Sulky Shorts with Gus Underwood

By Gus Underwood

Nov 11, 2022

Be there: Echuca Harness Racing Club hosts a meeting on Thursday. Photo by Steve Huntley

A Star is born

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The recent Battle of the Veteran Drivers race at Bendigo turned into another promotion for the skills of female drivers.

Debra Wicks-Moss was the only female driver in the field and was up against legends of the sport Brian Gath, Geoff Webster and Jim O’Sullivan.

But she upstaged them all on the Echuca-trained six-year-old gelding Star Down Under.

The Peter Lindberg-trained Star Down Under, who paid $10 for the win, was having only his second start from a let-up and, given the run of the race by Wicks-Moss, accounted for the Gath-driven favourite Lady Madge Lewis with daylight third.

It was Star Down Under’s fifth career win from 38 career starts with five minor placings and his latest 2.01.3 mile rate a PB.

Love-ly performance

Smart pacer Love Lou Longtime completed a hat-trick of wins when he prevailed at the Maryborough meeting on November 6.

Coming off wins at Shepparton and Bendigo, the four-year-old Lisa Bartley-trained Sweet Lou gelding proved up to the task of coming off an extreme back row draw to make it three wins in a row.

After settling Love Lou Longtime near the rear of the field, reinsman Mark Pitt made a move to the death seat for the last 1100m on Love You Longtime, who surged to the front coming off the back straight and then held off a determined late bid from Cashflow Cassie.

He posted a PB of 1.55.9 for the 2190m trip in hoisting his third career win.

Love Lou Longtime has been in the Bartley barn for just the four starts following three unplaced runs at Menangle after crossing the Tasman.

He had chalked up five successive placings in his first five starts in New Zealand before heading to Australia.

Maryborough success

Goulburn Valley-trained trotters were in the winner’s circle at the Maryborough meeting.

Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs notched the second win on two-year-old trotter Miss Francene, who appreciated the class drop to score an effortless win while Kyabram trainer Brent Thomson produced three-year-old Sebastians Boy for his maiden victory.

A daughter of Centurion ATM, Miss Francene took up the front running early before taking a sit and then running away from her rivals in the dash to the judge.

Miss Francene had been racing in stronger company and was a well-fancied favourite to notch her second career win in nine starts.

Miss Francene was bred by the late Ken Wills and his wife Jan and is out of the unraced Straphanger mare Miss Sally.

Sebastians Boy had put the writing on the wall for an upcoming win with an impressive second at his previous start and was even more impressive in posting his maiden win.

Trainer-driver Brent Thomson gave the son of Sebastian K time to settle at the start before ushering to a midfield position and then getting the better of a two-horse duel with Acool Investment for a soft win at the finish.

Thomson also had a winner at Cobram on Monday, scoring with the promising two-year-old filly Country Rockstar, who was driven by Nathan Jack.

By Yankee Rockstar, Country Rockstar was bred and is owned by Brent’s parents Russell and Pauline and is half sister to Sheer Modern, a winner of 12 races.

High time

Pacer High Flux continued his patch of impressive form and completed a big week for his Merrigum trainer Simon Turnbull when he claimed the Bendigo club’s 68th anniversary cup on November 4.

High Flux’s win came just five days after Turnbull had produced three-year-old filly Life In Pink for a win at Cobram in her second race start.

Given the run of the race by reinswoman Abbey Turnbull (no relation to the trainer), High Flux scored in a tight finish after getting in to some clear running in the home straight in a top drive.

High Flux, a five-year-old Auckland Reactor gelding, has now won three of his last nine starts with four top three finishes.

Jacks shine at Yarra Valley

The Jacks — trainer Russell and son Nathan — enjoyed a fruitful Yarra Valley Cup meeting last week.

Star reinsman Nathan piloted the Anton Golino-trained five-year-old mare Hopeful Beauty to a strong win at nice odds in the $30,000 Yarra Valley Trotters Cup.

An $8.50 chance, Hopeful Beauty downed the warm favourite One Over All to secure her 10th career win and take her lifetime earnings over $111,000.

The Jacks then combined to win with two-year-old debutant Kenley.

A son of Somebeachsomewhere stallion Huntsville, Kenley tracked the pace and sprinted quickly along the sprint lane to score an effortless and impressive win in 1.57.8 mile rate time for the 1650m trip.

The $35,000 Yarra Valley Cup was claimed by the Julie Douglas-trained ultra-consistent Swan Hill-owned pacer Torrid Saint who was driven by Jack Laugher.

Pitt, Towers combine in style

Stacey Towers produced a great drive to get former NSW-trained trotter Itzfergietime home at Cobram on November 7.

The three-year-old daughter of Creatine produced a sustained run over the last 600m to upstage her rivals in an impressive effort at the Cobram meeting to follow up her win at her previous start at Shepparton on October 26.

A winner of two races from 16 starts in NSW, Itsfergietime was having just her third start for Congupna trainer Mark Lee in her latest outing.

She made her Victorian debut in September at Melton, but had no luck, but she has certainly shown her stripes in her last two outings.

She zipped home in an impressive 57.3 seconds and registered a 2.00.9 mile rate for the 2240m trip at Cobram, which is serious time for a young trotter and an indication better things could be in store.