A Track Record and 5 Sub Two Minute Runs
Last Thursday’s meeting by the Goulburn Harness Racing Club produced exciting racing, a track record and 5 sub two minute runs all under the skies of a perfect Autumn day.
The feature race of the day, the Taylor Made Travel Goulburn Trotter’s Cup was taken out by the Jaimie Alchin trained Earldom who started from the back mark of 50m. In a perfect standing start the back marker was quickly away whilst the the favourite and last season’s champion filly Arizona Blue bungled the start to add on to her 30m handicap. As the field hit the winning post with two laps to run Arizona Blue had tailed off in last position some 30m behind the field.
Meanwhile Rickie Alchin had positioned Earldom in the running line and within striking distance of the leader Carso Zeus who was running the field along. Down the back on the last occasion In Midnites Pocket and Earldom quickly moved up to the leader and the pair came away to fight out the finish with Earldom prevailing by 1 metre. It was further 13m back to Chew the Fat and Arizona Blue who had made up considerable ground to finish fourth.
The winner was trained by Jaimie Alchine and started 2nd favourite for the $8,000 feature race. Winning connections were presented with an impressive cup and rug by Michael Taylor of Taylor Made Travel.
Other races on the programme included heats of the Tom Hewitt Memorial. 3 heats were contested in earnest fasion with winners being Inuit Lady for Dennis Day, Amazing Spirit for Michael Hardy and Annas Ace for David Hewitt. Next week’s $7,000 final (29th April) is shaping up as a high class event with all three winners turning in fast times for the 1710m journey. Most impressive was Michael Hardy’s Amazing Spirit who sat 3 wide for the first 600m before finding the death entering the back straight with 800m to run. The 4yo Strong Life mare then found the front at 300m before staving off all challengers to score a tough 1m win. The mare returned a mile rate of 1:59.6.
A further highlight was the win by Just Plain Crazy for Chris Robinson. A 7yo Hare Hare gelding, Just Plain Crazy went straight to the front from the 1710m mark and with all quarters in sub 30 second time he went to the line with something in hand returning a new track record mile rate of 1:75.2
Racing returns to the Goulburn Paceway on Thursday afternoon the 29th April when the final of the Tom Hewitt Memorial will be conducted. Fields for the meeting will be declared Friday afternoon.
