Victorian harness racing driver Allan McDonough has an excellent chance of landing successive winners of the feature $60,000 South Australian Pacing Cup (2645m) at Globe Derby Park this Saturday.
And he will be doing it on a pacer which was an unlucky fourth in last year’s version taken out by the Aaron Bain Racing-owned Wheres The Gold, trained by Emma Stewart.
This year, McDonough will driver Ultimate Vinnie an impressive winner of heat two of the SA Pacing Cup (2645m), trained by Sam Barker at Mitchell Park, an outer suburb of Ballarat.
“Allan drove a great race to land Wheres The Gold last year, and my horse was held up and only got out late,” Barker said.
“It was always the hope we could come back this year and avenge that defeat.”
In a tactical race, McDonough was seen to advantage steering Ultimate Vinnie ($3.40) to a 7-1/2 metre win from the fast-finishing Delightful Tammy ($8) with the Shane Loone-trained Per Ardua Ad Astra ($19), 1-1/2 metres away third and qualifying for this week’s final.
Fourth home was another Victorian All The Rage ($10) driven by Corey Johnson who set the race alight coming from last to take the lead with two laps to go before handing up and battling on for fourth.
The first SA Cup heat saw Victorian trainer Andy Gath qualify his second runner for the SA Cup with Hector ($2.10) sprinting quickly to score by six metres from Abouttime ($26) with the Heather Stevens-trained Maharajah ($101), a similar margin away third.
Another SA runner Lord Zarias ($5), trained and driven by Ryan Hryhorec, finished fourth but pulled up sore and is unlikely to take his place in the final.
Hector has only recently joined the Gath stables but showed with his sprint he will be a definite chance in the Cup and joins stablemate Yambukian, a brilliant winner at Gawler in a qualifying race.
The trainer-driver combination of Barker and McDonough also looks to have a strong chance in the $40,000 South Australian Trotters Cup (2645m) with the locally-owned Mercenary.
Bred and owned by the Buckland Park Homestead Syndicate managed by David Battye, Mercenary will be seeking his third SA feature having won the two and three-year-old versions of the Southern Cross.
Coming off a 30-metre handicap, the five-year-old, the $4.40 favourite, raced midfield before coming quickly when asked for an effort and trotted away to win by 16-1/2 metres from Wish Upona Dream ($14) with Aldebaran Stiles, trained by Reyan Hryhorec and driven by Danielle Hill, a short half head away third.
Two other SA trotters My Used To Be, trained by Jill Neilson, and All The Trix, prepared by Claire Goble, finished fourth and fifth to qualify for this week’s Trotters Cup.
For Goble, she also qualified Im Hector, an older half-brother to All The Trix, in the first heat taken out by Jazspur, trained and driven by Michael Bellman from Ararat.
Jazspur ($5.50) unleashed an electric sprint to win by 6-1/2 metres from Regal Attire ($10), trained by Ryan Hryhorec and driven by Danielle Hill, with Cyclone S Adams ($41), trained and driven by Dean Girardi, holding on for third, 12 metres away.
Another SA trotter Stingofawasp, trained by Luke O’Neill and driven by Samantha Pascoe, finished fourth ahead of Im Hector, driven by Jason Kittel, to ensure Cup runs.
Bellman said Jazspur’s sprint was a key weapon in her ability to win races.
“I must admit I had a bit of a doubt about her running out the 2645m tonight,” Bellman said.
“She did it well, considering she carried a flat tyre for the last part of the race.
“She does begin well from a stand off a handicap, and that is also a key.”
Perhaps the most impressive winner of the evening was the two-year-old Lambro Mach, trained in Mount Gambier by David Phillips, and driven by Gaita Pullicino.
Backed from $2.60 into $1.55 favourite, Lambro Mach galloped at mobile release in heat one of the SA BOTRA Golden Nursery (1800m) losing about 50 metres and was a distant last on settling down in the field of seven.
He caught the field with a lap to go and was able to trail Splash Of Paynt ($11) into the race and no sooner than that horse took the lead than Pullicino allowed Lambro Mach to cruise past and win by 3-1/2 metres.
Splash Of Paynt took second six metres in front of Jawsofgoodtime ($9.50).
Phillips said Lambro Mach was still immature.
“He galloped because he was trying to go faster than his action would let him,” Phillips said. “Perhaps being at the races for the first time in a while might have had him a bit stirred up.
“I had to give credit to Lane and Corey Johnson who broke him in, they did a fantastic job, and I believe he is going to have a good career.”
Lambro Mach will run in this week’s $30,000 SA BOTRA Golden Nursery Final (1800m) and attempt to emulate his half-brother Emain Macha who won the race in 2016 and also Jawsoflincoln, the 2021 winner which is raced in similar interests.
Another Mount Gambier-trained two=year-old Always Dancing ($1.24) won heat two of the Golden Nursery.
Trained by Alyce Finnis, and driven by her husband Jayson, Always Dancing led throughout to beat Imposter Boy ($21), trained and driven by Samantha Pascoe with Ohso Kinky ($9), trained and driven by Ryan Hryhorec, a neck away third.
The two South-East pacers look top chances in the final.
One of the happiest winners was trainer-driver Darren Billinger in the third heat of the SA BOTRA Golden Nursery with Shirley Not.
Billinger produced a masterful drive weaving between runners to land Shirley Not ($11) a neck winner from Captain Fearless ($26) with Art Regal ($3.50) a metre away third.
“She works really well but so far had been immature when I have taken her to the races,” Billinger said.
“Tonight she improved and was a lot more tractable.
“She sprinted sharply and took the gaps and won really well. It is great to have her in next week’s final.”
Shirley Not is from the family of the Billinger’s former champion Come On Frank, now living a life of retirement.
The Emma Stewart-trained Meteor Moth looks the horse to beat in this week’s $30,000 SA Pacing Derby (2230m) after an all the way heat win bringing up a driving treble for Allan McDonough.
Meteor Moth ($1.08 fav) won by 10 metres from Wild Bull ($12) with Remi Lou ($23) a half-metre away third.
The first heat saw a tough performance by the Aaron Dunn-trained-and-driven Dee Roe $2.40) which sat outside Saifa ($1.70 fav) and proved good enough to win by two metres with Cee Cee Lou ($34) a half-metre away third.
On Sunday, tough four-year-old Aintsobad, trained at Roseworthy by Toby Ryan, led throughout to land the 2024 DF & E Kemp & Son Gawler Platinum Cup (2070m).
Aggressively driven by Lisa Ryan from barrier one, Aintsobad ($3.80) held off the early challenge from Coco Mia ($1.55 fav), then dictated the tempo to win by 2-1/2 metres from Go Away Again ($21) with Bettor Be Lively ($51) grabbing third, 3-1/2 metres back.
The favourite Coco Mia was eased out of the race over the last lap.
Aintsobad was bred and is owned in Mount Gambier by Andrew Clarke who has prepared the four-year-old at different times, but five of his eight wins have been for Ryan.
Clarke said he was hoping to have Aintsobad and his two half brothers Urabadboy and Ubetonred all racing at Globe Derby Park on the same program in the next few weeks.
“I have kept Aintsobad as an entire because he has excellent bloodlines and I’m sure he will develop into a good stallion,” Clarke said.
Trainer Toby Ryan said the winner always had a tough side but was starting to develop gate speed.
“Being able to lead today was crucial,” Ryan said.
“Lisa kept them running throughout and he was always going to be hard to run down.
“Today was a target race and it was a thrill to have the plan come off.”
Trainers Aaron Bain (Lady La Salle and La Moth) and Tayla Warren (Emrites and Told You Twice) both had winning Gawler doubles while Wayne Hill was the leading reinsman with a treble on Lady La Salle, Emrites and Told You Twice.
