Team Sharp Dominate Murray Bridge Sprint Classic Heats

Tuesday (Straight track)

Clint Trengove had a big day with his team on Tuesday, taking home three winners. The treble included Magic Zimba (Dyna Chancer x Dyna Alice) who broke her maiden in 17.59, Festival Dancer (Barcia Bale x Jeepers) who also won her maiden in 17.15, before the most impressive of the three in the form of Big Merv, took out a later race in 16.98. It was an impressive effort from Big Merv, who took a big hit out of the boxes and was near last early, before powering up the middle of the track and storming home. I would be following him with a bit of confidence up the straight.

Just Buffy sizzled in her best of the day victory over the 300m distance. Coming out of box five in the grade 5 event, she timed the start perfectly which she doesn’t do all the time, but it makes a big difference when she does. With the good start, she led easily in a rocking 4.34 first split, before proving too fast and winning narrowly in 16.59, ahead of an improved Bruce Mick Glenn.

Exelero made his South Australian debut for his new trainer Kevin Bewley, on the back of a nice Healesville run prior. He had box eight for the 350m event, and despite a good beginning, he did get stuck out deep and had to do things right. After biding his time out wide for the majority of the race, his strength proved a bit too much for the others as he powered away late for a good win in 19.70. Kev had another winner later in the day, which made it a training double, thanks to Virage Volante who won comfortably over the short trip in a handy 16.95.

Dog to follow: Big Merv - I was really taken with his effort to win on Tuesday and it was easily a career best effort. He showed strength and chase to deal with the issues he encountered and won super strongly. Being a big 35kg dog, it may well be his calling the straight track racing and you would think the 350m trip will only help him when he gets over it.
 

Friday (1-Turn)

Friday’s meeting at the Bridge was one of the strongest cards we have seen since the cup night last year, with six heats of the Murray Bridge Sprint Classic being run over the 395m distance, which brought chasers from everywhere, including over the border in Victoria.

We saw some seriously fast heat winners for the Sprint Classic and the equal quickest of them was the Ben Rawlings trained Gondola, who was simply brilliant at her first start on the circle. From box six she came out well enough and showed some smarts early to bide her time up the track as she tried to power her way to the front. Once she worked her way to the lead, she proved simply dynamite as she scorched away for a super slick 21.95 victory. It was a big run and if she takes any improvement at all from her look at the track, she will take a stack of beating in the final.

Plenty of Victorian trainers made their way over the heats and one of those was  Jessica Sharp, who runs a big kennel in Victoria with her husband Jason. They had an outstanding day, with Jessica picking up three winners for the heats of the Sprint Classic. The quickest and arguably most impressive winner was Malo Magic, who is owned and formerly trained by local Ed Burrett. The red and fawn dog has been a brilliant performer in Victoria, proving himself as a consistent Free For All dog over there and his ability was on show for everyone to see, as he went an equal quickest best of the day, winning in 21.95. Early speed set the race up for him, as he fired to the lead quite quickly and proved too good. The other winners for Jessica were Charlott's Blaze who was sensational in her 21.96 victory and Aston Profit who was a classy 22.11 winner. The final next week will be an absolute ripper and will certainly be quite open.

Dave Peckahm made another venture to Murray Bridge and walked away with a winner. The iron dog that is Maximum Refusal caused an upset as he claimed victory over the 530m trip. It was a small field of five and Maximum Refusal found himself in the middle and wide early, after a fair beginning from box eight. He showed some smarts to work his way to second and loom in a striking position approaching the turn. In the home straight the run opened on the rails for Maximum Refusal and he powered on through, taking the lead and then the victory, running a handy 30.04. The kennel mate in Midnight Bandit got up for second to make it a quinella for Dave. That was win 24 from 124 for the almost five year old, pretty good!

Dog to follow: Aces Are Trumps - Really enjoyed seeing how this dog has returned from a short spell. He’s had three runs back now after the 5 week break and it seems to have done him really well. Stepping up to the 455m trip Friday, he showed more pace than he had been prior to the spell and was simply too fast in front, winning in 25.40. He’s only going to get fitter with more runs and it might be good timing with the Murray Bridge Cup looming around the corner.