Aussie News - 30 Sep

By Adam Hamilton

 QUEENSLAND’S pin-up pacer Colt Thirty One returned to the public eye last week.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon took the last-start Group 1 Blacks A Fake winner to the Albion Park trials where he won easily in a 1min55.1sec mile rate for 1660m.

Dixon said he and owner-breeder Kevin Seymour would sit down and nut out plans in coming weeks.

Colt Thirty One, who just turned five, has raced 46 times for 32 wins, nine placings and $711,982 in earnings.

He looks to have all the qualities of a serious Grand Circuit horse, but where and when he next steps into the big league is the key.

 

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A SCARE went around when top Aussie trotter Tough Monarch was scratched from Menangle last night.

But trainer-driver Rickie Alchin was quick to quell th rumor mill.

“He was scratched as a precaution. A few horses in the stable have been hit by a virus during the week and I elected to scratch him to be on the safe side,” he said.

With Tough Monarch out, rank outsider Pegasus Elegance won the race at $51.

Tim Butt’s exciting trotter Sassy Pants ruined its chances by galloping out of contention.

 

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SO far, so good on the comeback trail for former superstar Victorian juvenile pacer Lumineer.

After being sidelined for more than 18 months by injury, trainer Ange McDowell has nursed Lumineer back to the races.

And he’s won both runs with absolute ease, the latest at Geelong last Wednesday when he sat back, swooped and won as he liked in a 1min55.1sec mile.

Lumineer won his first 10 starts, including the Australian Gold 2YO final, before tasting defeat for the first time when found have injured himself after finishing sixth in the Victoria Derby on January 27, 2018.

He returned with a 24m Terang win on September 11 and then won with similar ease, albeit just a 6.1m margin, at Geelong last week.

 

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THE Yabby Dams team has found another really exciting prospect.

French-bred mare Egee Money (Love You out of Return Money) turned plenty heads thrashing a handy field in the Group 3 Maori Miss Trotters’ free-for-all at Melton last night.

It came a week after the six-year-old galloped when set to win.

Last night she blasted to the lead and ripped home in 56.4 and 27.7sec to thrash promising recent Kiwi import Miss Blissful by 25m in a 1min58.1sec mile rate for 2240m.

Egee Money has been a slow maturer, but wins at four of her past eight starts have surged her into the spotlight.

 

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HOBBY trainer Caris Hamilton-Smith snared the biggest win of her career with former classy pacer Waylade in last Friday night’s Media Guild Cup at Gloucester Park.

Hamilton-Smith took over training Waylade, who looked a budding star for Gary Hall Sr before injury, and has nursed him back to form and fitness.

Despite being very keen in the lead for driver Kyle Harper, Waylade, now a nine-year-old, held-off another veteran The Bucket List to score by 2.6m in a cosy 2min0.3sec mile rate for 2635m.

The result further underlined the lack of depth and evenness in Perth’s open-class ranks at the moment.

 The other feature of the night, the $30,000 Warwick Pace, went to the very exciting four-year-old Bletchley Park, who romped home by 15.4m in a 1min56.sec mile rate for 2130m.

 It was fitting given Bletchley Park is a brother to Bling It On, who made his triumphant return from injury and stud duties just 24 hours later at Menangle.

 Bletchley Park has raced just 18 times for 10 wins, four placings and looks a major player for a very strong Group 1 Golden Nugget at Gloucester Park later this year.

 

 

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