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"TROT TACTICS"...28/03/2009..

***ID-09***.The big one is upon us..Arguably the most controversial Inter-Dominion Series in harness history starting with its new and unusual format through to its high wastage of top class horses in the run up to final acceptances,ID-09 has still turned up 13 incredible pacers to do battle for the big end of $1,000,000 at Parklands tonight.Between them,the twelve runners and the reserve,Our Awesome Armbro,have amassed $12,048,126 from 323 wins.There's a nice little formula which tends to separate the fabulous from the very good in the trotting game,and it is simply to divide lifetime earnings by lifetime starts.The end figure is what the horse earned every time he or she stepped on the float,bound for the races.This Grand Final was touted as a match race between Auckland Reactor and Blacks A Fake from the time that AR's connections paid the late entry fee.Apply the formula,and AR comes up with $48,643 per start,and "Blackie" just $246 better at $48,889.When you consider that one of the "giant killers" of the series,Karloo Mick comes up at $7,289,it looks like the barrier draw holds the key...Go "Blackie"..

Trotting folk will always rally to a good cause,and there is no better cause than a fund raiser for "Scrubber" Litzow's boy,Liam.Liam suffers from cerebral palsy and funds are needed to provide the lad with a special standing frame,and gym equipment to aid his rehabilitation.The event will be held on Friday night April 03 at the Royal George Hotel,John Street Rosewood starting 7.30pm.Roll up and dig deep..

One thing worries me.When the dust settles after tonight,where will we be headed.Much of the future of trotting in Queensland has been staked on ID-09..Lets make sure we're up and running...with the ball!!

Posted by dlsmith at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"TROT TACTICS"..21/03/2009..

ID-09..A great start to the Carnival..a lot of excitement and a lot of controversy,with Heat 1 going to longshot,Diamonds And Furs (Kate Gath).The time was a very quick 1-54.6 with local hope Riverboat Star (Pete McMullen) putting in a strong effort to finish only 7 metres from the winner.Queensland rang up number one in Heat 2 with in-form I Am Sam (Natalie Rasmussen) taking the lead from the getgo to down Smoken Up and Mr Feelgood in 1-54.4.No surprises in Heat 3,with Blacks A Fake coming from last to grind up the opposition in 1-54.1,best of the night.The very smart Washakie was in front when Rasmussen asked the"Black Superman" to get serious,and,good as Washakie is,he had no answer for Blackie at all.All the controversy came in Heat 4 when Auckland Reactor's top trainer/driver,Mark Purdon,did two inexplicable things.Firstly he restrained his Champion off the gate and AR objected (threw the head about etc),and,secondly,when racing in the one-one trail coming to the bell,stayed in as the three deep line commenced to move.Again Auckland Reactor showed his displeasure.Eventually,the superstar was responsible for a top run,coming from last on straightening to run second to Karloo Mick.At an adjourned inquiry,Purdon copped a six week suspension of his drivers licence.Tony Herlihy has been engaged for tonight.

On the "Rocklea Future" front,very helpful talks were held early this week between the Botra Committee and Harness Racing Queensland's CEO Mike Godber,Finance Manager Tracey Harris and Handicapper Adam Fairley.Given the financial position of the Club,there is little likelyhood of it remaining at Rocklea.However,there is much to be thrashed out in the next two months.If you were watching a TV screen,down in the bottom right hand corner,you might see an image starting to form,an image which might just look like Marburg Showgrounds.Given that the bulk of the Rocklea horse pool comes from the harness-rich Greater Ipswich area,that image might be worth thought and support.

With the first two Heats of the "Seelite Windows And Doors" trotting Feature run and won,Minden based Graham Harriott and his regular driver,Scott Neaves are in a handy position on the points table with Poetic Device running third in Heat 1 and Cosmic Thunder going two steps better,scoring an easy,all the way victory in Heat 2.Meanwhile,the newly elected "Mayor of Rosewood",John Ballin,has racked up wins with Peace Of Paradise and Love Shack (she's got the hang of it now) at Albion Park.

Trotting folk will always rally to a good cause,and there is no better cause than a fund raiser for "Scrubber" Litzow's boy,Liam.Liam suffers from cerebral palsy and funds are needed to provide the lad with a special standing frame,and gym equipment to aid his rehabilitation.The event will be held on Friday night April 03 at the Royal George Hotel,John Street Rosewood starting 7.30pm.This is just an early call,with more details next Saturday.Meanwhile,practise "digging deep"....Denis..

Posted by dlsmith at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"TROT TACTICS"...14/03/2009..

The curtain rises at Gold Coast tonight as ID-09 hits the stage with four preliminary Heats.Trust me,there are no "weak" Heats here.The "Ipswich Hope",Riverboat Star,trained by John McMullen at Wanora,goes round in the opener at 8.00pm with Pete McMullen in the sulky,incompany with fellow Queenslanders,Tip Your Hat and Fleur De Lil.Big names opposing this trio include Changeover and Mister Swinger.Heat two boasts locals,I Am Sam,Slipnslide,Destreos and Franco Liberty,with Mr Feelgood the biggest obstacle to a hometown victory.Heat three brings up some heavy artillery Our Brahman Boy,Washakie (on loan from WA) and the most awesome "eyeballer" in modern harness history,(you guessed it)Blacks A Fake.Bet against him if you are game enough.Heat four provides a similar situation,where Lively Highlander,Albert Street and Perfect Pegasus are pitted against the kiwi superstar,Auckland Reactor.Add all the above to a support card of six excellent support races,and it's as good as it gets..

There is justifiable uproar at Rocklea as Harness Racing Queensland moves to close the Club on June 30 and transfer its meetings to either Redcliffe or Albion park,with a Monday afternoon timeslot at the latter venue being the favoured option.The Club requested HRQ that any decision affecting Rocklea's future should be deferred until after the State Election on March 21st as it appeared to contravene the "caretaker government" convention and,further to this, the LNP had promised to introduce a new board covering all three codes,should it be elected.HRQ rejected this proposition..As a Result,Rocklea has written to Mr Andrew Fraser as Minister for Racing to ensure that the decision is deferred.All Rocklea Members are invited to a meeting to be held today at 10am in the track restaurant,to discuss the decision,and offer direction.High profile trainers,Bill Dixon,Tony Turpin and John McMullen expressed horror when told of the HRQ move..

The star is still rising at the Gatton stable of Shane Sanderson with the quinella of Maywyn Zac and Maywyn Jasper in the Paleface Adios Classic for 2yo pacers at Albion Park last Saturday..Sanderson has an ever-growing mixed team with a rock solid base of above average juveniles.He's on the highway to long term success..

Forever under the radar at Rosewood,John Ballin was repaid for his endless patience at Gold Coast,when converted pacer,Love Shack,broke through for a win in the trot race.Inch by inch,Ballin has developed the 11yo mare's gait from hit and miss to reliable.The win was skinny,but deeply satisfying.It wont be her last either..Denis..

Posted by dlsmith at 01:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tension mounts with the first round of heats for ID-09 just seven days away.This writer can not remember any ID series which has provided more excitement in the run-up to the kick off.The process of ranking the top 36 pacers and the 6 bench sitters to select the four opening heats,has kept us entertained for a month at least.Injury and re-thinks have cut the original 82 nominees to 59.Sadly,the injuries have robbed us of some top-liners.ID-09 will still be a GREAT event,as the top-ranked 10,comprising Blacks A Fake,Mister Feelgood,Mister Swinger,Auckland Reactor,Changeover,Power Of Tara,Washakie,I Am Sam,Smoken Up and Gotta Go Cullen are crowd pullers in their own right.Had the fallout not been quite so heavy,it would have been downright incredible.

Five Inter-Dominion Grand Finals have been run at Albion Park,but no Queensland pacer has been successful on home ground.The Honour Roll,so far,reads Welcome Advice,Stanley Rio,Village Kid,Jack Morris and,most recent,Yulestar.Good as the opposition might be,"Blackie",I Am Sam,Slipnslide,Fleur De Lil,and other local stars have genuine claims.Maybe ID-09 will be the setting for a hometown result.

While you are cheering them on at the big carnival,you just might get the urge to get involved in the light harness game.A yearling purchase might be the way to go,and there is a great opportunity on Sunday 5th of April at Redcliffe paceway,where 94 yearlings are scheduled to go under the hammer.Stock sold at this sale are eligible for for a $50,000 race in their first season.This initiative by Redcliffe Harness Racing Club has attracted stock by stallions such as Elsu,Red River Hanover,Blissful Hall,Jet Laag,and Village Jasper,all of which are up there in the juvenile speed department.It's the last chance,and it's a top chance...Don't miss it.

Another must is Marburg's Country Cups Meeting tomorrow week,Sunday March 15.You won't get a better day out at the trots than this.Full details next Saturday...Regards Denis..

Posted by dlsmith at 01:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"TROT TACTICS"...28/02/2009...

Persistency pays dividends in most things,and trotting is no exception.Take Lockyer Waters based trainer driver,Peter Jones,who left Brisbane 24 years ago for a two week tilt at the Rockhampton Pacing Cup with Woodlawn Affair and stayed 22 years,due he says,to the lovely people who inhabit Australiaia's Beef Capitol.In later years in Rocky,Peter had a steady supply of handy horses thanks to John McMullen and George Michael,which resulted in two Premierships.Probably the most consistent member of "Team Jones" was the $500 purchase,General Star,which was runner-up in "Horse Of The Year" ranking for an incredible 6 years in succession,clocking up 17 wins in the process.Time passes,circumstances change,and two years ago Peter,wife Jodie and daughter Lauren moved south to Lockyer Waters with a team of 10 racehorses.It has been a bit of a bumpy ride with Equine Influenza,and having to adjust to a much changed racing scene to that which existed in the mid 80's,with the only bright spot being a sentimental trip back north to win a a race with Melton Norwegian at Rocky's final race meeting.

There seems to be a shift in the family fortunes with Melton Nowegian getting home at Gold Coast on February 12 and Melton Bon Honey and Melton Rissy running second and third a week later at the same venue.The Peter Jones view of the immediate future is rapidly brightening with 2 and 3 year olds by Ultimate Falcon and Bonamax prominent in a stable of 8 pacers.It wont be long before the Blue with White Stars and Red Sleeves are regulars in the winners circle,as they should be!!

The last game of snakes and ladders on the rankings board of ID-09 was played at Harness Racing Queensland last Wednesday,and the final split of 36 probables and 24 possibles was announced with acceptances taken yesterday.We will look at the final 37 (one common emergency) next week.Queenslanders,and several others with a distinct Qld flavour and their positions on the ladder,are as follows.Blacks A Fake (1)..Mr Feelgood (2)..I Am Sam (8)..Fleur De Lil (14)..Slipnslide (18)..Tip Your Hat (24)..Our Brahman Boy (27)..Franco Liberty (31)..Lively Highlander (32)..Albert Street (33)..Riverboat Star (34)..Destreos (35)..Perfect Pegasus (41)..Arkamigo (45)..Top Shelf Hanover (48)..South Park Hanover (51)..Eden Burst (53)..Spirit Of A Shark (55)..Honkytonk Hanover (56)..Fancy Cardshark (59)..

Posted by dlsmith at 04:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)