Majestic Cruiser too good - again

by Adam Hamilton

They are the new force of Australasian harness racing.

Jason Grimson and Cam Hart combined for another “major” win when Grimson’s favourite horse Majestic Cruiser again upstaged a hot field to win the $355,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake (2680m) at Albion Park last night.

It came just months after Grimson, Hart and Majestic Cruiser did the same to NZ’s best pacers in the Group 1 Messenger in Auckland.

The win stamped Majestic Cruiser, a former honest Victorian pacer, as the best stayer in this part of the world.

“I love him. I’ve got quite close to him,” Grimson said of Majestic Cruiser. “He’s just kept stepping up to every challenge we’ve given him.”

The win continued the most meteoric of rises for the 29-year-old Grimson, the former Riverina horseman who came from relative obscurity to win the Sydney Inter Dominion final on protest last December with Boncel Benjamin.

Hart, who gave Majestic Cruiser a lovely trail two-back in the running line, praised Grimson.

“Jason just knows this horse so well. He’s peaked him for the one we wanted,” he said.

“He’s been a great horse for Jason and I. We’ve been setting the horse throughout the Carnival for this race.

“We were confident the whole way through. We drove him ‘tough’ early in the Carnival because he was fat and needed the racing.

“It was good to get a trail tonight and the pace was on, which suited us even better.”

Favourite and star former Kiwi pacer Spirit Of St Louis, but was constantly pressured in front by a headstrong outsider Blacksadance, setting up some slick times.

Majestic Cruiser’s mile rate of 1min54.7sec was the second-fastest in the history of the race.

The win was Hart’s fourth at Group 1 and Grimson’s third.

The obvious targets now are the Victoria Cup on October 8 and Victorian Inter Dominion series in November/December.

Spirit Of St Louis lost no admirers with a brave second after being softened-up in front.

And the Kiwi flavour continued with Turn It Up third, Alta Orlando fourth, Triple Eight fifth and Mach Shard sixth.

 

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