Zinfandel Pair Well Drawn In Produce Final
Zinfandel Pair Well Drawn In Produce Final
The 2024 Gawler Produce series will reach an intriguing conclusion this Sunday night, with the race worth close to $15,000 to the winner taking centre stage on a terrific night of racing at Gawler.
Two semi-finals were run last week and in the first semi it was the Gavin Harris-trained Zinfandel Evie who put her excellent early speed to good use, leading all the way from box three and running 30.98 in the process, which was the quicker of the two winning semi-finals. It was a captivating finish, with Croatian Comet and Tappet both putting in late surging finishes in an attempt to run over the top of Zinfandel Evie, but ultimately they both fell short.
The second semi-final went the way of the Victorian based Fast Headache, who is trained by Matt Lanigan and owned by South Australian connections. The fawn bitch showed that she took no harm from the big drive over in week one and that the drive back in week two didn’t faze her. From box seven, she crashed over to the fence and landed in second early but working hard and eventually getting through on the rails, before winning in front of a super unlucky Zinfandel Trace and Majestic McLaren.
The final should be sensational race and South Australian owner, breeder and trainer Gavin Harris will have plenty to say, having two dogs in the final, with half-sisters Zinfandel Evie (Worm Burner x Zinfandel Zara) and Zinfandel Trace (Barcia Bale x Zinfandel Zara) both getting through after running great races in the semi-finals.
Zinfandel Evie won her heat in slick fashion, whilst Zinfandel Trace ran an enormous race when coming second, overcoming significant traffic issues and nearly getting over the top.
Harris was pleased with both chasers in their semi-finals and when asked whether Zinfandel Trace is one of the best youngsters that he’s had come through, he conceded that it is true.
“Yeah I’d say (so), when she (Zinfandel Trace) was only 14 months old, she ran 19.40 over the 342m distance at Angle Park, so I knew I had something reasonably good,” Harris said.
“She basically had a heap of time off because after she won her maiden I knew I was going away, so I didn’t do much with her. So she had five or six weeks at home with no galloping at all.
So when I got home three weeks ago, it was a quick exercise to try and get her fit and ready for the series. She improved her last split, it would be nice if she had (Zinfandel) Evie’s first split. Once she got galloping, she ran home strong and even up the home straight she ran up backsides.”
While Zinfandel Trace is the promising youngster on the scene, Zinfandel Evie was full of class as she continued her excellent record at Gawler with nine wins and a second from 11 starts, most showcasing her trademark early speed.
“She’s (Zinfandel Evie) a consistent beginner, but runs out of puff a bit at the last bit, but she held on just. I was happy with her, but it would be nice if she was a bit stronger at the end,” said Harris
In what looks a strong final on paper, the race will ultimately come down to some good luck and early speed. Zinfandel Evie has come up with the converted box one draw, whilst Zinfandel Trace has also drawn well with box three. Harris is pleased with the draw and is hoping that both of his chasers can get through the first turn unscathed.
“I’m happy with the draw, I would have liked Trace to be in one and Evie in three, but it’s a pretty evenly matched field,” Harris said.
“We just want to get around that first corner without getting checks and see how we balance up. The young dog Tappet is pretty good and Ben’s (Rawlings) dog (Croatian Comet) improved a lot. They’re all evenly matched.” said Harris
“I think Trace can run the better time, but she’s a bit inexperienced. I would have more confidence in Trace, but Evie can get out in front and then dogs behind her get knocked and bumped.”
Not only will the card feature the Produce final, a host of other big races will also be run on the night. These races include the Gawler Produce Consolation, the Mike Wittholz Mixed Masters Final and the Anniversary Cup.
An awesome night of racing awaits, with the first of the night set to get underway at 5:36pm.
Best Bets:
Peace Belle (Race 4, Number 6)
Euler Bale (Race 8, Number 3)