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Tatura-trained trotter Sunsup is certainly making up for lost time.
Sidelined from October 2020 to this year because of injury the sixyear-old son of Muscle Mass claimed the $15,000 Hyland Harness Colours Trots final at Melton last Saturday night for Tatura north trainer David Abrahams and Shepparton reinsman Nathan Jack.
It was only the sixth run Sunsup has had in nearly four years and he has now won three races and been placed twice since hitting the comeback trail.
In the final on Saturday night Jack settled Sunsup near the rear of the field before accepting a three wide tow into the race on the back of the Echuca-trained Star Down Under over the final lap.
These two trotters singled out to fight out the finish with Sunsup grabbing a last-gasp win.
In their heat at Shepparton on May 30 Star Down Under and Sunsup filled the placings behind the Tongala-trained Vici Bloom who was never a factor in the final from an extreme outside back row draw.
Sunsup is out of the unraced Sundon mare Aldebaran Sunset who has left five other winners including Aldebaran Sunrise (14 wins) and Aldebaran Midnight (7 wins).
The win was a bit special not only because of the circumstances, but because he is owned and raced by the trainer’s mother, Patsy Abrahams.
The win also followed another success at Melton the previous week for the Abrahams-Jack combination which won at nice odds with another of Abrahams trotters, Rapid Return.
Soaking up success
Nanneella trainer Col Godden has struck a couple of winning blows on his annual pilgrimage to Queensland for the winter months.
Godden produced Mahindi for an upset win at Albion Park, Brisbane, on Saturday night.
The five-year-old by American Ideal driven by Alanah Richardson enjoyed the one-one sit for most of the 1660m trip and finished strongly to score at generous odds of 30/1.
Mahindi has been in the care of Richardson for his past 13 starts since being sent north by Godden in March.
He won three races and has placed six times in that time.
Godden took charge again of the training of Mahindi for Saturday night’s race in which the American Ideal mare produced a PB 1:54.5 mile rate from her nine wins and 19 placings from 64 starts.
Godden has also enjoyed a win since heading north with a team of four with Orions Wildside winning at Redcliffe on June 2, while another of his team Art On Fire finished second at Albion Park on May 31.
Bacchus with confidence
There is a bit of barracking around his training base because trainer Paul Parsons calls Shepparton his home track.
That’s because he doesn’t hesitate to make the three-hour-plus trip to Shepparton from his training base at Bacchus Marsh to campaign his team.
And Parsons usually has every reason to look forward to the trip given the success he has enjoyed on the track in recent years.
Like last Sunday night when he completed successive wins in the Lift N Shift Mooroopna Pacing Cup when No Win No Worries saluted.
Having his second start for Parsons and driven by Michelle Phillips, No Win No Worries came from last at the 800m mark to swamp his rivals in a busy finish in which less than 7m separated the first seven pacers home.
‘‘Michelle and I agreed to drive him quiet and try and come with the one run at them and it worked out,’’ Parsons said.
Parsons won the same cup last year with Kendys Butterfly and also has claimed a Kyabram Pacing Cup on the Shepparton track.
Got the Wood on them
It’s been a case of second time lucky for Echuca-trained pacer Wheres Wood Wood who broke a three-year and 20-race winless drought when she saluted at the Mooroopna meeting.
The seven-year-old daughter of Mach Three had not won since successive wins at Bendigo in early June 2021 when also trained by her current mentor Wayne Lear on lease from Greg Fleming.
When Lear returned the mare to her owner-breeder three years ago he thought he had seen the last of her.
But when Fleming held a dispersal sale and Wheres Wood Wood was offered Lear and his daughter’s partner Trent Saunderson purchased the mare.
Wheres Wood Wood’s latest win was not unexpected as she had run successive seconds at Echuca and Shepparton leading up to Sunday’s race in which she enjoyed stalking the pacemaker Alta Bedford after leading early before handing up.
Shepparton reinsman Nathan Jack took the short cut home in the straight on Wheres Wood Wood who comfortably stalled off all challengers to record her fifth win with nine minor placings from 54 starts.
It’s all in the family
The Wilsons — trainer Laura and driver Damian — upstaged the more fancied runners to win with in-form pacer Shes Poppy at the Mooroopna meeting.
Despite winning at Bendigo two starts previously and a close-up fifth at Echuca at her previous outing Shes Poppy was a 16/1 chance on the tote.
But courtesy of a well-judged front running drive from Wilson she was never really in danger of defeat.
Wilson was able to spear the fouryear-old daughter of Hes Watching to the front running role from barrier five which proved the winning move.
It was only her second win from 34 tries and both these wins have been on the Shepparton track, the first in March this year.
The Wilsons had another winner this week with talented trotter Hadtobeharry notching his fifth win.
A few heart flutters
It looked the bet of the night but it didn’t quite go to plan.
The Donna Castles-trained and driven talented trotting mare Berries and cherries was a $1.70 shot in her race at the Mooroopna meeting, but had punters a little concerned when she got no cover in the run.
She was trapped outside the pacemaker,, the Eddie Tappe-trained and driven, Im Bobby, for the 2190m trip with these two trotters singling out to fight out the finish.
Although Im Bobby was brave Berries and cherries was able to wear him down and post her 10th win with 25 minor placings including 15 seconds from 82 starts which have produced more than $93,000 in prizemoney.
What a Super effort
Talented veteran horseman John McLean entered new territory at the Mooroopna meeting when trotter Super Service won the Cleaves Garden Supplies Mooroopna Trotters Cup.
It is the first trotter the 71-year-old McLean, who has made his mark as a horse breaker, has trained and was having his first start for the Arcadia horseman.
‘‘Yes, I have now got a 100 per cent strike record with trotters,’’ McLean chuckled in describing the win.
Driven by Damian Wilson Super Service overcame a 40m handicap to beat his only serious challenger, the 60m backmarker Kyvalley Heist, in the run to the judge after being sent to the front two laps out.
Super Service’s last win was also on the Shepparton track 10 starts previously when being prepared by Cameron Maggs.
McLean praised Shepparton farrier Max Lister for his work on Super Service since joining his stable and helping to turn his fortunes around.
‘‘He worked really well during the week and I thought he was a chance,’’ McLean said.
Super Service’s win completed a driving double at the meeting for Wilson who won on Shes Poppy earlier in the night.
A bit of Mavis magic
Undera’s Mavis Sellwood is on a hot run.
Last week Mavis featured in this column for her work with horses in their infancy owned and bred by her son Ray.
Mavis, who celebrated her 96th birthday on Wednesday, reared another winner, Jo An Jo, at Launceston in Tasmania on Sunday night.
She also reared the third placegetter in Serengeti Sunrise.
Steve Davis trainer-driver of Serengeti Sunrise told Ray he thought he had the race won on the home turn, only to look across and see his 17-yearold son Brodie looming up with a huge grin and laughing at the old man as he sailed past with Jo An Jo.
Both horses where broken in and educated at Tallygaroopna by Mark Lee and Stacey Towers.
Coming up
Saturday: Melton (n)
Sunday: Cranbourne (n)
Monday: Horsham (d)
Tuesday: Bendigo (n)
Wednesday: Swan Hill (n)
ursday: Shepparton (n)
