Aussie News - 19 October

By Adam Hamilton

IT was a big night for All Stars’ exports at Melton last night.

And it continued the hot strike rate for the stable sending some of its stars across to Australia, whether it be Brisbane or Melbourne lately, for greater opportunities.

The likes of One Change, Amazing Dream and Ashley Locaz enjoyed Queensland stints and now Our Princess Tiffany and Im Anothermasterpiece have continued the theme in Melbourne.

Our Princess Tiffany stormed to Victoria against Victoria’s best mares in the Group 3 Make Mine Cullen (1720m) in a 1min52.5sec mile rate.

Driver Chris Alford was thrilled with the win and said trainer Dean Braun expected the mare to “only keep improving” through Victoria’s mares’ triple crown, which culminates with the Group 1 Queen of the Pacific.

Im Anothermasterpiece, who won but left onlookers unconvinced on Victoria Cup night, went to another level winning in a scorching 1min51.8sec mile rate for 1720m for new trainers Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars last night.

He was helped when his two main rivals – Boxofchocolates and Jilliby Sylvester – attacked each other early through a 26.9sec opening split, but Im Anothermasterpiece still sat parked and easily fought-off his rivals late to win.

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PINK Galahs has quickly become the darling of Victorian trotting. 

She capped a remarkable week by emphatically winning the Group 1 Victoria Trotters’ Oaks at Melton last night.

It came just a seven days after she created history as a three-year-old filly by upstaging Australia’s best trotters to win the Group 1 Bill Collins Sprint on Victoria Cup night.

Trained and driven by Matt Craven, Pink Galahs boasts 10 wins and four placings from just 16 starts with the Breeders Crown and a string of other trotting features looming large.

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YOU can see why Kate Gath gets so excited about emerging trotting star Mattjestuso.

The rising five-year-old is still a work in progress, but packs a lethal turn of speed and looks headed right to the top.

It was on display for all to see when he blazed to victory at Melton last night, making ne most of a three-wide trail when it mattered to rip home his own last half in 56.8sec and win easiy.

Gath also won on another rising star, Out To Play, who is owned and raced in the same interests at Ride High.

It was a stunning drive to avoid being pocketed from an inside back row draw at a crucial stage and Out To Play did the rest in a 1min53.4sec mile rate for 1720m.

The rising five-year-old son of Art Major boasts three wins and two thirds this campaign and only narrowly missed a Victoria Cup berth before winning what was effectively the consolation.

He looks a Grand Circuit player in the making.

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THIS crop of Aussie juvenile fillies looks stronger every week.

Just six days after Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin trained the first five home in record-smashing time in the Group 2 Home Grown final at Melton, perhaps their top seed resumed from a break.

Bathurst Gold Tiara winner Joanna had little more than trackwork to score at Ballarat last Friday night.

Owned by Danny Zavitsanos and named after his wife, Joanna led from gate two for Amanda Turnbull and cruised a two-metre win in a 1min58.9sec mile rate for 2200m.

It was her first run since blazing a 1min53.8sec mile rate for 1730m to win the Bathurst Gold Tiara back on March 28.

Joanna heads early markets for a phenomenally strong Breeders Crown 2YO Fillies division.

And next Saturday night, Menangle hosts the NSW Breeders Challenge finals for 2YO fillies where Soho Almasi, Anntonia and Arma Renegade all look outstanding.

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FORMER topliner Hectorjayjay is progressing well towards Queensland’s Summer Carnival.

He looked sharp swooping from last to win an Albion Park trial on October 9 and thrilled trainer Jack Butler.

Hectorjayjay, second to Smolda in the 2016 Perth Inter Dominion final, has raced just four times since breaking down badly in July, 2017.

He had one comeback run for a win in the care of the late Gavin Lang on June 30, 2018, then went amiss again.

Butler nursed him back for three runs in May/June this year for a win, a third and a fifth.

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BROTHERS Paddy and Jason Lee narrowly missed snaring the big trotting double at Melton last night.

Exciting Wishing Stone gelding trotted a slick 1min58.9sec mile rate for 1720m to give them an easy win in the Group 1 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings.

Then the Paddy Lee-trained filly Keayang Xena looked home in the Group 1 fillies’ final before the Kerryn Manning-driven Sheza Pleasure overposwered her late to win.

Just like the juvenile pacing crop, this looks a vintage Aussie crop of baby trotters.

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ANOTHER week, another impressive Albion Park win for hometown hero Colt Thirty One.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon opted to skip last week’s Victoria Cup to focus at home on the upcoming Queensland Summer Carnival, headed by the rescheduled Group 1 Blacks A Fake.

And Colt Thirty One is going to take some beating, regardless of what NSW or Victorian stars head north.

Colt Thirty One won his 10th race this season and took his record to 42 wins from 73 starts when he sat parked and scored in a 1min54.4sec mile rate for 1660m last night.

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THE exciting Private Eye stretched his unbeaten record to four starts with a sparkling NSW Breeders Challenge 3YO colts and geldings semi-final win at Menangle last night.

Driver Robbie Morris balanced the Hes Watching gelding early then pressured forward to take the lead from his main danger, Jerulas Grin, and never looked in danger.

Private Eye ripped home in a 26.4sec last quarter a the end of a 1min50.3sec mile and seemed to have plenty left.

In the second semi, the much-improved Our Money Rocks produced a monstrous run to sit parked and out-slug leader and hot favourite Crunch Time in a 1min50.2sec mile.