By David Gilbert
AN owner or trainer may have an absolute certainty in a race, but they still have to have plenty of factors in their favour before ending up in the winner’s stall.
Mainly the right track and weather conditions, a decent barrier draw, plus luck in running and a good ride from the jockey on top.
Then you sometimes need, in the case of a very close finish, the photo to go in your favour which has certainly been the case for Bordertown trainer Jeff Searle on the past two Saturdays at metropolitan level.
Almost a fortnight ago at Morphettville, Chipson got up in the final few strides for Searle to get the photo by half a head.
Last Saturday at Murray Bridge in what was a blanket finish between five horses, his very promising galloper Turf Decision railed through to win the 1400-metre BM 82 handicap with a short head to spare.
Jockey Dominic Tourneur can take much of the credit for the win as Turf Decision never left the fence at any stage and that was the difference between winning and losing.
Turf Decision has come a long way in a short space of time and he now boasts five wins from nine starts, all in this current racing season.
It started with a win here at Mount Gambier on October 19, 2022 followed up by success at Bordertown (11/12), Murray Bridge (2/1), Naracoorte (30/4) and now the city meeting at Murray Bridge on the weekend.
On occasions, the four-year-old gelding has been well backed and that was the case last Saturday, firming from $4.40 to start second favourite at $3.80.
There was also confidence in the Searle camp for his other runner later in the day at Murray Bridge, the former Lee Creek trained Private Jet.
The gelding was specked in early odds at $51 before firming to $21 before starting a $31 chance and managed to sneak into third place.
The good run of success continues for our apprentice Jacob Opperman with another metropolitan winner on Saturday at Murray Bridge.
Riding track work at Murray Bridge at present is certainly paying dividends for the youngster as he led all the way on the $21 chance France’s Boy for Murray Bridge co-trainers John Hickmott and Carrina Riggs.
HAT TRICK NEVER IN DOUBT
ANYONE who backed Action In Cairns, the equal favourite in the BM 66 handicap at Glenburnie on Wednesday, never had any worries about collecting.
The Michael O’Leary trained gelding loves heavy conditions and, for the third time in a row, found conditions to suit as he attempted for a hat trick of wins on his home track.
Prior to race four, visiting stables had won every race but that all changed after jockey Dominic Tourneur gave Action In Cairns ($3.30-$2.60) the run of the race.
“I held him back as long as possible as he tends to become lazy if he hits the front too soon,” Tourneur said post race.
For O’Leary it was the ideal farewell present before he headed off to Darwin for his annual winter holiday the following morning.
“I can’t wait to leave, and Action In Cairns again showed his love of wet conditions as he doesn’t go half as good on dry tracks,” O’Leary commented.
GOLD CUP A LITTLE EARLIER
IT is less than a month to the start of the new 2023/24 racing season and the list of dates for the five Limestone Coast racing clubs have been released.
As with recent years, there will be 29 race meetings conducted in this region with no shock changes to the calendar.
The only mild surprise is the allocation of race meetings to the Penola and Naracoorte racing clubs in June next year.
This year, racing in the winter months of June, July and August is concentrated solely on Mount Gambier and Bordertown, the best two wet weather tracks in the Limestone Coast.
Neither Penola or Naracoorte has excellent wet weather tracks and a repeat of the rainfall this June (with some areas receiving 200mm) will put both those venues in severe doubt next June.
With Easter falling early next year (in late March), the Mount Gambier gold cup meeting has been moved forward a week to Friday, March 22.
Penola always has its cup meeting on Easter Sunday and, in recent times, the Mount Gambier cup meeting has been programmed nine days prior to Penola and that remains the status quo next season.
August, 2023: Bordertown (Sunday, 13/8); Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 30/8).
September, 2023: Mount Gambier (Sunday, 24/9)
October, 2023: Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 11/10); Naracoorte (Friday, 20/10); Bordertown (Sunday, 29/10)
November, 2023: Penola (Sunday, 12/11); Naracoorte (Friday, 24/11)
December, 2023: Mount Gambier (Friday, 1/12: twilight); Bordertown cup (Sunday, 17/12); Naracoorte (Friday, 29/12)
January, 2024: Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 3/1); Penola (Thursday, 11/1; Coonawarra cup); Mount Gambier (Sunday, 21/1: Summer cup); Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 31/1)
February, 2024: Naracoorte cup (Sunday, 11/2); Bordertown (Friday, 23/2)
March, 2024: Naracoorte (Sunday, 3/3); Mount Gambier cup (Friday, 22/3); Penola cup (Sunday, 31/3)
April, 2024: Bordertown (Sunday, 14/4); Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 24/4)
May, 2024: Bordertown (Sunday, 10/5); Millicent cup at Mount Gambier (Sunday 26/5)
June 2024: Penola (Sunday, 2/6); Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 12/6)
July 2024: Mount Gambier (Wednesday, 10/7); Bordertown (Friday, 26/7)
LONG INVOLVEMENT WITH RACING
A name well known in Limestone Coast racing circles over a long period of time passed away recently here in Mount Gambier.
Rob Spillman, formerly of Penola, started his involvement with the racing game as a jumps jockey before progressing on to be a long-serving steward in the South East.
Back in 1974, Spillman had one of his biggest wins as a rider when he won the South Eastern steeplechase at Glenburnie on the John Pratt (Mount Gambier) trained Golden Sunrise.
As the district steward for many years, one of Spillman’s duties was to inspect all the tracks in this region prior to race days and give a track rating.
In later working years, he was also the chief steward for the greyhound club here at the Tara Raceway.
Spillman, who was 78 years of age, had been in poor health for some time and was privately laid to rest.
