Sulky Shorts
Shepparton trainer Steve O’Donoghue turned back the clock a few years when he produced Western Sonador to win last Sunday’s Gunbower Pacing Cup in emphatic fashion.
The eight-year-old son of Western Terror broke a 37-race winless drought in taking the $12,000 feature event with his previous win achieved at Melton in September of 2021.
But Western Sonador has always been a pacer with a lot of ability and early in his career competed in a NSW Inter Dominion series and made the consolation final when prepared jointly by the training team of O’Donoghue and Bec Bartley.
O’Donoghue, who now prepares a team with his son Corey, said Western Sonador’s win was particularly satisfying.
‘‘He’s a VFL and not an AFL pacer who struggles a bit against the A-listers, but can handle the step down very well,’’ O’Donoghue, who holds the biggest share of the ownership of the pacer, said.
‘‘Corey has had a fair bit to do with him, so it was good for him and his other owners John (Baldi) and the family of the late Eddie Asim.’’
Western Sonador boasted 11 wins and more than $176,000 in prizemoney before stepping out last Sunday at his first start since April and for his 62nd start.
Driven by ace concession reinsman Ryan Sanderson, who was fresh off reining Dangerous to a final round heat victory and into the Inter Dominion this Saturday night, Western Sonador rekindled some memories of his better days on the racetrack when destroying his rivals in his latest win.
He was given a soft run by Sanderson over the testing 2600m trip, racing near the tail of the field before being put him into the race with 400m to go where he proceeded to run down the cheeky pacemaker Diamond Eclipse with the favourite Arggghhh also finishing the race of nicely to grab second.
Western Sonador rated 1:57.7 for the 2630m trip with a 28.7 last half to give a fresh reminder of his capabilities.
One upcoming race O’Donoghue no doubt has pencilled in for Western Sonador would be his hometown cup in early January, a race he has contested before in 2022 when he ran third to Spirit Of St Louis and the great David Moran-trained Lochinvar Art.
Only time will tell if Western Sonador has rediscovered his best form, but if he has he is capable of proving a lot of pundits who thought his better days were well behind him embarrassingly wrong.
Hoofnote: The O’Donoghue-Sanderson combination struck again at Tuesday night’s Shepparton meeting with pacer Followtheace, who also made a winning return to racing, also after a long spell.
A five-year-old Art Major gelding Followtheace ran away from his rivals in his first start since July and only his ninth start which have now produced three wins and three minor placings.
Lilley is a Maestro
The Gunbower Trotters Cup also produced a top training feat from noted conditioner of trotters Brent Lilley who produced Maestro for a bold, front running win.
Maestro, a six-year-old gelding by Love You driven by Tristan Larsen , was stepping out for the first time since September and recorded his 13th win from 79 tries with his success.
He has also filled minor placings 21 times, including 11 seconds, and his latest win has taken his prizemoney to within $1500 of $100,000.
Cashing in at Shepparton
Northern Victorian trainers – and reinsman James Herbertson — dominated this week’s Shepparton meeting.
As well Followtheace’s win, other district trainers — Danny Thackeray, Caitlin Guppy, Mark Gledhill, Dennis Paton and Faye McEwan — also savoured major success.
Thackeray won with the Nathan Jack-driven Bronksi Moment, a $16 chance, who claimed his 10th win — there have also been 28 placings — from 112 starts.
Guppy produced the Herbertson-driven Mynameisruby for her fourth win with 12 minor placings for the season, while Herbertson struck again in the following race with Aliza Hill who has now racked up five wins and nine minor placings from 25 starts for the season for Gledhill.
Paton made it successive wins with Majestic Son three-year-old trotter Majestic Monarch, who had also saluted at his previous start at Bendigo on November 27.
The best supported winner of the night, trotter Watch And Act comes from the McEwan barn at Echuca and scored at his 102nd start which have now produced 12 wins with 26 minor placings.
Watch And Act also completed a hat-trick of winning drives for Herbertson, Australia’s most prolific winning reinsman this year by well over the length of the straight.
Rudd left Elated
Cobram Harness Racing Club manager Adam Rudd celebrated his third win as a trainer when Elated ran his rivals ragged in the final event at the Gunbower Cup meeting.
Having his third start for Rudd and driven by Tasmyn Potter Elated was never seriously challenged in his front running role and at the finishing post had 3.5m to spare over the runner-up Lils Nightmare with Our Cheeky Devil filling the minor placing in slick 1:57.6 mile rate time for the 2030m trip.
A five-year-old son of Hes Watching, Elated is a half-brother to the 25 times winner Euphoria who is by American Ideal.
Donna doubles down
Ardmona horsewoman Donna Castles kept a flow of recent winners coming at the Gunbower Cup meeting with a training-driving double.
Castles produced trotters Van Doren and Lindy Grace for wins and, as they often are, the winners were at nice odds – 5/1 Van Doren and $14 for Lindy Grace.
Lindy Grace, a seven-year-old Bacardi Lindy mare, completed successive wins with her victory and now boasts eight wins and 17 minor placings from 76 starts.
She was a winner at her previous start at Maryborough on November 27 and has now saluted four times this season with five minor placings from 21 starts.
Five-year-old Love You gelding Van Doren made it win number five with eight minor placings with his victory.
Sirlou has speed to burn
Shepparton’s Cottrell clan, headed by businessman Trevor Cottrell, looks to have an extra smart pacer on its hands in Sirlou, who destroyed his rivals at last Friday’s Wagga meeting.
Trained by Craig Turnbull and driven by Ellen Tormey, the gelded three-year-old son of Sweet Lou, having his second start, left his rivals in his wake with a dominant front running display in which he gapped the runner-up, the 100/1 chance Burton, by more than 22m in 1:53.7 mile rate time for the 2270m trip.
Sirlou announced himself as a pacer with a lot of ability on debut at Shepparton at his first start on November 26 when he also streeted his rivals — the runner-up Vincent Grange finished more than 14m behind him — rating 1:55.0 for the 1690m sprint course.
The extra satisfaction of the win for the owners is they bred the promising pacer from the Courage Under Fire mare Hot Blooded Woman, a one-time winner in a short career who has had only Sirlou to make it to the track at this stage.
Trevor Cottrell said he purchased Hot Blooded Woman at a Shepparton sale a few years ago on the advice of former Kyabram trainer Ian Chambers, who had trained her and had a big opinion of her ability and was confident she would make a good broodmare.
‘‘I have done some research on winners and their times over the distance Sirlou won last week and he went two seconds quicker than any other pacer racing over that distance on the Wagga track in the last year,’’ Cottrell said.
Jack’s debut a Charm
Not a bad way to kick off your driving career.
Jack Stockton, the 17-year-old son of central Alfred Town (near Wagga) trainer Jake, drove his first winner, Shoobees Charm, at last Friday’s Wagga meeting.
It was his first race drive.
Shoobees Charm also happened to be a 100/1 shot, so debut wins don’t get much sweeter.
Jake Stockton has produced 56 winners in his training career and has had some smart horses pass though his hands.
Jake had two runners in Friday’s race, but said he fancied his other starter Miss Audacious more than the winner.
‘‘But Jack deserved his win. He won a lot of trials on her getting his licence and somehow he has really clicked with her,’’ Jake said.
‘‘She was formerly trained by Neil Day and had been retired, but we reckoned she would be a good pacer for Jack to learn on and get his driver’s licence and it has turned out that way which is very satisfying.’’
Dual meet double
Young Kyabram concession reinsman George Chamouras had a day to remember on Wednesday of last week, reining home winners at Maryborough and Bendigo on the same day.
At Maryborough he partnered the Brett Cole-trained $7 chance Speculator to a front running win in a concession drivers race and on the way home scored on the Kyabram-trained Half Price Bride for mentor Mark Watson at Bendigo.
A four-year-old mare by Always Be Miki Half Price Bride was forced to race outside the pacemaker in the run, but was still up to the challenge and drew away from her rivals in the home straight to notch her fourth win from 23 tries. There have also been five minor placings in her resume.
Half Price Bride was having her fifth start in this campaign which had produced one minor placing prior to stepping out at Bendigo.
It was only Chamouras’ second drive on the pacer who was a $5.50 chance.
Chamouras, 20, has now driven 16 winners and looks to have a bright career in the sulky.
Coming up
Today: Melton (n)
Tomorrow: Melton (n)
Sunday: Horsham (d), Cranbourne (n)
Tuesday: Mildura (d), Shepparton (n)
Wednesday: Charlton (d), Elmore at Bendigo (n)
Thursday: Ballarat (n)