Favourites reign supreme
Race 1 and an even 395m maiden to kick off on a cold night at the Bridge. Finniss Blossom came out really nice from the 8 box and led by a few lengths. Coming around the turn, Finniss Blossom started to change its stride and lose ground which allowed She Has Zip to come home hard and finish over the top, claiming a solid 22.72 victory. Race 2 and this time just the 4 dogs went round over the 395m maiden. The favourite for the race, Came And Went, led in 5.14 with the close second favourite in Canya Razor right behind him. Approaching the turn, Came And Went veered off which opened the door for Canya Razor to rail underneath and push up hard to claim a top win in 22.37. The aptly named Finiss Flash was an eye-catching run behind, spotting the front runners plenty down the back and getting within a couple of lengths. Race 3 over the 530m and it was a clear match race between Gary’s Miracle and Spring Vinnie. It was a gripping race the entire way round as the favourites matched motors the entire trip. Gary’s Miracle was able to get the right bob on the line and beat Spring Vinnie who hurt himself by going wide in the home straight. Another terrific win for the super consistent Gary’s Miracle. Race 4 and the staying trip for the night with Fantastic Radley sent out a red hot favourite. He was slow to leave the boxes, but with a bit of luck and the use of some nice field sense, he was able to lob second behind Porridge Box at the start of the back straight. From that point, he was never going to lose and Fantastic Radley zoomed past before landing a dominant 38.94 victory. He looks to have a massive future here and I can’t see any of the current stayers here getting on top of him soon.
Race 5 and a grade 6 over the 395m with Plumber, a well-backed favourite off the 6 box. After a very even line out, Plumber was able to show plenty of class to navigate some dogs in front and hit the lead, before extending for a terrific 22.42 victory. Race 6 and a pretty strong grade 4/5 over the 395m journey. Aston Bintang was an interesting runner having its first start in SA whilst the enigma Like A Librarian got a run from the red box and was very well backed. In a mixing affair, the pocket rocket that is Miss Cola was able to pounce on the lead and prove way too quick for the others as she landed a very nice 22.20 victory. Race 7 was a solid grade 5 for the 455m trip with Aston Thunder starting a pronounced favourite. The iron dog Jack’s Knight led the field in an 8.14 early split with Aston Thunder finding a spot on the rail. As they turned for home, Jack’s Knight gave another kick but Aston Thunder was still making ground and eventually showed his class and went past Jack’s Knight, landing a tidy 25.78 win. Race 8 was probably the best race of the night over the 455m trip. Beatific started favourite off the red box with Undercut and Max Voltage also well in the market. Time Striker and Max Voltage used their inside boxes perfectly and were able to clear out from the field. Time Striker led coming into the straight but veered off which allowed Max Voltage to sail up on the inside and land a very good 25.38 win.
Race 9 and just the four dogs over the 530m. It was another match race in the market with Agent Swan just starting favourite over Departure Gate. The two favourites cleared out quickly from the field with Agent Swan holding the lead. Coming to the line, Departure Gate had his chance to win but couldn’t get past Agent Swan who posted a PB 29.90 run. Race 10 saw a well backed runner of the 530m trip in Line Seeker who was coming back to Murray Bridge off a huge Gawler run. It was a mixing affair and Line Seeker was spat out the back with Yanderra Evie and Shanlyn Charlott fighting for the lead. Turning for home every dog had its chance and they were spread out across the straight. On the rail and coming home the hardest it was Line Seeker. In an extraordinary finish which saw 5 out of the 6 dogs in the race finish within a length, Line Seeker got up and claimed the win of the week in SA. Credit to the Romyn team, they have got him back from injury very nicely. Race 11 was a belter of a grade 6 over the 455m trip. Zipping Whoopi, Shavano and Raging Redline were well in the market at the beginning of the day but as they shut the boxes it was a clear match, with Zipping Whoopi blowing a gale in the market and starting double-figure odds. As they approached the turn, Raging Redline and Shavano had cleared out from the rest and were in a great battle. Raging Redline held the rail and Shavano went wide which turned out to be the deciding factor in the race. Raging Redline clocked a terrific 7.95-25.36 gallop. The last of the night was a very even grade 6 over the 455m. Anna’s Spark led the race in a sharp 8.04 before Ackles used box 1 perfectly to get behind her. Ackles railed up and found the front, going on to land a nice victory.
An epic finish with Line Seeker claiming a terrific victory
Credit Kurt Donsberg Photography
Dog to follow: Finiss Flash - A few really good runs on the night but I liked this one the most. He is from a very handy litter which is showing plenty of potential. After falling on debut, his run Thursday was very good. The first split of 5.29 is only pedestrian but after that, he got very mobile and clocked a good 22.57. Looking forward to watching his future as he continues to improve and develop.
Best Bet (Monday Night): Newbury (R7 - Box #2) - A terrific card on Monday. I think this race is a clear two dog race between Newbury and likely favourite Aston Model. Newbury was luckless in a strong race last Monday and backs up again here. With no clear leader in the race, I think Aston Model uses box 1 to rail up and find the front with Newbury right on his back. It will be a matter of whether Newbury can get past Aston Model which won’t be easy but I think he can be given the strength of his interstate runs.