LARRIKIN businessman John Singleton is cutting back his racing interests, but will still make a huge splash at Menangle trots on Saturday night.
Singleton has declared he will “shout the bar” for an hour between races three and five at NSW’s home of harness racing. Race three is at 6.20pm Sydney time.
“The race named after me is race three (The Singo) and I’ve told them we’ll need some think time to decide which horse from the race takes my slot in the TAB Eureka,” Singleton said.
“Why should the people trackside have to wait without a drink, so I’m happy to shout the track an hour while we decide.
“It’s exciting the trots have a new race like this and I want to share my involvement with everyone at the track this Saturday.”
Singleton is famous for shouting the bar after some of his biggest thoroughbred wins and pledged to do so if his latest star, Hawaii Five Oh, won the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in June. The horse ran third.
But shouting the bar “just for the sake if it” is something new, even to the flamboyant Singleton.
It was a coup for Australian harness racing when Singleton was a face of the launch of the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka.
At the launch, he declared his want for a slot in the inaugural TAB Eureka, to be run at Menangle on September 2. He was successful in gaining one.
And now, less than three weeks out from the race, Singleton is the last remaining slot without a confirmed runner.
The second-last slot was filled today (Tuesday) when the NSW-based Wayne Loader took his own four-year-old, Ripp, for his “Western Jewel” slot.
In true Singleton style, he’s gone left field for his selection process. He worked with Club Menangle to create the $50,000 The Singo where one of the runners, not necessarily the winner, will fill his TAB Eureka slot two weeks later.
“We’re leaving our run late, but I hope that means we’ve got the form runner,” Singleton said.
“I’ve entrusted Jason Turnbull with the task of picking which horse from ‘The Singo’ takes our slot. My slot’s in good hands.”
The Singo drew a capacity field of 10 plus two emergencies and acceptors came from four different states.
Although star WA mare Wonderful To Fly will be scratched after the logistics of getting to Menangle from Perth, via Melbourne, and needed to be in a retention barn by Thursday proved too much for trainer-driver Shane Young.
“I couldn’t even be guaranteed I’d get her into the barn in time, so I couldn’t risk putting her on the flight. It’s a shame because I really wanted to give her the chance,” Young said.
Exciting Queensland pacer Tims A Trooper, who has always lived in the shadow of his freakish stablemate Leap To Fame, is favourite despite gate 10 for The Singo (2400m).
“I’m told he’s the obvious one on his lead-up form and how the final field has come together this week, but I’ll leave the final call to Jason (Turnbull) once he’s seen the race on Saturday,” Singleton said.
· Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
