Day of reckoning nears

ULTRA CONSISTENT: The Steve Fennell trained pacer Miss Peggy O'Neill has been a model of consistency with three wins and three placings from her past six starts, her latest win being at the Greenwald Paceway last Friday night. Picture: TREVOR JACKSON

By David Gilbert

RACING at Mount Gambier is due to resume next month on Wednesday, February 23 after an absence of 20 months.

Whether the track gets the all clear to race on that date will be known 12 days earlier when trials will be conducted out at Glenburnie on Friday, February 11.

Mount Gambier Racing Club president Peter George was buoyant about racing recommencing next month when I spoke to him at Penola races last Sunday.

“The track looks magnificent and the plan on Friday morning, February 11 is to have three trials with six horses in each trial,” George said.

“I am very confident we will get the all clear to resume racing.

“Racing SA officials will be down from Adelaide to watch the trials and check the track out.”

Also waiting anxiously for the green light to be given will be officials of the Millicent Racing Club in regards to its annual meeting in late May.

“We have been advised by Racing SA that our meeting this year will be at Mount Gambier on Sunday, May 29,” Millicent Racing Club secretary Simone Berry stated.

The Millicent club was due to have its cup meeting at Mount Gambier in 2020 after racing at Penola since the early 1980’s.

However, with the Mount Gambier track out of action, its 2020 meeting was run at Bordertown and last year it was conducted back at Penola.

SIDELINED FOR A MONTH

MUCH travelled local jockey Jacob Opperman has found himself grounded following an accident at track work last Wednesday week.

The 18-year-old apprentice, who has ridden 12 city winners so far this season and sits third on the Limestone Coast jockey’s premiership ladder (nine winners), fractured his middle finger which, according to his father Jamie, “was a very simple accident”.

In fact, Opperman continued riding trackwork and also fronted up for a book of rides at Warrnambool the following day.

After three rides and rating the Patrick Payne trained What Happened perfectly out in front to win the 1100-metre maiden, Opperman sought more medical advice and was stood down from riding for the rest of the day.

The original diagnosis suggested that Opperman would be out of the saddle for six weeks, “but that has been changed to four weeks,” an upbeat Opperman told me at Penola on Sunday.

TAKING ALL BEFORE HIM

BACK in mid-November, Runbro won his third race for local trainer Belinda O’Loughlin in a restricted BM 72 handicap over 2000 metres at Naracoorte.

The seven-year-old gelding then won a similar race at Penola on December 3, thrashing his rivals once he dashed clear at the top of the straight.

Last Sunday at Penola, Runbro stepped up to open company in the 2100 metre Summer cup at Penola and proceeded to again give his opponents a galloping lesson with an emphatic 5.5 length victory.

Admittedly the field had dropped away to only five runners following three scratchings, including the $1.90 favourite Sebonna who was withdrawn just prior to the race on veterinary advice with a case of colic.

The Penola club may get a “please explain” request from Racing SA officials in regards to the very firm surface presented last Sunday.

From a Soft 5 on race eve, the track reading went to a Good 4 on race day before stewards quickly upgraded it to a Firm 2 following race one.

As a result, there was a flurry of late scratchings for later races from trainers who did not want to run their horses on such a hard surface.

PUNTERS CASHED IN

A HUGE drop back in class saw the veteran galloper Mista Holyfield backed with great confidence before winning the 1600-metre BM 58 handicap at Penola last Sunday.

Admittedly, the Richard Wilson trained gelding had not won a race for over two years, that being the 2020 Coonawarra Cup, also at Penola.

But, here he was back in an improvers class field after recent outings in open company in the Nhill and Coonawarra cups.

With the three kilogram claim for Stacey Callow, Mista Holyfield only had 59 kilograms on his back in a race where the minimum weight was 57.5 kilograms.

Official betting fluctuations show Mista Holyfield was backed from $7 into $4.40 favourite but $18 was freely available on race morning

Trainer Darryl Dodson and apprentice Ben Price combined for a winning double which has seen Dodson move to equal top spot on the trainer’s premiership ladder with Lee Creek.

Two hefty plunges early in the day came unstuck, firstly with Fast Foils ($4-$2.70 fav.) who ran second in the opening race.

That saw the winner Hasta La Prince ease from $4 out to $8 and the youngster of the field prevailed thanks to a peach of a ride by Emily Finnegan.

Then the Adelaide visitor Dixie Whistler was backed as if a certainty in race two ($3.60-$2 fav.) and had every chance before being run down by the Dodson trained Hasty ($7-$19).

Judging by the cheering in the small crowd, the most popular winner of the day was Snaptof in the 1300-metre BM 54 handicap.

Trained at Millicent by Jeremy Kenny, Snaptof landed some nice wagers ($10-$5.50) and raced handy to the lead before apprentice Stacey Metcalfe made her move on the home turn.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

IF early indications are correct, the revamped Naracoorte Cup weekend is going to be the best for many years.

The Naracoorte Cup will be run on Sunday, February 6, with the cup calcutta at the racecourse the previous evening.

Sam Hayes, son of the late Peter Hayes, is a guest speaker of high repute and will be part of the night for which 150 tickets have already been sold.

“We will accept up to 200 people and bookings can be made through moshtix.com or by ringing the club on 0438 622 271,” Naracoorte Racing Club president Glen Hamlyn stated.

Any sporting club with a fast athlete over 100 metres can cash in on the “Dash for Cash” to be held on cup day.

There will be two races, one for males and one for females, and the winner of each race will receive $300, as will the sporting club he/she represents.

LEADERS DOMINATED

AS with the previous local harness meeting, all four winners last Friday night at the Greenwald Paceway won after being able to lead from the outset.

Trainer Graeme Howard and son/driver Brent opened their winning accounts for 2022 when Burning Hot returned to his best form in the NR 50 pace.

One of the outsiders of the field at $6, Burning Hot had an easy run in front and had the race in his keeping 300 metres out when his rivals were all under pressure.

Veteran driver Kevin Brough can take credit for winning the NR 51-55 pace when the well-backed Julius Shadow ($3.10-$2.25 fav.) crossed the field from his outside draw and was able to lead with ease.

Steve Fennell maintained his lead as the leading trainer this year when Miss Peggy O’Neill made it three wins from her past six starts in the opening event.