By David Gilbert
LIMESTONE Coast racing will again conduct 29 meetings for the upcoming 2021-22 season commencing next month.
The Mount Gambier club, which has not raced since June last year, will host 10 meetings – at this stage – followed by Naracoorte (7), Bordertown (6), Penola (5) and Millicent (1).
August: Bordertown, Sunday, 8/8; Naracoorte Sunday, 22/8.
September: Penola, Wednesday, 8/9; Naracoorte, Sunday, 26/9.
October: Penola, Sunday, 10/10; Naracoorte, Wednesday, 20/10; Bordertown, Friday, 29/10.
November: Penola, Sunday, 7/11; Naracoorte, Friday, 19/11
December: Mount Gambier (cup: to be confirmed), Friday, 3/12; Bordertown (cup), Sunday, 12/12; Naracoorte, Monday, 27/12.
January: Mount Gambier, Wednesday, 5/1; Penola (Coonawarra Vigneron’s cup), Thursday, 13/1; Mount Gambier, Sunday, 23/1.
February: Naracoorte (cup), Sunday, 6/2; Mount Gambier, Wednesday, 23/2.
March: Bordertown, Sunday, 6/3: Mount Gambier, Friday, 18/3. Mount Gambier, Wednesday, 30/3.
April: Penola (cup), Easter Sunday, 17/4: Mount Gambier, Wednesday, 27/4.
May: Naracoorte, Sunday, 8/5; Mount Gambier, Wednesday, 18/5; Millicent (cup) at Mount Gambier (to be confirmed), Sunday, 29/5.
June: Bordertown, Sunday, 5/6; Mount Gambier, Sunday, 19/6.
July: Mount Gambier, Wednesday, 6/7; Bordertown, Sunday, 17/7.
WARMING WINTER HEARTS
AS we know, winter can be very cold and bleak in South Australia.
But this year it has been heart warming for local harness trainers in regards to winning races in Adelaide.
For the past six Saturdays in succession, local pacers have won races at Globe Derby Park, unlike our gallopers who have hit a brick wall and have not won a race in town for over two months.
It all started on June 12 with a treble – Don’t Need An Excuse, Vain Mara and Jaccka Ted – and it has continued unabated, with the latest victor being the Kevin Von Duve trained Springfield Affair in the 1800-metre NR 49 pace last Saturday night.
Nobody could deny the three-year-old gelding the win as he had been placed at his previous four starts.
Springfield Affair – who started the $2.90 favourite – won fair and square after sitting outside the leader for driver Gaita Pullicino before scoring by three metres.
That was the fifth win this season for Springfield Affair, the last three all being in Adelaide.
Meanwhile, our current lock down means there is virtually no chance of the harness meeting at the Greenwald Paceway proceeding next Tuesday night.
The gallops, trots and greyhounds were given the green light to continue earlier this week by the government, but that will not help the cause for the local club.
“Local trainers have turned their horses out because they cannot go to Victoria to race and the Victorian pacers cannot currently come across the border,” Mount Gambier harness racing president Simon Phillips stated.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
RACING Victoria officials obviously abide by the saying “the show must go on”, if last weekend is any guideline.
Wet weather meant the tracks at meetings set down for Echuca on Sunday and Warrnambool on Monday could not be considered and late transfers quickly came into play.
Echuca was moved to Warracknabeal (300 kilometres away) and Casterton hosted the Warrnambool fixture (170 kilometres away).
That meant a huge inconvenience to some stables in regards to travelling and it resulted in a total of 49 scratchings for the Warracknabeal meeting, but it still left 67 horses in the seven-race program.
Warracknabeal and Casterton are only small clubs but their tracks are winter friendly and showed how invaluable they are to the Victorian racing industry.
This Sunday, Warracknabeal will again host another transferred meeting, with Racing Victoria moving the Wangaratta meeting in the north east to the opposite side of the state.
One local trainer who did not mind the transfer to Casterton one little bit was the Caroline based Belinda O’Loughlin.
It meant only a third of the travelling plus it saw her in the winner’s stall after the final event.
That was courtesy of Canny Move ($6.50) who produced the goods at his fourth run this campaign in the 1200-metre BM 58 handicap.
The seven-year-old gelding has always shown affinity for the Casterton circuit and darted through near the rails in the final furlong to beat fellow local Wild Colonial Boy.
Meanwhile, Mount Gambier racing club officials and ground staff have been on the road lately to assist fellow Limestone Coast racing clubs on race day.
At recent meetings at Naracoorte and Bordertown, the crew have helped repair the track after each race to ensure the day’s racing went ahead without a hitch.
TAKING ALL BEFORE HIM
IF Clever Man is a better jumper than a flat horse, then we all have something to really look forward to.
As it is, the Trevor White trained galloper is taking all before him in flat races at the moment, but his main objective all along is to take flight over the hurdles.
“He’s a natural jumper and I’m trying to push for a hurdle race to definitely go ahead at the Naracoorte meeting next month,” White stated after Clever Man ($8-$11-$10) ) made his rivals look second rate in a 2500 metre BM 52 race at Murray Bridge last week.
“He was trained in New South Wales by Anthony Cummings and I paid $20,000 for him on line at an Inglis sale, and have got friends involved in the ownership and we are having a lot of fun.”
Indeed they are with a win at Gawler in June over 2000 metres followed by a second to the wet track specialist Bear Arms at Naracoorte.
A classic Kayla Crowther ride at Murray Bridge enabled Clever Man to have his rivals beaten as far as 400 metres from home and he careered away for a six length win. .
With six runs since joining White’s stable Clever Man, has already repaid his owners the purchase price.
In the days since that impressive Murray Bridge win, White is now eyeing another start on the flat in a 2500-metre BM 68 handicap in Adelaide tomorrow week.
COMING UP
Tuesday night: July 27 Mount Gambier trots (?).
Sunday, August 8: Bordertown and Casterton gallops.
