Harness Racing Victoria form guru Craig Rail has added four new additions to the blackbooker this week, including the Rebecca Bartley trained Johnny Tang.

Rail was impressed with the colts trial at Shepparton on August 15.

“Settled a clear last of the six runners after being very slow into stride. He moved into the one out and one back trail behind,” Rail said.

Rail also added Foresight, Im Ready Jet and Mister Blindside to his file this week.

 

SHEPPARTON 15/08/24

Trial 1: - NEW YORKER settled down in last position and came to the outside with 500m remaining. He sprinted sharply up to the leaders and sustained the run to win the trial nicely. DAT LOU NZ finished in second after showing very good gate speed to lead clearly and battling on well at the finish. The former New South Wales trained pacer SPIRIT OF ARION NZ has recently joined trainer Isabel Walsh and finished third after trailing the leader throughout. He followed with a close second behind Heavenly Gipsy at Bendigo on Wednesday night. WEMADE FREO finished in fourth after settling three back on the markers and CHEYELLA (4 back markers) was last of the five runners to cross the line but wasn’t beaten by far.

Mile Rate: - 2.4.6                             Last Half: - 59.1                Margins: - 1m, 1m

Trial 2: - NEEDY AN GREEDY settled four back on the markers, waited for the sprint lane and charged through late to win nicely. COURTNEY CHARLI trailed the leader, moved to the outside on the home turn and tried hard for second. BACK PAGE WRITER settled three back on the markers and commenced his move from the quarter pole. He finished third ahead of MCMAYHEM, which settled last of the five runners in the early stages of the event. BACK PAGE WRITER backed up with a sixth placed effort behind Tenaciously at Bendigo on Wednesday night.

Mile Rate: - 2.1.8                             Last Half: - 60.3                Margins: - 1m, 1m

Trial 3: - RACING WRITER settled five back on the markers, moved to the outside at the 600m mark and sustained a good run to win the trial nicely. He is competing at Wagga this afternoon. JOHNNY TANG settled a clear last of the six runners after being very slow into stride. He moved into the one out and one back trail behind RACING WRITER in the back straight on the final occasion and went to the line hard held, never peeling to the outside at any stage so it was an eye-catching performance. REASON TO SCREAM settled three back on the markers, got shuffled back in the field mid-race and finished off fast for third.

Mile Rate: - 2.2.8                             Last Half: - 62.0                Margins: - 2m, 1m

BLACKBOOKER: Johnny Tang

Trial 4: - MAORIS MAC won the Nutrien Final during her last campaign and hasn’t started since failing to finish in the New South Wales Oaks. She appeared to be very sharp in the trial victory after being three back on the markers for the majority of the trial and coming out three horses wide on the home turn.  MAJIC VALLEY was four back on the markers from the 1400m and made ground over the latter stages for second. VOLDAGHA ended up being five back on the markers and waited for the sprint lane. He finished third with ZINGARA LASS (6 back pegs) finishing off fast to be fourth across the line. ZINGARA LASS backed up with a fourth placed effort at Bendigo on Wednesday night and will be competing at Shepparton on Tuesday evening.

Mile Rate: - 2.8.3                             Last Half: - 62.9                Margins: - 5m, 3m

Trial 5: - COUNTRY ROCKSTAR settled four back on the inside, angled wide on the home turn and finished off best to defeat the early leader MAJOR MAURIE, which had a tendency to hang out at the 500m mark. MARAKO SHARK led out then took cover behind MAJOR MAURIE before gaining an inside run leaving the back straight on the final occasion. KINGS GUARD was last at the bell and moved up without cover. He battled on well for fourth with FIELD OF POPPIES NZ coming from five back on the markers and running home well late to be a close up fifth. COUNTRY ROCKSTAR was unlucky in his effort at Bendigo on Wednesday night, MAJOR MAURIE is racing at Wagga this afternoon and FIELD OF POPPIES NZ will be resuming from a spell at Shepparton on Tuesday night.

Mile Rate: - 2.3.4                             Last Half: - 59.1                Margins: - Neck, Neck

 

KYABRAM 18/08/24

Trial 2: - HOORAH PHILTRA was clearly the class runner of the field on assessments and was able to win the trial by a comfortable margin. LITTLE RAIN CLOUD continues her extensive trial campaign and was second across the line ahead of LOYOLA SPIAGGIA and PRE NUP.

Mile Rate: - 2.6.1                             Last Half: - 62.2                Margins: - 5m, 3m

 

MARYBOROUGH 18/08/24

Trial 1: - BLAKE BOLAC settled three back on the markers and moved into the one out and one back trail at the 600m before sprinting home best out wide on the track. He is awkwardly drawn for his performance at Melton tomorrow night. ROCKIN GEMMA trailed the leader, came to the outside in the back straight on the final occasion and battled on well for a close second. The early leader TELEMACHUS was last of the three runners to cross the line.

Mile Rate: - 2.0.1                             Last Half: - 57.5                Margins: - Short Head, 5m

Trial 3: - SAVON DE ROCHE showed very good gate speed to lead, ran along at a genuine tempo and dominated her rivals, winning the trial by 25m. The Kate Hargreaves prepared filly is by Lather Up out of the race winning mare Sheshell Rock (1.57.1). ROCKNROLL KNIGHT settled last of the three runners, came to the outside at the 300m mark and picked up second ahead of HAMMERANDTONG (trailed leader).

Mile Rate: - 2.2.4                             Last Half: - 58.0                Margins: - 25m, 5m

Trial 4: - SMOKESCREEN settled four back on the inside, moved off the pegs at the 1100m and pressured the leader a long way from home but was able to sustain the run to win nicely. He backed up at Ballarat on Thursday night and finished fifth behind Waterfront. MUSELET trailed the leader, came to the outside on the home turn then switched back to the inner in the home straight. He tried hard for second with the early leader DON’T DOUBT peaking late and finishing in a distant third.

Mile Rate: - 2.3.9                             Last Half: - 59.4                Margins: - 2m, 25m

 

BENDIGO 19/08/24

Trial 2: - LOOK LIKE DIAMONDS began fast to find the lead, set up a genuine tempo and remained strong at the finish to hold on and win. DHAULAGIRI settled last of the three runners, came to the outside on the home turn and tried hard for a close second. QUEEN ELIDA NZ trailed the leader, used an inside run on the home turn and was a close up third without being fully extended. Both DHAULAGIRI and QUEEN ELIDA NZ will be competing at the Melton program tomorrow night.

Mile Rate: - 1.58.3                          Last Half: - 57.7                Margins: - 1m, 2m

Trial 6: - FORESIGHT settled five back on the markers, moved off the pegs at the 1100m, sprinted quickly to find the lead at the half mile marker and kept on running to win impressively. She has only had two starts to date and that was in the Bathurst Gold Tiara series in March but she showed enough ability to suggest she can win a race in the near future. MANFREDI led out then took cover at the 800m mark. He battled on well for second with RUNNING IN CIRCLES coming from four back on the markers in the last lap to be the third horse across the line.

Mile Rate: - 1.57.6                          Last Half: - 57.7                Margins: - 9m, 1m

BLACKBOOKER: Foresight

Trial 7: - INTERPRETATION began quickly to find the lead and was able to slow the tempo mid-race. He finished off in a slick final quarter of 28.3 seconds to win nicely. He is backing up at Wagga this afternoon. CONISTON settled midfield, came out three horses wide with a half mile remaining and chased hard for a game second. ROCKWITHATTITUDE settled last on the outside, trailed into the race (3-2) at the 700m mark and ran home strongly without being fully extended. TALKNPLAY came from seventh on the markers and made ground late for a handy fourth. He is resuming from a spell at Shepparton on Tuesday night.

Mile Rate: - 2.1.0                             Last Half: - 57.1                Margins: - 2m, 5m

 

TERANG 20/08/24

Trial 1: - JILLIBY WILLOW began quickly and was able to find the lead. She was always a comfortable leader and finished off in slick final sectionals to win nicely. BETTOR ISOLATE trailed the leader throughout and comfortably held down second. The field were in the same order all of the way with DANCE AWAY (3 back markers) finishing third and YOUNG BLUEY (4 back markers) being last of the four runners across the line.

Mile Rate: - 1.59.9                          Last Half: - 53.2?              Margins: - 6m, 10m

Trial 2: - ALL BLAZING GUNS settled five back on the inside, moved into the death seat at the 1300m and found the front at the bell. He extended nicely over the concluding stages and was able to win clearly. DOUGS TRIBE was three back on the markers, came to the outside on the home turn and made ground for second. TREACHEROUS REIGN settled down last, followed behind ALL BLAZING GUNS coming up to the bell and was able to angle in behind the leader with 800m remaining. He tried hard and finished a distant third.

Mile Rate: - 2.1.6                             Last Half: - 59.4                Margins: - 20m, 10m

Trial 3: - JILLIBY ADORE began quickly to find the lead and set up a slow tempo. She finished off in slick final sectionals to hold off her two trotting rivals and get the prize. KEAYANG STUKA raced in the trail throughout and tried hard over the latter stages to finish a close up second. IMPERIAL MONARCH NZ was last of the three runners throughout but held his own over the concluding stages.

Mile Rate: - 2.4.3                             Last Half: - 57.8                Margins: - 1m, 4m

Trial 5: - ROCKNALLOVERTHEWORLD NZ took on the two open class trotters KEAYANG IGNITE and KEAYANG CHUCKY and was able to lead throughout. It was a very similar scenario to the trial won by Jilliby Adore with the field being in the same order throughout and the final half being run in fast time. KEAYANG IGNITE and KEAYANG CHUCKY both recorded very handy sectionals at the end leading up to their effort in the open class event at Melton tomorrow night.

Mile Rate: - 2.1.4                             Last Half: - 57.1                Margins: - 4m, 2m

Trial 6: - MISTER BLINDSIDE began smartly to find the lead and ran along at a genuine tempo. He was always well clear of his rivals and won by a big margin in fast time. He should prove hard to beat at Cranbourne on Sunday night despite being drawn on the outside of the front line. KEAYANG TWEETYBIRD produced a very tidy performance to finish in second. She was out of position at the start and was a clear last early, before settling five back on the markers. She moved into the death seat at the 700m mark and sustained a long run to finish second. KEAYANG GYPSY trailed the leader throughout and was a distant third at the finish.

Mile Rate: - 2.0.7                             Last Half: - 58.2                Margins: - 6m, 10m

BLACKBOOKER: - Mister Blindside

 

MELTON ENTERTAINMENT PARK 20/08/24

Trial 1: - OLLIVICI NZ continued his strong trial form with a victory over ARCEE PHOENIX. He stepped away well from the standing start to lead then took cover behind ARCEE PHOENIX before sprinting home too quickly at the end. TOUGH LOVE missed away badly, did a very good job to catch up to the two open class stars during the middle stages then peaked on her run late.

Mile Rate: - 2.4.8                             Last Half: - 57.95             Margins: - 2m, 63.5m

Trial 2: - SERGEANT LOU began very quickly and dashed to the lead in the early stages. He set up a genuine tempo and remained strong at the finish to win well. PARADISE VALLEY enjoyed the perfect trip behind SERGEANT LOU, waited for the sprint lane and finished off well for a close second. HES A MEISTER NZ was three back on the markers throughout and finished third with LOUIE LOU I running to the line well from last of the six runners to pick up fourth position.

Mile Rate: - 1.56.0                          Last Half: - 56.78             Margins: - Neck, 10.5m

Trial 3: - BETTER ECLIPSE commenced his Victoria and New Zealand Cup campaign in style with a comfortable trial success. He led throughout and dashed home in a slick final quarter of 27.03 seconds to win clearly. EXOTIC BUSHRANGER settled last of the four runners, angled away form the inside on the home turn and worked home very well for a bold second. IDYLLIC settled three back on markers and finished third ahead of DREAM MAZE (trailed leader).

Mile Rate: - 1.56.3                          Last Half: - 55.21             Margins: - 6.5m, 1.5m

Trial 4: - CAPTAIN MOORE was a very impressive winner of the fourth event. He trailed the leader and came away from the inside at the 150m then sprinted very fast in slick final sectionals to win comfortably. TECHY CREED began quickly to find the lead, ran along at a genuine tempo and was run down over the latter stages but he met a smart horse on the day. IVSEENHEAVENSLIGHT settled three back on the inside, moved away from the markers at the quarter pole and tried hard for third. The leading trio finished well ahead of the fourth placed SOHO PINA COLADA (4 back markers).

Mile Rate: - 1.58.4                          Last Half: - 56.31             Margins: - 2m, 5m

Trial 5: - SOHO THE REAL DEAL trailed the leader and used the sprint lane to get the prize. He showed very good acceleration at the end in a last quarter of 27.84 seconds so it was a good display. FOX DAN attempted to lead throughout and finished in second with LET HER ROLL putting in another promising trial performance for third after moving up without cover from last at the 800m mark. MISS AUSTRALIANA was four back on the markers early before being in the one out and one back trail and coming out three horses wide on the home turn. She finished a close up fourth with FORTY LOVE (3 back markers) being the last runner home but wasn’t beaten by far in a very strong field.

Mile Rate: - 2.1.0                             Last Half: - 56.36             Margins: - 1.5m, 4m

Trial 8: - EUREKA JO trailed the leader for the majority of the trial before coming to the outside with 600m remaining. She moved up to hit the lead before the home turn and sustained the run to score nicely. IM READY JET settled six back on the markers, moved into the running lane (1-2) and ran home strongly late. It was a very good performance leading up to her clash with Queen Elida and the open class trotting mares at Melton on Saturday night. KING REPELLERE settled four back on the markers, moved through to trail the leader at the 500m and angled wide on the home turn. He finished third ahead of PERPETUITY, which settled three back on the markers and moved into the one out and one back trail with 600m remaining.

Mile Rate: - 1.59.4                          Last Half: - 57.49             Margins: - 2m, Short ½ head

BLACKBOOKER: - I’m Ready Jet

Trial 10: - ALWAYS HOT began quickly to find the lead and finished off in slick final sectionals to win untouched. SOHO AMERICANO settled four back on the inside, moved into the death seat with 300m remaining and battled on strongly for second. BRIGHTON trailed the leader and came to the outside on the home turn. He finished third with BEACH DIAMOND (3 back markers) being last of the four runners across the line.              

Mile Rate: - 2.0.1                             Last Half: - 57.01             Margins: - 1.5m, 4.5m

Trial 11: - WATTS UP PARTYTIME began quickly to find the lead and enjoyed a good run throughout. He finished off in a slick final quarter of 28.15 seconds and won with ease. He has galloped at his past four attempts at the races but he has ability and would have gained plenty of confidence in his trial success. EASY PICKINGS NZ finished second after trailing the leader throughout and DESIGNER VICI was last of the three runners for the duration but nearly got past EASY PICKINGS NZ in the home straight.

Mile Rate: - 2.4.1                             Last Half: - 58.84             Margins: - 11m, ½ head

Trial 12: - ARSENIO led out then took cover at the 1600m mark. He moved away from the inside with 500m remaining and sprinted sharply to win by a good margin. MISS DISTURBIA settled five back on the inside, moved off the markers with 600m remaining and worked home well for second. SOHO FURY trailed the leader early, ended up being three back on the markers and waited for the sprint lane. He finished third ahead of I AM THE STORM, which progressed forward to find the lead with a mile remaining. SOHO FURY is competing in a heat of the Breeders Challenge series at Menangle on Monday afternoon.

Mile Rate: - 1.58.4                          Last Half: - 57.62             Margins: - 7m, ½ head

 

MILDURA 20/08/24

Trial 1: - LOSEASHOE hasn’t raced since a tenth at Mildura in May but he has been performing nicely at the trials over the past few weeks. He was able to win the opening trial over COULDN’T RECOMMEND with OFF ME ROCKA being a large distance away in third position. COULDN’T RECOMMEND is backing up at Mildura this afternoon.

Mile Rate: - 2.4.2                             Last Half: - 59.80             Margins: - 4m, 35m

Trial 3: - IM ALRIGHT JACK hasn’t raced since a fifth at Mildura in June. He was able to record the fastest time of the four trials conducted at Mildura on Tuesday night on his way to defeating MACH HU NZ. VAN SHARD NZ finished a close up third in a trial where there was an even tempo set throughout and will be backing up at Mildura this afternoon.

Mile Rate: - 2.2.0                             Last Half: - 60.1                Margins: - 2m, 3m

 

HAMILTON 21/08/24

Trial 1: - JULIUS SHADOW is a Metropolitan class pacer and was clearly the class runner of the field. He hasn’t started since an eighth at Terang in December but was able to take out the trial. ALWAYS DANCING is a juvenile pacer, which has won two races at Mount Gambier this season. She finished second ahead of THE STYLIST, which hasn’t started since a third at Horsham in March. LOUISE LUCK finished fourth ahead of SMOKIN STREPO with the juvenile trotter ITGETSBETTER being the last horse across the line.

Mile Rate: - 2.3.3                             Last Half: - 59.1                Margins: - Not Given