The script has been thrown out and a new Vicbred Super Series chapter will be written in the four-year-old entires and geldings chase for the $130,000 title.
The unfortunate scratching of Poster Boy due to pneumonia removed the two-time Vicbred champion from tonight’s heats, but those watching TrotsVision were buoyed to learn from owner-breeder Bill Anderson that the brilliant Lauriston Bloodstock colt was on the mend.
It also meant that opportunity knocks for his rivals as was noted by Chris Alford, who has steered Poster Boy to many a memorable Group 1 victory.
“It’s unfortunate that Poster Boy got sick and can’t try and win the two, three and four-year-old finals, but it brings a lot of other horses into it now,” Alford said. “Now he’s out Major Times and Tam Major, they’ve all got really good chances.”
The aforementioned Emma Stewart trained pair joined Russell Jack’s Three Summas and Craig Demmler’s Be Major Threat as heat winners on Rock N Roll Heaven four-year-old night at Ballarat’s Bray Raceway.
It was Major Times who struck first for owner Leslie Morris, with the Art Major entire in a class of his own in heat one, finding the front from gate two and kicking clear in a 54.8 last half to win by 14.6 metres.
“He’s a lovely big strong horse, he got a really easy lead and one (Yankee Roller) come to put a bit of pressure on with a lap to go and he just got on the job and ran to the line really well,” Alford told TrotsVision.
“It was always going to be hard for the opposition when he did draw well and he’s just carried on his good form and hopefully he keeps it up going into the semis and the final.”
It was a sixth straight victory for Major Times, who was bred by Peter, Bruce and Craig Cameron out of mare The Good Times.
And it was a similar story in the following heat when an Emma Stewart trained, Chris Alford driven Art Major entire found the front and held off all challengers, with this time it being Tam Major getting the job done for owner-breeders Bruce and Vicki Edward.
“He likes to have some horses to race him and he gets a little bit lazy out in front but tonight he was really sharp and seeing him dash up that 26.5 quarter was really good,” Alford said.
“The lead time was really slow and then I just had to ask him to ramp it up from about the 1200 to 1000, if you go too slow you leave the sprint in some of the others, but tonight he sprinted really well.”
Idealsomemagic also deserved plenty of praise having boxed on brilliantly and gained ground in the lightning last quarter, finishing only 2.2 metres off the winner with third placed Alpha Charlie a further 11 metres back.
The absence of a dominant Stewart runner put a little more spice into the third heat and Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars favourite, Joe Nien, was forced to do more work than they would have liked early amid a willing battle for the front.
The quickest lead time of the night’s Vicbred heats would take a toll on Joe Nien who faded to sixth in the final straight while Be Major Threat, who trainer-driver Craig Demmler advanced to the breeze at the bell, boxed on to win by 1.3 metres from Brackenreid.
“He’s going really good,” Demmler said of the winner, an Art Major gelding owned by John Fitzgerald. “They did a bit of work early so I decided to pop around and dictate outside the leader. He tried really hard tonight. He did a good job.
“You are rapt when you get a sires race or a heat, it’s worthwhile getting up in the morning. There’s no easy heat because we are racing the best of the best in Victoria, it’s great to watch and to see these good horses going around.”
And, despite the absence of Poster Boy, that was certainly the case in the final heat where leader Higherthananeagle pulled hard and set a cracking pace inside Rackemup Tigerpie.
With all quarters under 30 seconds there was no breather and Higherthananeagle paid a price in the closing stages while Rackemup Tigerpie boxed on well only to clipped by Kerryn Manning and Three Summas on the line.
Trained by Russell Jack for owner-breeders Todd and Wendy Rivett, Manning said it all went to plan for Three Summas in the Somebeachsomewhere entire’s half-head win.
“The plan was just to slot into the running line early and hope Rackemup Tigerpie would come around, so it actually worked out how we had hoped.
“When he got in the one-one he actually struggled to catch up to the back of Rackemup Tigerpie, but then I saw the first quarter (29 seconds) and I knew why. Once he tacked back on at the bell he travelled really good. With a bit of cover tonight he showed that he can sprint really well.
“He’s had a bit of time off between runs this time and I think that run will probably do him good. It’s a fast time but he didn’t have a terribly hard run doing it, so hopefully he’ll improve a little bit for the next one.”
Preparations will now turn to the Alabar Vicbred Super Series semi-finals night at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday, June 29, with the first six in each of tonight’s heats keeping their title dreams alive.
EMMA STEWART AND BILL ANDERSON ON POSTER BOY: