The TAB Breeders Crown continues as the spotlight shifted to the three-year-olds, with the best and brightest battling at Bendigo for places in the November 14 semi-finals.
And it was a showcase night for reinsman Greg Sugars, who won three of the seven heats and was optimistic that in gelding Mach Dan and filly Maajida he had two bona fide Crown contenders.
Relive the great night's racing with this thetrots.com.au race-by-race review.
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IRT Australia Breeders Crown heats for 3YO colts and geldings:
Heat One: It was smooth sailing in the first heat for trainer Amanda Grieve and reinsman Chris Alford, who advanced with Willie Go West after he led from gate one and was rarely challenged.
The Auckland Reactor gelding out of Bettor Go was bred by Studholme Bloodstock and purchased by a big group of owners who brought him to Victoria, with tonight his fourth start and second win on Australian soil.
“I think they paid a fair bit of money for him, he’s just a bit awkward-gaited and it’s taken a bit to get him right, but tonight he felt really good and ran really well,” Alford told Trots Vision.
Out of the gates Alford held out Big Black Diamond early and from there was barely tested, finishing with a 27.2-second last quarter that secured a 3.2-metre win from Ranger Bomb, with Sahara Sirocco 11 metres back in third.
“It worked out pretty well,” Alford said. “We led quite comfortably, got a little squirt down the back when Greg (Sugars on Private Eye) came up, but he held him out pretty easily and relaxed well.
“They can run fast on this track and once he had that first lap he was going to run a good half.”
Alford said he was optimistic Willie Go West would be a key player as the series worked towards the November 21 final.
“Hopefully he’s still on the improve coming up to the semis and hopefully the final,” he said.
“He’d probably be the top colt that I’m driving at the moment, the others are nice too, but they’ve all drawn bad tonight, so hopefully they can all get through and we can worry about that later.”
Willie Go West advanced to the November 14 semi-finals along with Ranger Bomb, Sahara Sirocco, Big Black Diamond, Moonlite Drive and Goodtime Floyd.
Heat Two: The rise and rise of Loorrim Lake continued with Emma Stewart’s exciting prospect adding an eighth consecutive win in the second IRT Australia three-year-old colts and geldings’ heat.
After winning only once in his first 21 starts, the Roll With Joe gelding out of Jethros Madam was snapped up by owners Michael Cirillo and Ann-Maree Short.
Bred by Stephen Maguire and David Hargrave, he won five on the trot for trainer Andrew Vozlic in Mildura before being shifted to Stewart’s camp and adding a further three consecutive wins in the hands of reinsman David Moran.
“He seems to be progressing into a really nice horse now,” Moran told Trots Vision. “He’s shown enough gate speed tonight to lead, there were a couple off the front row who do begin pretty quick, he showed that he can get out of the gate and burn both ends.
“I think his speed’s probably his best attribute ... he’s just starting to really toughen up a bit now and come into himself, so I think that’s probably the best part about him leading into these races – he is so versatile.”
Loorrim Lake scored by 6.9 metres in tonight’s heats off a 26.7-second final quarter, with stablemate Firerockfireroll running second.
“He ran them along genuine enough and then ripped home a really quick last half. I think he’s got a really big future,” Moran said.
Loorrim Lake advances to the November 14 semi-finals along Firefrockfireroll, Im A Denny Too, Imnopumpkin, Mirragon and Krafty Bart.
Heat Three: The tale of the night continued in the third colts and geldings’ heat when Breeders Challenge winner Mach Dan led comfortably and then let down with a withering final quarter to win his heat.
After a successful stint across the border for Tim Butt, the Mach Three gelding returned to Emma Stewart’s camp and looked untroubled in winning by 6.6 metres for reinsman Greg Sugars.
He said the gelding, who was bred by Shannon and Meaghan Nixon and is owned by Danny and Jo Zavitsanos and Warren Viney, had only improved for his time across the border.
“A couple of the other runners who have gone interstate have perhaps been below par but he was right on his A game tonight, which is really good,” Sugars said.
He worked to the lead ahead of Santa Casa Beach without any great acceleration and zipped home in 26.8 seconds to win comfortably.
“Previously when I’ve raced him, when he’s been in front he’s been a bit casual and waited for them, hasn’t really responded quite as sharp as what I’d like in certain scenarios, but tonight he travelled like a winner right from the word go,” Sugars said.
“Was never off the bit really and did it quite comfortably. Really pleasing going forward that he’s not just a follower now, he’s learned how to get out there and do it himself. He’s probably gone to the top of the list on that performance of my three-year-olds.”
He will be joined in advancing to the November 14 semi-final by Santa Casa Beach, Jilliby Nitro, Scorcha, Hesty and Daylight At Dawn.
Heat Four: Pacifico Dream stretched out with the quickest heat of the night, with Andy and Kate Gath’s Mach Three three-year-old working to the front in a bristling 38-second lead time and running sub 30-second quarters in setting up his heat win.
“It’s encouraging signs and couldn’t be happier with him,” reinswoman Kate Gath told Trots Vision. “Most of (the heats) have been walking races and that one probably would have been too had Pacifico Dream not got so keen in the running.
“I didn’t have to ask him for too much late and I felt like he was holding the second horse (Zeuss Bromac), and obviously the second horse ran very good as well, these races are never easy, but it’s always good to come out and win the heat and fingers crossed that we can keep going.”
Bred by Harshall Investments, the Mach Three colt out of Mint Julep is owned by Mervat Caruana and Marlene Johnson and tonight notched an eighth win in just his 15th start.
“He hasn’t had a lot of racing but he’s had hard racing,” Gath said. “He’s been against the best three-year-olds pretty much his entire racing prep and you would think it’s encouraging going forward.
“He’s a bit lazy at home, so you can never really get that good a guide at home, but we come here and he’s getting the job done, so couldn’t ask for more.”
And it gives Gath optimism that he can be a key player as the series advances.
“As confident as you can be, but at the end of the day you look at these horses in the other heats and it’s all going to get down to draws.”
Pacifico Dream advanced to the November 14 semi-finals along with Zeuss Bromac, Jemsoms Pet, Sanday, Perfect Stride and Monsieur Delacour.
Pryde’s EasiFeed Breeders Crown heats for 3YO fillies:
Heat One: With a blistering sprint Sweet Louise threw her name into the TAB Breeders Crown ring for trainer Phil Chircop, with the green but talented Sweet Lou filly showing top end talent.
Driven by Greg Sugars for owner-breeders Dorro Downs, Sweet Louise showed early speed to lead before relinquishing the front to Iolanta, who Sugars then clawed passed in the final stages to record the filly’s third career win.
“She’s a relatively inexperienced filly,” Sugars told Trots Vision. “She’s got a very good record for wins and placings per start. She was thrown into the deep end (last start in the Argent 3YO Classic) and I was a little unsure how she was going to handle that class rise last week, but she didn’t have the best of luck in running and was hitting the line OK.
“That was a really good sign and Phil was happy that the horse had trained on from that and she’s heading in the right direction coming into this series.”
She carried that form on with tonight’s impressive run, that included a 26.9-second final quarter and 2.2-metre win over Iolanta.
“She didn’t get the turn really good and as you see it’s quite a sharp last quarter, she really rattled home strongly up the straight. She’s a filly with a future,” Sugars said.
“She can do a bit of work. She’s a big lump of a filly but she’s probably not 100 per cent tractable at the moment. She’s not one-dimensional, but her manners are going to hold her up a little bit, so depending where she is in the run and how the race gets run (will affect) how she’s going to finish off.”
Sweet Louise and Iolanta will be joined in the November 14 semi-finals at Tabcorp Park Melton by Its Ebonynivory, Dasha The Great, Final Peace, Orbie, Dr Susan and Art Of Sheng Li.
Heat Two: It was smooth sailing for Marg Lee’s Keayang Jackie in the second fillies’ heat, with reinsman Jason Lee crossing from gate two and then allowed to cruise through a 41.4-second lead time and 32-second first quarter to set up a comfortable win.
“We just had to run a half tonight and that’s all she had to do so we can keep some in the tank for (the semi-final) next week,” Jason Lee told Trots Vision post-race.
Keayang Jackie ripped a 26.8-second third quarter and then got home in 27.4 seconds to hold all challengers at bay, winning by 2.9 metres from Beautiful Woman, who had sat on the leader’s back throughout.
The win was further confirmation that Keayang Jackie, A Rocknroll Dance filly out of Christian Party, had come a long way this season, with tonight producing a seventh win from only her 15th start.
“She was pretty difficult as a young horse and Glen (Craven)’s spent a fair bit of time with her and Marg, just trying to get her to settle down,” Lee said. “She’d try and kick your head off, I don’t know if we’ve had many as bad as what she was early days for just going out in the bike and kicking, she was scary. She’s come a long way and turned into a lovely filly.
“She probably got a bit keen tonight, which she doesn’t usually do, but she was just feeling a bit fresh and wanting to get on with it.”
And with that win in the bank Lee is optimistic that, with the right breaks, she’s a Crown contender.
“I think she’s every bit a winning chance if she can get through next week and nothing goes bad. Sometimes it can be harder to qualify than win the race if you get the right draw or the right run, but look she’s going to need a lot to go her way but I think any of them do – they’re all pretty even. If she gets in and gets the right run she’s definitely a winning chance.”
Keayang Jackie advanced to the semi-finals along with Beautiful Woman, Soundsofcash, Burnforu, Teckys Angel, Dancing With Flo, Belladonna Girl and Louisiana Jo.
Heat Three: The queen is going to take some topping to remove her from the throne if Maajida’s win in tonight’s final Pryde’s EasiFeed heat for three-year-old fillies was any indication.
The reigning Breeders Crown champion led from gate two and ambled through the first half before finishing with a 26.4-second final quarter, which was enough to hold fast-finishing Amelia Rose and Its Beaujolais at bay for trainer Emma Stewart and reinsman Greg Sugars.
“(She) had a lovely run in front and got the job done nicely,” Sugars said. “I’ve probably gone too slow for her and let the others into the race, but she has got good speed when required, so do a few of these others, so quite naturally they can keep up with her, but I’m always very confident with her.”
By Somebeachsomewhere out of Arterial Way, Maajida has brought plenty of joy to owner-breeders Gary, Ian, Leslie and Steve Johnson throughout her 18 career starts, which have yielded $356,900 in stakes, with Sugars in the sulky for all but her debut run.
“There was nothing really flashy about her – the way she went about it or her looks, she just keeps winning, just gets the job done week after week,” Sugars said. “She’s a lovely filly and it’s been great to be a part of the ride. She’s one of my all-time favourites for sure.”
Maajida will attempt to keep the good times rolling when she contest the November 14 semi-finals, advancing from the final heat along with Amelia Rose, Its Beaujolais, Rockingwithsierra, Ash Park, The Pantheist, Roquefort Cheese and Alice Kay.
The TAB Breeders Crown continues with the trotting heats at Maryborough on November 19.
