckland Reactor – Highview Ember 1.53.3, $122,798), which raced three back on the inside throughout. With the tempo being quick throughout the middle stages, there were large gaps between the runners. TANGANYIKA (Mach Three – Leda McNally 1.54.0, $422,323) was in fourth position but was always a good 20m behind the horse in front. She ended up finishing fourth in front of the 3yo trotter LOTTA FUSS, which settled down sixth and moved up without cover in the last circuit but was a mile from the leaders. JOES WATCHING (He’s Watching – Machs Factor 2.3.0, $4,559) settled down in last position and was able to run down his stable mate SHELLEYBEACH (Somebeachsomewhere – Fake Art 1.59.9, $30,739), which was five back on the inside, in the run to the finish.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.2 Final Half: – 57.5 Margins: – Head, 16m
Trial 5: – ALICE KAY was able to fire across the field and find the lead shortly after the start. She enjoyed the perfect run throughout and ran away from her rivals in the home straight. BONTON SUNSHINE (Sunshine Beach – Bonton Lady) trailed the leader throughout and held down second position in front of FOCUS STRIDE, which settled three back on the inside. GRACIES SHADOW moved to the death seat from four back on the markers at the quarter pole but failed to pick up ground in what was purely a sprint home and CROCROCK (Pet Rock – She’s A Killer 1.59.6, $45,880) was last throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.7.0 Final Half: – 57.7 Margins: – 15m, 1m
Trial 6: – LEXINGTON QUEEN settled three back on the inside and moved into the death seat with 300m remaining. She pushed forward to hit the lead in the straight and held off the late challenge of JUSTATRIXTA to win narrowly. JUSTATRIXTA is a former New South Wales trained trotter, which joins David Aiken. He was held up for a run at a vital stage and finished off quickly without being extended so it was an eye-catching performance. SONNY BROOKE finished third after setting the speed and SO AWESOME was last of the four runners throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.4.1 Final Half: – 60.1 Margins: – 1m, 6m
BLACKBOOKER: – Justatrixta
Trial 7: – It was a strong trial for the open class pacers and MAX DELIGHT produced an impressive performance to trail the leader and stable mate WRAPPERS DELIGHT before cruising past in the final 100m, seemingly with plenty in reserve. WRAPPERS DELIGHT began very quickly to lead from a wide gate and finished second with ROCKNROLL TURBO finding the line nicely from four back on the markers to finish a very good third. WOTCHAWAITINGFOR settled three back on the markers and finished fourth from THEREAL USAIN COLT. SOMETHING FAST (Safely Kept – The Perfect Mona 2.0.3, $4,620) was a very interesting runner in the trial. He is an unraced pacer and was taking on the open class horses so it was no surprise that he finished at the tail of the field from five back on the markers. The fact he was even put into the trial suggests he has ability and he will be up against much easier grade when he gets to the races.
Mile Rate: 1.58.2 Final Half: – 55.3 Margins: – 2m, 6m
BLACKBOOKERS: – Max Delight, Something Fast
Trial 8: – INSULTING (He’s Watching – Intoxicating 1.57.7, $79,060) ran to the lead and enjoyed a nice run in transit. He hung out under pressure in the home straight and drifted out to the middle of the track but he just held off his stable mate IM THE MIGHTYGRAMPS, which trailed him throughout, in the run to the finish. YELLOW BOW (Pet Rock – Brooke Fraser) settled four back on the inside and picked up third in front of NANANELLIE (Somebeachsomewhere – Aventura), which was three back on the inside throughout.
Mile Rate: – 2.4.8 Final Half: – 59.2 Margins: – Head, 24m
Trial 9: – DIVINE DIVA settled three back on the markers and took out the final trial on the program. She finished off quickly and defeated her stable mate LUNAR DELIGHT, which trailed the leader. ELEGANT JEWEL pushed forward to race without cover and the time was fast so she did a very good job to kick on and finish third. CULLENS LEGEND settled four back on the markers and was able to work past his stable mate SHECANDOIT, which set up the hectic speed mid-race. MOZZARELLA MAN (Betterthancheddar – Shes High Matinenance), which was retired out of trial eight, BAGSHOT BOY and OLLIE AND BROCK all made mistakes in the early stages and were tailed off throughout.
Mile Rate: – 1.57.3 Final Half: – 57.8 Margins: – 1m, 1m
The Blackbook:
Horses to Follow
Adapt
Beach Garden
Blackened
Builder Bob
Celtic Cash
Demon Delight
Justatrixta
Lester
Max Delight
Private Eye
Red White An Bloom
Showmethecash
Something Fast
Victree Hill
Youaremy Sunshine
