The Bridge Weekly
‘Don Turner lands another monster priced winner’
Written by: Lachlan Mill & Tara Rasmussen
28/10/21
The past week at the Bridge…
Tuesday (Straight Track)
We saw a pretty strong 11 race meeting last Tuesday with numerous smart hounds engaged.
Kev Bewley started the day for punters with Pockets Pontoon breaking through to win his maiden. He started $1.40 and after having had 18 starts previously to win, you could forgive someone for not wanting to get involved, but Pockets showed them up as he came from off the speed to storm home and run down the leader. A good effort from Kev to show him some patience.
Scotty Feltus continued his ripping form as he lobbed the trifecta in race 3, with Lita Warrior winning, followed by Blue Moon Aguero and Jorja Can Burn. A really deserved feat for Scotty as his recent on track success is backed up by some hard work with plenty of Mount Gambier trips in recent times. On a side note, he does have some really nice straight trackers in his care so you can always follow them at Murray Bridge.
Bec Romyn was the leading trainer of the day taking home three winners. Some new faces in the kennel have meant we haven’t seen the same dominance from Bec in recent times but her new young pups definitely can run. The winners on Tuesday for her were Dash Home (16.74), Reel It In (16.73) and Hovey’s Bourbon (19.35), all of which ran a really nice time.
Time honours for the day went to.. well no surprise it was Aston Olenna, as he had a tune up run before the championships heats next week. He clocked an effortless 19.10 on his way to a comfortable win, whilst Threaten took home the honours of the 300m trip with his 16.68 first up run.
Dog to follow: Uprise - One of my old dogs is this boy, and he has just returned from a stint in Victoria. Has battled injury issues over the last year or so but his first up effort was actually really nice for Hendo. Was very keen in the boxes and came out quite well, before getting squeezed out. He was still relatively strong to the line, getting home with Nockatunga. Uprise then followed that straight run up with a nice second on Friday, so he won’t be far away from another win.
Friday (1-Turn)
The first race last Friday was the maiden series final which saw the heats run the week previous. Finnish Swish started a raging hot favourite (and rightfully so), but the race didn’t shape the way that punters had hoped with Gemtree Mercury firing to the top, before just hanging on in a close finish. His trainer Paul Rehmann has done a ripping job with this litter as they have been quirky. Hopefully Gemtree Mercury can put a few more on the board as he moves out of maiden company.
Gavin Harris made another trip up to the Bridge and walked away with a very nice double with Dashing Jinx and Springvale Max winning their respective races. Springvale Max was easily the most impressive dog of the meeting, clocking 4.97-22.25 on a slow track, a time that was two lengths quicker than the next best of the day which went to Springvale Maddi and we know how good she is. Max will certainly play a role in the derby heats this week.
Neville Loechel also had a day out as he clocked two winners. Weblec Pearl and Weblec Star were both super impressive in their victories. Pearl was in over a slightly unsuitable 395m race but her effort was excellent from box 7. She landed fourth in the run but powered home to get past the quality Aston Gypsy. Weblec Star, who has been a real revelation since joining Nev’s care, did as expected, winning comfortably in a pretty slick 30.08 (given the track conditions). Well done Mr. President!
Don Turner was able to defy all punters' expectations as he landed another huge odds winner, with Under Study getting the job done at a tidy $101! From box 6 in a full field against some nice types, she was definitely in with a task but that was all taken in her stride. She landed more forward and with that brought some luck behind her, before she held out Daniel Sun to claim the prize. It was only a couple of months ago that Don did the same thing but with In Trinity, which won at $81.
This week we look ahead to the Murray Bridge Oaks & Derby heats which are next Sunday, whilst the Straight Track Championship heats are on Tuesday. It’s all happening at the Bridge this week!
Dog to follow: Express Black - A young dog that has only had a few starts. He had his first Murray Bridge start on Friday and it was a really good effort. He was slow away which is usual for him, but then got taken wide on the turn by a dog underneath him. He picked himself up however and came late, finishing close to Little Purpose who is pretty good herself. If Express Black can just find the right draw then he will be a huge hope at odds.