Fast times highlight busy week at Murray Bridge
Sunday (One-Turn)
Canya Candy was an early winner on Sunday night for her trainer Damien Smith, producing an excellent performance to break her maiden status. Stepping out from box seven over the 395m trip, the fawn bitch was well supported in betting despite being beaten easily on debut.
She came out of the boxes quickly and found the early lead in less than perfect weather conditions. As they went into the turn, Canya Candy was pressured but that didn’t bother her at all, as she stuck to the rail and booted clear in the straight. The result was a rather dominant six-length win in a slick 22.44!
Ben Rawlings enjoyed a big night at Murray Bridge, picking up a training treble for the evening. First up was North Bleachers who made it a perfect two from two to start his career when he made the most of box one over the short trip. A good start saw him hold his spot on the rail and despite it being keenly contested, he was a bit too good and won in 22.43.
Pockets Watson was next up over the same trip and from box eight, he did things tough on his way to an impressive victory. He stepped well enough but found himself very deep going into the home turn and with a lot of work to do. Despite this, he kept on grinding away before unleashing in the home straight and charging right over the top for a great 22.43 win.
Spring Harbour completed the treble, returning to form and landing his first win since March this year. It was a very strong performance from the black dog over the 455m distance. He had seemingly little chance mid-race when he was outpaced but just kept on working home strongly before getting home too well to win in 25.85.
We had two heats of a mixed 5/6 series over the 530m distance with Dashing Deb and Springvale Bray taking out the heats. Springvale Bray was very impressive in his heat win, overcoming box seven to win with ease. He came out of the boxes well but had to work hard to hold his spot as they went into the back straight. After getting into second spot, he very quickly powered through his gears and took over around the turn.
It was a one act affair from that point as he strolled in for a fast 29.85 victory. The final of that race will be held on Thursday night at Angle Park.
Dog to follow: Fantastic Radley - Made a great return to the racetrack on Sunday night. Jumping from box six over an unsuitable 455m distance, he was outpaced and shuffled back towards the rear early. He took a while to balance up but when he did he made rapid ground down the outside, before charging home and running a close fourth. It was a terrific effort and he should be winning soon.
Tuesday (Straight Track)
Jack Trengove landed a training double for the afternoon, thanks to the efforts of Two Broke Girls and Subzero Annie. From box one over the 300m trip, Two Broke Girls was only given a rough chance of winning her race, but that didn’t deter her at all. When the boxes opened, she stumbled slightly but quickly regathered herself and accelerated with power. Given plenty of room on the rail, she was allowed to gallop freely and found a clear lead and run on for a handy 17.04 victory! It was a long wait until the last race but was worth it when Subzero Annie overcame box four over the same distance. She came out well and found the lead, before getting pressured midrace. Despite the heat, she kept responding and won well in 17.02.
The performance of the day came from the David Rundle trained Air Grace, who made an emphatic return to racing after a three-month spell. From box eight over the short distance, she showed plenty of early dash and found the front. Despite using plenty of the track, she quickly put a space on the rest of the field and was looking particularly good out in front. Towards the end she got a bit weary but she had done more than enough, winning in a flying 16.64, which was the quickest run all day. She’s clearly come back in good order and will be winning a few more this preparation.
Dog to follow: Drive The Jack - He’s a dog in really good form and ran yet another ripping race on Tuesday. From box two over the 350m trip, he stepped well and wanted to use plenty of the track. In the end he was beaten very narrowly and ran a great time of 19.27 himself. He will be winning again shortly.