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It was a glorious weekend of Victorian trots, centred around the showcase TAB Breeders Crown and being capped with trainer Emma Stewart’s extraordinary feat at Warragul yesterday.
Stewart’s stable notched its 300th victory of the season when Tiger Storm won the Leonie Collins & Deb Quinlan 2YO Pace, the first to achieve the triple ton and breaking Bill Dixon’s wins-in-a-season record that had stood since 2010-11.
A big night for Good Form, the mighty Bull from the west and a look around the nation also feature in this week’s thetrots.com.au Catch-Up.
TAB Breeders Crown 2018
Re-live our Breeders Crown coverage via the following:
Article: Breeders Crown Finals Live blog
Article: Ride of the night
Video: Re-live Ride High’s electric victory
Video: The magic of TAB Breeders Crown night
Photos: Breeders Crown through the lens of Stuart McCormick
Friday night blog: New York bound Sparkling Success back in winning form
Video: Re-live the colour and fun from Friday night
Video: Audi Hare takes the Alabar Group 2 Breeders Crown Graduate FFA
So many magical #thetrots moments @Tabcorp_Park tonight for the @tabcomau Breeders Crown finals. pic.twitter.com/01d9opyzSS
— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) August 25, 2018
Good Form delivers
Asked at the weekend for a ‘punting prediction’ in the Herald Sun lift-out I thought the best advice I could offer was to follow Jason Bonnington’s main quaddie at goodform.trot.com.au.
The rationale for my prediction was pretty simple; firstly, he’s the best in the business, and secondly, to borrow one of his lines – these grand final nights are when the class generally prevails.
That in mind, I was confident he’d land the quaddie – and maximise returns via his breakdowns.
Well, pleased to say it worked.
Bonnington suggested punters outlay $120 on quaddies with his main plonk a $72 quad bet for a 1400% return.
It lobbed, paid $33.20, and those who followed revelled with an extra $466.20 in the skyrocket.
For good measure, the overall outlay and return on the Saturday night Game Plan was $600 spend and $1028.90 return – the second straight Saturday night of big profits for followers.
All that’s left to say is sign up to Good Form Daily here to get the plan for each Vic trots meeting from our form experts every day.
Bonnington is in the driver’s seat most Fridays and Saturdays.
And stay tuned in coming weeks for the launch of a punting 101 podcast where I’m going to delve deep into the thought process of Bonnington’s form processes and philosophies and we’ll help you crack the code of trots form to win more often. It’s going to be a helluva ride.
This wonderful night of punting continues with a #goodform profit of $346 via the Quad. Party time.
— Jason Bonnington (@JasonBonnington) August 25, 2018
Stewart smashes record
Our greatest trainer at the moment, Emma Stewart, yesterday at Warragul added yet another record to her CV for the most wins trained in a season nationally (300).
The win at the ‘Bowl’ came less than 24 hours after Stewart’s triple TAB Breeders Crown success at Melton.
The party looks set to continue, too, with Stewart taking six runners to Horsham today – all huge chances – and eight to the Breeders Crown Silver races at Geelong on Wednesday night.
.@ChrisAlford5000 gives @TonkinStewart a salute as Tiger Storm registers Emma Stewart’s 300th victory this season, a new all-time single season training record fittingly amid @warragul’s women’s celebration day. #thetrots #s pic.twitter.com/SG8wiVYCGg
— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) August 26, 2018
Beast mode for Bull
The current matadors in the west just aren’t up to curtailing the raging Bull right now.
The Pryde’s EasiFeed Victoria Cup and ID18 bound West Australian superstar Chicago Bull blitzed Friday night’s August Cup at Gloucester Park, rating a 1:55 flat from the chair to make it six straight wins.
Gary Hall Jr sat quietly on the Bull outside stablemate Runrunjimmydunn for the closing two laps before making the race his own in the last 300m.
The son of Bettors Delight went into full beast mode, registering closing splits of 27.2 and 26.9 (54.1 last half) for a commanding conquest.
Earlier on the card Hall Jr guided ultra-smart three-year-old King Of Swing to a 10.4m win to make it four on the spin for that colt, while Ryan Warwick took driving honours courtesy of a winning treble – aboard Mitch Maguire, Im Soxy and Vampiro.
Chicago Bull awesome tonight and @GaryHallJnr can’t wait to head on a holiday with his little mate! @TABradio @SkyRacingAU @OfficialRWWA @RWWA_Harness pic.twitter.com/oLaOjVcE4P
— Gareth Hall (@ghall27) August 24, 2018
Alpha performance
Aptly named My Alpha Rock was first out and first home in the Australume Vic Frost Cup at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Saturday night.
The Shane and Lauren Tritton prepared five-year-old accelerated from the mobile to lead from six and staved off Shannonsablast, Power Of Red and Loorrim Creek at the finish in 1:50.9 to score the Group 3.
Lauren Tritton drove the winner.
Race favourite Tiger Tara never saw the pegs and finished a resolute fifth after a tough run.
Power Surge won the Goulburn First National Real Estate Club Menangle Where Horses Fly Final (the trophy engravers may have needed two plates to fit the race title in) for trainer Mark Callaghan and driver Todd McCarthy, and Colin Thomas produced Bettermatch to win the Jumbuck Meats Oatley Club Menangle Country Series Final with Stephen Maguire in the bike at $1.40.
Hawke and Druitt doubles
David Druitt and Melissa Hawke split the driving honours at Wagga on Saturday night, both producing winning doubles.
Druitt’s talented McArdle three-year-old Saucy Dreams doesn’t win out of turn but has prevailed now in two of her last three starts. She led from go to whoa in the Cleena Riverina Pace.
Later, Druitt won the Wagga Awards Night September 15 2YO Fillies Pace with Lenas Art, a filly by Tiz A Masterpiece.
Hawke’s triumphs came with Grinfromeartoear three-year-old About The Attitude in the Riverina Asbestos Removal 3YO Pace and Art Major gelding Major Huss in the HRNSW Guaranteed 2YO Pace. Both were trained by Michael Hawke.
Dixon treble
While Grant Dixon headed to Victoria in search of TAB Breeders Crown glory his stable continued its dominance in the sunshine state on Saturday night.
The Dixon team secured a winning treble via Pompidou in the Garrards Horse & Hound Pace and Top Trio in the Rio Meteor Sulky Pace – both for driver Isobel Ross, while seven-year-old Art Major gelding Alleluia became a 30-time winner when he took out the Kevin & Kay Seymour Pace for reinsman Adam Sanderson in the ninth.
The latter upstaged long odds-on favourite Glenferrie Hood.
Following the last Metro meeting for the season Grant Dixon was once again the leading Metro trainer for the season! Congratulations Grant. pic.twitter.com/fjiImo3bi8
— Racing Queensland (@racing_qld) August 25, 2018
