Fantastic Spike Sizzles in Chegia Treble - Murray Bridge Recap
Fantastic Spike Sizzles in Chegia Treble
Friday Meeting
Back on the Friday time slot after a cracking Murray Bridge Cup series, we saw 10 races around the circle on an enjoyable Friday afternoon.
Liz Chegia had a great afternoon, landing a treble from the small team she had engaged. Terrific Bobby was the first and he returned to the winners list for the first time since October last year. From box four over the 455m trip, he was a tad slow to go and amongst the traffic early. After working his way to the outside, he still had plenty to do as they went into the home turn, but at the top of the straight he clicked up a gear, before storming home down the outside for an impressive 25.71 win. Fantastic Ada then lined up in a hot 4/5 grade field over the same distance and from box one, she was always going to have to deal with some pressure early. A slightly slow start had her on the backfoot early, but the brindle bitch quickly mustered up hard on the rail and got her nose in front going into the turn. Once in front, she was always going to be hard to catch and that proved the case, as she won well in 25.62. Fantastic Spike completed the treble with a sensational performance over the 530m distance. After a couple of big efforts through the cup series, he looked a certainty in the heat of the 5/6 grade series and it didn’t take long for him to show why. From box one, he pushed up hard early to find the lead and once he did that, it was a matter of times and margins. He was cruising along midrace and had put a space on the field, before stopping the clock in a deadset flying 29.66, which is only a couple of lengths outside the track record. An awesome run and a great day for the Chegia team!
Graham Smith also enjoyed a winning double for the afternoon, with a couple of impressive winners early in the day. Woodside Frankie got the card rolling, taking out the first race which was over the 395m trip. He drew poorly with box six, but only had a small field to deal with. An early check as they came out of boxes put him back to last and in a bit of trouble early on, which he handled well and he started to rev up again on the outside. As he was about to go past them on the turn, he copped a big check and lost quite a few lengths again and seemingly had no chance. This didn’t deter him and he yet again peeled to the outside, before unleashing down the outside in the straight and getting over the top late, to win in 22.85. A massive effort! Woodside Star then won the next race, again over the 395m trip. From box five, he stepped really well and quickly accelerated to the lead. Despite using plenty of the track, he strolled along out in front and was never in trouble, going on to win in 22.39.
Tuesday Meeting (Straight track)
Gary Pidgeon continued his terrific run at the straight track in recent times, taking out another treble for his efforts. Last Iceberg was the first of his three winners, with the white and black dog putting together a commanding performance over the 350m distance. From box five, he was slow to go and wanted to get to the outside. With some midrace packing in front of him and a bit of fortune, he darted back to the middle and found the lead, before hanging on to win at a very nice price! The highly promising Canya Crusader then made it four straight wins to start his career, with a last to first effort over the 300m trip. From a middle draw, he came out slowly, but very quickly mustered through his gears and worked his way to the front, before winning in 17.10. Tree Town completed the trio of winners, with a gritty effort from box seven over the short trip. He was one of the last to leave the boxes and despite not looking a major chance until very late, he got the head in front and won narrowly. A great day for Gary!
Liz Harley also enjoyed a terrific afternoon at the straight, landing a training double. Thunder Rolls won his heat of the grade 6 series over the 350m distance, with a very handy effort from box seven. After taking a few strides to balance up, he found himself in an even line with the others, but halfway up, he found the lead and really started to power on. It was over a long way from home, as he won in 19.67. Aston Gillon then returned to the winners list in the next race, also taking out a heat of the grade 6 series. After an unlucky run the week prior, the black dog set out to make amends and sure enough he did. A quick start had him near the lead early and from there it proved to be a great tussle the entire way up, as he fended off a challenger the entire way up the straight, before lobbing in 19.76. It should be a good race for the final next week!