Rushes claims memorable Shane McQueen Final
Since Rushes burst onto the SA racing scene with an eye-catching finish to claim second-place in a heat of last October’s Adelaide Cup series it was only a matter of time before he produced a similar performance to win a feature final.
Starting from box 4 and considered an each-way hope in last night’s Shane McQueen at Murray Bridge, Rushes, trained by Lisa Rasmussen, put it all together in this final, defeating a top-field to claim a stirring win for connections. It was 530m track holder Fantastic Shell who jumped the best from box 5 finding the early lead before Zipping Sultan for Ken Gill (box 1) pushed up to take over on the rail while Rhyme Nor Reason for Lauren Harris and Rushes were also tracking behind the leaders.
Heading into the bend and the field was very evenly bunched up behind leader Zipping Sultan while Max Voltage for Lauren Harris (box 2) found a nice sit on the rails however, Rushes was crowded and found himself at the back of the pack as the field turned for home. Onto the home straight, Max Voltage began to edge past Zipping Sultan as Rhyme Nor Reason and Jack’s Well for Cameron Butcher (box 8) pushed hard out wide trying to catch the two leaders. Meanwhile, Rushes was tracking just behind Max Voltage nearing the halfway point of the straight, pushed himself out from the rail and found a gap for a run between Max Voltage and Zipping Sultan. Nearing the post, Rushes sprouted wings and with a thrilling burst managed to pull ahead of Max Voltage and win in a time of 29.85 seconds just a neck ahead of Max Voltage with Zipping Sultan finishing a length behind in third place in a great finish.
A consistent performer for trainer Lisa Rasmussen and the Gold Rush Syndicate, Rushes has made a number of feature race finals including the 2021 Murray Bridge Cup in March and the SA Anniversary Cup last month at Gawler but this brilliant Shane McQueen will definitely stand as the highlight of his career thus far. Rushes’ career record now stands at an impressive 18 wins and 9 placings from his 49 career starts with prizemoney of $54,985.
The series is always a highlight of the racing calendar each year and is named in the memory of former GRSA CEO, Shane McQueen who tragically passed away in May 2003. Shane worked with the Office of Gaming in Western Australia and then as the Operations Manager with Greyhounds WA before moving his family across the border and joining Greyhound Racing SA as the CEO back in 1998. An outstanding administrator with a real passion for our sport in South Australia, his significant impact on our industry can still be easily seen today. Many family members of Shane were on-course last night at Murray Bridge to enjoy the event and assist with presentations to connections which is always great to see.