Chevalier lands a treble and Country Cup heat
Tuesday (Straight Track)
On a pleasant afternoon up the straight track, Ray Fewings picked up a couple of winners. The first one was a very young debutant in the form of Gossamer (Fernando Bale x Michele Quick). She started favourite from box four and when the lids opened she showed why. A solid beginning saw her lead quite comfortably before striding out nicely, leading all the way unchallenged in 17.03. She won’t turn two til next April, so she has got plenty of improvement yet to come, another exciting type for Ray. Cherries On Fire returned after a short spell and once a couple of scratchings came through, she appeared unbeatable. She crossed over from seven quite comfortably and cruised home for an easy 16.84 win, which by the time she ran, the rain had started, so it was a very tidy return. Well done to Ray, he’s got the team going well at the moment.
Another maiden to break through on Tuesday was Katoni, trained by Ross Smith. The black dog (Magic Sprite x Majestic Tale) has been gradually improving each start and was given a hope from box eight as a result. He left the boxes nicely and travelled strongly midrace, finding himself with a handy lead. Towards the end he did get a bit tired but had done enough and won in a handy 17.04. His win also meant that every dog to race from the litter so far has won, with the litter including handy chasers like Garside and Tuivasa.
Woodside Zulu has made a brilliant return to racing after three months off. He returned last week in the open class race and was a real eye catcher, then on Tuesday he was able to go even better and return to the winners list. He jumped fairly from box five but was able to clear air so he could balance himself up. It was a tight battle in front for the entire race and as they got closer to the line, it was the power and might of Woodside Zulu who charged through to hit the front and win, running a hot 16.63. A fantastic win and hopefully the sign of a big campaign ahead!
Dog to follow: Tuivasa - Had his first run over a longer trip on Tuesday, lining up in a 350m grade 6. He showed his customary early pace but it was pleasing to see him run out the trip well, leading all the way in 19.38. That’s now three wins in a row and I look forward to seeing him tackle the 455m trip on the one turn in the not too distant future.
Sunday (1-Turn)
We had two heats of the Country Cup on Sunday night, which were both high quality fields with both winners going through to the final. Hoogley started favourite in the first heat, from a favourable low draw. When the lids opened it was Victa Kurt that darted over from box seven and found the early lead. Midrace, he was challenged quite strongly by Finniss Flash, however they had a slight tangle before the turn. This allowed Run Like Jess to find a run through and in the home straight, he took over and hit the front, winning the heat in a handy 30.17. The second heat was also hotly contested, with Miss Scallywag starting favourite. Fantastic Faith utilised box eight to perfection, she wasn’t the fastest away but mustered well and went around the field to find an early lead. From there she was never really challenged, as she glided away for a 30.11. Well done to both Run Like Jess and Fantastic Faith who will no doubt represent Murray Bridge well on Adelaide Cup night.
It was a big night for Adrien Chevalier, who took out three winners. One of those of course was Run Like Jess in the Country Cup, but the other two were a little unsuspecting, winning at big odds. Out Of Nowhere was able to show up over the 395m journey and get the job done from box two. The big fawn dog was brilliant early, allowing himself to find the front. After defying a midrace challenge from Shintaro Fury, he was able to again find himself a couple of lengths in front. Towards the finish line he had a rattling Aston Chaffy approaching quickly in the rearview mirror, but had just done enough to hold in 22.87. Jimali then completed the night for Adrien, producing a very strong performance from box eight. He only jumped fairly in the quality field, but strided out beautifully down the outside. He and Most Wanted were neck and neck around the turn, but as they went up the straight, Jimali proved way too strong, running away for a 2 length win on the wet track. Well done to Adrien on a ripping night!
Paul Rehmann hasn’t had the best of luck in recent times, battling through injuries with some of his chasers, so it was terrific to see Razzle Darryl make it two wins in a row since joining Paul’s kennel. Last week he showed his strength to win first up over the 455m trip, before dropping back in trip on Sunday to take on the fast class race of the night. He left the boxes fairly from box seven, but showed fantastic muster and smarts to work up outside of the leader as they approached the turn. In the straight he then went whooshka, quickly taking over and putting the race away and winning in a BON 22.33! Hopefully this is just the start of a few more for Paul and his owner Becc Weinert.
Dog to follow: Aston Chaffy - He was first up on Sunday since joining Matty Payne’s kennel and he produced a terrific effort over the short journey. From box one, he couldn’t have left the boxes any slower if he wanted to and quickly found himself 6 lengths off the leader. With tickets likely ripped up for those who backed him, he tore through the gears and railed like a demon, seemingly some chance at the top of the straight. In the end he ran out of time, going down by a neck in what was an excellent effort. If he can leave the boxes better then clearly he will be winning a few over 395m, but I am sure he will enjoy getting out over further.