Harness Racing form guru Craig Rail noticed several standout performers at the recent trials.
At Kilmore, Go Easy On Me dashed well clear of her rivals to win the trial by a large margin in fast time.
At Shepparton, Pastor Cash lifted nicely over the latter stages and went down by a narrow margin behind a proven race-track winner. He meets a good field on debut at Melton tomorrow night, but he should have a prosperous campaign.
At Melton, Kyvalley Drifter was having her first public appearance, and the juvenile trotting filly for trainer Chris Svanosio was able to get the job done.
KILMORE 06/08/26
Trial 1: – ROCKINTHEKASBA hasn’t raced since a fourth at Melton in April. The son of Poster Boy was a runaway winner of the opening trial on the program and was able to finish off in a slick final quarter of 27.9 seconds. He resumed from a break at Kilmore on Thursday night but performed below expectations after having a soft trip. OZZIE BULL is an unraced juvenile for trainer Rita Burnett. He is by Raging Bull NZ out of Smooth Felicity and is related to the race winners Ozzie Playboy (1.55.0, $194,565) and Ozzie Corka (1.54.6, $87,582). He finished in second position ahead of COBARGO WARLOCK, which finished nearly 100m clear of the last duo in MUDDY and DAYSOFWINEN ROSES. The third placed COBARGO WARLOCK is resuming from a break at Cranbourne on Sunday.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.8 Last Half: – 58.5 Margins: – 36m, neck
Trial 3: – GO EASY ON ME hasn’t raced since a fifth in the Nutrien Classic Final at Wagga in May. She won a heat of that series prior and she dashed well clear of rivals to win the trial by a large margin in fast time. She strikes a tough field in the Pink Diamond Stakes at Menangle tomorrow night and she is poorly drawn but she is worth following this preparation. MITZI SAID is a classy mare that has won nine races and boasts a career best mile rate of 1.54.0. She hasn’t been to the races since March but was able to finish in second position. SHALLOW BEACH has returned from Tasmania and finished in third on his way to his first up run at Cranbourne on Sunday. He was well clear of DONTTELLNANNA, which is also engaged at Cranbourne, and MISS VENTURA.
Mile Rate: – 1.58.7 Last Half: – 55.9 Margins: – 20m, 8.5m
BLACKBOOKER: – Go Easy On Me
Trial 4: – The trotter QUIRKY CHARACTER was able to defeat the pacers in the final trial. He has been unplaced at his past six starts after a victory at Metropolitan level and galloped at his latest race track appearance. He was able to regain some confidence with his trial success over the experienced maiden WHIRILY MAURZ. ORAMA is returning from a long stint in New South Wales and was stood down to trial at Albury on July 21. He finished in third ahead of another former New South Wales trained pacer in BROBENAH GIRL.
Mile Rate: – 2.3.8 Last Half: – 59.1 Margins: – ½ head, 3.5m
SHEPPARTON 06/08/26
Trial 1: – SOAP AND BUBBLES settled three back on the markers and came to the outside at the 300m. She finished off best and seemingly with something in reserve to win easily. She returns from a break against a strong field at Melton tomorrow night. CROCODILE SOCKS began smartly and was quick to get in behind the leader shortly after the start. He tried hard for second and the early leader IT’S CONFIDENTIAL was the third horse across the line. AUSSIE JAY MAC NZ was four back on the markers throughout and finished fourth. IDEAL MOTH couldn’t recover from an early gallop and was the last horse across the line. The second placed CROCODILE SOCKS is competing against the open class pacers at Wagga this afternoon and AUSSIE JAY MAC NZ is backing up at Shepparton on Tuesday night.
Mile Rate: – 1.56.2 Last Half: – Unavailable Margins: – 5m, 4m
Trial 2: – ALTO CORAGGIO trailed the leader, used the sprint lane and drove through to get the prize. He is a colt by Ride High out of the unraced mare Santa Marte. He looked sharp at the end and appears to have some ability so he is worth thought on debut at Shepparton on Tuesday night. COASTAL ELEGANCE began very quickly and was a clear leader early. He set up an even speed and fought on well in the run to the finish. MONAGHAN BOY settled down last of the six runners, moved up without cover at the bell and kept on making ground for a handy third. IMA ROCKSTAR settled five back on the markers, moved into the one out and one back trail at the 800m and finished in fourth spot. He is making his debut in the same race as ALTO CORAGGIO at Shepparton on Tuesday.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.5 Last Half: – Unavailable Margins: – Neck, 8.75m
Trial 3: – PLEASURE TO HAVE is a smart juvenile trotter, which was able to lead throughout to win his trial with something in reserve. PASTOR CASH did gain a nice trail behind the leader but he lifted nicely over the latter stages and went down by a narrow margin behind a proven race track winner. He is by Pastor Stephen out of the Group 1 winning mare Shezoneoftheboyz (2.2.5, $91,849), which has produced five winners including Gunning (2.2.3, $64,735) and Oneoftheclan (1.57.7, $31,598). He meets a good field on debut at Melton tomorrow night but he should have a prosperous campaign. THECANDYBARHEIRESS finished in third position after settling last of the five runners and picking up ground late. LITTLE MISS EMJAY settled three back on the markers and finished in fourth then broke stride on her debut mid-week. HEZ ARES was last of the five runners after racing on the outside of the leader throughout and will be competing at Shepparton on Tuesday night.
Mile Rate: – 2.7.2 Last Half: – Unavailable Margins: – 1m, 10m
BLACKBOOKER: – Pastor Cash
Trial 4: – JUST FAITH is a filly for trainer Nathan Jack that was able to lead all of the way. She is by Captaintreacherous out of the classic winning mare Just Hope (1.52.5, $367,527) and is the first foal. CAZADERO finished in second after settling four back on the markers and moving up on the outside of the leader with 700m remaining. MARIANA was without cover early and angled across to trail the leader shortly after the start. She never really peeled off the back of JUST FAITH in the home straight and finished in third position. She will be making her debut at Cranbourne on Sunday night.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.9 Last Half: – Unavailable Margins: – 5m, 1m
Trial 5: – VICI BLOOM prepared for her resumption at Melton on Saturday night with a strong front running display. She rolled along at a genuine tempo and was able to hold off the challenge of the handy trotter SEBASTIANS BOY, which sat in the trail throughout. THUNDA STRUCK was last for the duration but he wasn’t beaten by far at the end in slick time.
Mile Rate: – 1.59.0 Last Half: – 58.6 Margins: – 1m, 2m
Trial 6: – THUNDERFIRE was one out and one back early, without cover at the 1800m and progressed forward to find the lead with a mile remaining. He went to the line under a vice like grip and won very easily at the end. He should go well first up at Cranbourne on Sunday night. OUR SWEET JEANNIE finished in second after being without cover early, pressing forward to find the lead then taking the trail behind the eventual winner. RACHELS LEGACY settled last of the six runners and finished fast through the middle late for an eye-catching third. TA KALCHE was in a forward position early then was shuffled to four back on the markers mid-race and used the sprint lane. He was the fourth horse to greet the judge.
Mile Rate: – 1.58.0 Last Half: – Unavailable Margins: – 3m, 1m
BLACKBOOKER: – Rachels Legacy
Trial 7: – VAN NOSTRAND began very quickly and found the lead without any troubles. He pulled hard throughout the middle stages and established a big lead. He was getting tired late but he did a very good job to hold on and get the prize. He is resuming at Cranbourne on Sunday night and should run a forward race. JILLIBY TOPGUN was without cover early before working onto the markers to be three back. He chased determinedly in the last quarter of the trial and finished off nicely for a narrow second. He is competing at Melton tomorrow night. MAJESTIC MONARCH trailed the leader, came away from the inside on the home turn and battled on fairly into a distant third. He backed up at Kilmore on Thursday night and battled on well for third at his first run back from a long break.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.9 Last Half: – Unavailable Margins: – Head, 10.25m
BACCHUS MARSH 08/08/26
Trial 1: – MAJESTIC YANKEE was able to win at her latest race track appearance on July 10 but she did want to trot roughly for the majority of the trip in doing so. She was able to score in the opening trial over DREAMS OF LOVE, which has joined trainer Kaylene Ward since her latest performance. MAJESTIC YANKEE is competing at Cranbourne on Sunday night and DREAM OF LOVE backs up this evening at Geelong. WILCANNIA finished in third and was well clear of the remainder of the field headed by KICKABARREL. WILCANNIA is resuming at Cranbourne on Sunday night.
Mile Rate: – 2.2.9 Last Half: – 61.5 Margins: – 1m, 14m
Trial 4: – FARROH JOE was able to score at his last public hit-out before he takes on a strong field in the Youthful Stakes at Melton on Saturday night. He recorded a sharp mile rate of 1.58.5 and scored by fifteen metres so it was a strong performance. KHANS CREED finished in second position and is nominated for Geelong this evening. SUNRISE RUBY, which hasn’t started since being stood down to trial at Melton back in March, was last of the three runners across the line.
Mile Rate: – 1.58.5 Last Half: – 58.0 Margins: – 15m, 70m
Trial 5: – ARZALI ROCKSTAR was a winner at Ballarat on July 09 then followed with an unplaced effort after racing without cover throughout at Stawell. He bounced back into winning form by taking out the final trial of the morning and that victory will give him some confidence leading into his performance at Geelong this evening. MEGALODON is an unraced 3yo for trainer Tim McGuigan and finished in second. He is well named considering he is by Sweet Lou out of Classic Shark and he was the second horse across the line. POSTER PRINCE was last of the three runners to greet the judge.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.9 Last Half: – 58.0 Margins: – 15m, Neck
HAMILTON 10/08/26
Trial 1: – ROADMASTER is a very smart pacer, which has won 9 of his 29 starts and hasn’t started since a victory at Melton in December. He was clearly the class runner of the trial and scored by a large margin. AMERICAN SQUARED hasn’t raced since being stood down to trial at Ballarat in February. He was the second horse across the line and finished well clear of the third placed UNDERATTACK with HALF AS TOUGH being the last horse across the line. HALF AS TOUGH is backing up at Geelong this evening.
Mile Rate: – 1.58.2 Last Half: – 57.8 Margins: – 20m, 22m
Trial 2: – COCO MILLER is an unraced filly for trainer Michael Bellman, which remains undefeated from three trial attempts. She is by American Ideal and is the first foal out of the speedy mare Leigha Miller (1.56.0, $80,235), a daughter of the top race and producing mare Misty Miller. She won the trial over KAIDENBOY, which has had two trials for a fourth and a second. OBSIDIAN FLO finished in third position on the way to her debut performance at Charlton on Monday and was well ahead of stable mate KAROWA.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.7 Last Half: – 59.9 Margins: – 3m, 14m
MELTON ENTERTAINMENT PARK 11/08/26
Trial 1: – CO CAPTAIN has returned from a Queensland campaign, where he won the Consolation of the Queensland Derby/Oaks. He dashed home in a slick final quarter of 27.3 seconds to win the trial over a game BANJO STAR, which missed out by a narrow margin. RIVER STORM hasn’t raced since winning the Homegrown Classic in December and was third across the line. OOH AH LISTAH and THESTING were fourth and fifth respectively. OOH AH LISTAH is competing at Geelong this evening.
Mile Rate: – 2.2.9 Last Half: – 57.9 Margins: – ½ head, 8.25m
Trial 2: – KYVALLEY DRIFTER was having her first public appearance and the juvenile trotting filly for trainer Chris Svanosio was able to get the job done. She is by Tactical Landing out of Kyvalley Pink (2.0.4, $37,133) and is closely related to Kyvalley Anthony (1.59.0, $70,895). She scored by a narrow margin over the two 3yo trotters in FREMARKS ELITE and THE ITALIAN DREAM and was able to beat the remainder of the juveniles by a safe margin. ROCKINWITHSASS finished in fourth position ahead of the Michael Hughes trained duo GATESYS DELIGHT and STREAK ON BY with LOVE THAT BIRD being tailed off at the end. THE ITALIAN DREAM backed up at Kilmore on Thursday night and ran a reasonable race for fourth.
Mile Rate: – 2.3.7 Last Half: – 62.2 Margins: – ½ neck, 4.25m
BLACKBOOKER: – Kyvalley Drifter
Trial 3: – The top trotting mare I AM WILMA was able to return with a comfortable trial victory. She has been freshened since a third behind Lovemeto at Melton in June. NOTHANOTHA NAUGHTY was having her second trial since a fourth in the New South Wales trotting Derby and was runner up with the Super Series champion HARPERSEVEN being last of the three runners across the line in a small but quality trial field.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.0 Last Half: – 58.2 Margins: – 6.5m, 3.25m
Trial 4: – LETITRIDELUV was five back on the markers before moving into the one out and one back trail at the 500m mark. He angled wide on the home turn and was forced even deeper on the track when JOCKA GEE raced greenly but he was able to produce a big winning burst to get the prize. POSTMAN JOEY finished in second position after trying to lead throughout and copping some pressure coming up to the bell. He is competing at Shepparton on Tuesday night. DAYSOFWINEN ROSES was three back on the markers, moved up without cover and attempted to find the lead coming up to the bell but proved to be very lazy and couldn’t get across to the markers. She trailed the leader from the 800m mark and finished in third at the end. JOCKA GEE settled four back on the markers, moved up without cover at the 600m and battled on fairly well for fourth.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.5 Last Half: – 59.1 Margins: – 11.25m, 1m
Trial 5: – SWEETSUGARCANDYMAN continued his very good trial form with a big victory after coming from last of the seven runners and finishing off fast out wide on the track. The slow last quarter of 31.2 second may have accentuated the performance but he was visually impressive and his overall trial form has been strong. LE GASTON settled five back on the markers, moved into the one out and one back trail at the 600m and tried hard for second. MAGIC MIKE NZ led out then took cover and was the third horse home with the early leader LEGAL EAGLE finishing in fourth. MAGIC MIKE NZ will be competing at Geelong this evening.
Mile Rate: – 2.2.4 Last Half: – 61.2 Margins: – 2.5m, 1.75m
Trial 7: – VERBICI settled five back on the inside, was four back from the 1500m and angled out three horses wide from the 400m. He sprinted quickly to hit the lead on the home turn and was able to get the job done in the end albeit by a slender margin. KYVALLEY DIABLO finished in second after trying to lead throughout. He was well and truly headed by VERBICI on the home turn but to his credit, he kicked back strongly in the straight and was only beaten by a head margin. CALABASAS was five back on the markers for the majority of the trial and ran into a distant third ahead of ALDEBARAN EMJAY, which settled three back on the inside. ALDEBARAN EMJAY is competing at Melton tomorrow night.
Mile Rate: – 2.4.2 Last Half: – 59.8 Margins: – Head, 28m
TERANG 11/08/26
Trial 1: – LE CARDINAL has been very good this season having won three races from six attempts against strong grade and prepared for his engagement at Melton on Saturday night with a trial success. ROCKIN GEMMA has joined trainer Matthew Horsnell since her latest unplaced performance at Mount Gambier and did very well to finish second in a quality field. DHAULAGIRI NZ hasn’t raced since finishing second in the Ouyen Cup back in May. He did very well on the Country Cups circuit during his last preparation and finished a close up third. The stable mates TACTICALLY PERFECT NZ and KEAYANG PASSION finished fourth and fifth respectively with the last quarter being a sizzling 26.9 seconds.
Mile Rate: – 2.0.0 Last Half: – 55.6 Margins: – 2.5m, 2m
BLACKBOOKER: – Rockin Gemma
Trial 2: – JILLIBY ECLIPSE did a bit wrong when on debut ($1-22 fav) back in February. She has had two trials since and was able to pick up the winning prize in the second event over stable mate KEAYANG MARICRUZ, which has now been the runner up in two recent trial attempts. WEST HOLLYWOOD is a juvenile filly by Always B Miki out of Beach Shack (1.53.2, $148,702) and is related to the three winners Sayitaintso Joe (1.54.2, $45,301), Kellys Delight (2.0.0) and Shackouttheback (1.55.0, $53,679). She finished in third at her first trial attempt and was just ahead of YANKEE RAIN and HAPPILY. SHES CAPTIVATING finished detached from the herd and was the last horse across the line.
Mile Rate: – 1.59.6 Last Half: – 58.1 Margins: – 4m, 1m
Trial 4: – JILLIBY HIGHROLL is a 2yo colt by Stay Hungry out of Jilliby Opal and is related to the three proven winners in Jilliby Road Runner (1.54.3, $44,869), Jilliby Sylvester (1.54.1, $198,126) and Jilliby Tomcat (1.56.4). He finished off in a slick final quarter of 28.2 seconds to win his trial over JILLIBY STRANGER, which was another juvenile colt making his first public appearance. He is by Tall Dark Stranger out of Jilliby Galwaygirl (1.53.7, $29,760), which never finished out of the money in her seven racetrack starts. JILLIBY STRANGER is the second foal. KEAYANG WILDCAT finished third and HOSO MAGIC was last of the four runners to complete the course. HOSO MAGIC is making his debut in the Youthful Stakes at Melton tomorrow night.
Mile Rate: – 2.1.8 Last Half: – 57.9 Margins: – 2.5m, 5.5m
