Shepparton trots trainer David Moran is hoping his stable star Captain Hammerhead can confirm he is in career best form tomorrow night.
Captain Hammerhead tackles a $30,000 race at Menangle in which Moran hopes he can show he deserves a start in the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1 million TAB Eureka for three and four-year-old pacers at Menangle tomorrow night week.
Moran said yesterday an audacious win at Melton last Saturday night when making a return to racing proved to him Captain Hammerhead was in career best form or close to it.
‘’It was a terrific run; his best run ever or certainly close to it anyway,’’ Moran said.
Fellow Shepparton horseman Nathan Jack was in the sulky for last Saturday night’s runaway win — his fourth drive on the pacer — and will make the trip to Sydney to again partner Captain Hammerhead.
While there is speculation that it would be hard to overlook Captain Hammerhead for a place in the Eureka, Moran said he had not yet been assured of it.
‘‘There has been talk he will get a run in it, but others might be being told that too. But a good run on Saturday would clinch his spot you would think,’’ Moran said.
Captain Hammerhead has drawn barrier five over the 2300m trip tomorrow night and clashes with rivals also hoping for inclusion in the Eureka field.
A winner of 11 of his 26 starts Captain Hammerhead won the $100,000 Singo at Menangle last year to win a spot in The Eureka as a three-year-old.
Moran also dispelled rumours he was contemplating a move to Menangle to train.
‘‘I’ve heard that too, but I’m not going anywhere,’’ the Sheppartonbased trainer and former Avenel local said.
I remember as a teenager when first embracing harness racing a battling old one-horse trainer in my town had mixed feelings about this pacer who was unbeaten in his first 16 or 17 runs.
‘‘Now here we have a trainer who is wondering when he will ever lose a race with his horse and I’m still bloody wondering when I’m going to get to win one with mine,’’ the trainer lamented.
It’s a long time ago now, but I have a feeling the pacer I am referring to was Bon Adios.
It’s not quite the same scenario, but Shepparton horseman Nathan Jack might be also starting to wonder when his winning streak with two juvenile trotters he trains and drives will come to an end.
When the Jack-trained and driven Violet Standford won the Shepparton Trotters Oaks last week it took the three-year-old filly’s winning streak to seven wins from seven starts.
Then last Saturday night at Melton Jack rolled out another of his juvenile trotting stars Derek The Jet to win the Group Three $30,000 The Holmfield three-year-old trotters feature, a race named in honour of the late Echuca-Moama trots stalwart Harry Holmfield.
Like Violet Stanford Derek The Jet led all the way to beat Pinnie and Ikigai in 1:57.0 mile rate time for the 1720m trip, slicing over three seconds from his PB.
The win also left Derek The Jet undefeated after five runs.
Violet Standford and Derek The Jet are by boom sire Volstead and even more remarkable is that in Derek The Jet’s race the first four placegetters were by this stallion.
Jack also partnered the David Moran-trained Captain Hammerhead to a dominant win at Melton to complete a driving double.
Jack was also in the winner’s circle at last week’s Bendigo meeting, reining the Brent Thomson-trained Majestic Charma to victory at hersecond start.
The four-year-old Majestic Son mare had run second on debut at Bendigo the previous week to indicate she had lot ability and hermaiden was coming.
Derek The Jet’s win then completed another big week for Jack who also combined with his trainer father Russell for a win on the Riverina Raceway at Wagga on Friday.
They struck with promising twoyear-old Jacks Ultimate Fury who was a runaway winner, completing successive wins on the track.
A son of Bettors Delight, Jacks Ultimate Fury was having sixth start which also included a win in a heat of the Bathurst Gold Crown in March in which he finished fifth in the final to the extra smart Clayton Tonkintrained Fox Dan.
Wahring horseman Danny Thackeray flew the flag solo for northern Victorian trainers at Tuesday night’s Shepparton meeting.
The Thackeray-trained and John Caldow-driven Bronski Moment was the only district-trained pacer to salute on the nine-event card.
And punters were just as happy as the trainer with the win as Bronski Moment was sent out a $2.30 favourite.
Bronski Moment was beaten to the punch at barrier rise by the well-supported Laura Wilson-trained and driven Elysian Palace who made the pace in the race. Bronski Moment took the sprint lane passage home to account for Elysian Place and My Rock Moves.
It was Bronski Moment’s 10th win from 108 starts which have also produced 28 minor placings and more than $63,000 in stakemoney.
A seven-year-old by Major Bronski, Bronski Moment certainly deserved the win as his previous four
starts had produced three thirds and a second placing.
Reinsman James Herbertson’s recent strike rate on the Shepparton track was still intact after Tuesday night’s meeting.
Herbertson reined home three successive winners in races two to four — Leave Your Hat On (trainer John Yeomans), Avant Guard (Ross Graham) and Nai Harn Bay (Matt Higgins) — and just missed a quartet of winners with another of his drives, the Rochester-trained Mynameisruby going down by a head to Righteously.
Herbertson also got trotter Play Del Carmen into third place with his only other drive at the meeting.
Herbertson has now driven nine winners at the past four Shepparton meetings.
Stanhope horseman Mark Pitt has enjoyed another big week in the sulky highlighted by three winners in two-year-old colts and geldings Vicbred heats at Wednesday night’s Bendigo meeting.
Pitt partnered Storms Collide, Fox Dan and The Highlight Reel to wins and also drove two other placegetters at the meeting for top trainer Emma Stewart who produced five winners at the meeting.
The wins followed wins at Bendigo and also Melton for the Stewart-Pitt team last week.
At Bendigo Pitt partnered twoyear-old pacing filly Tenaciously to an impressive debut win in 1:54.5 mile rate time.
Then at Ballarat Pitt won on the Stewart-trained Waterfront and also Showsomejoy who completed a hattrick of wins with Pitt in the sulky for two of them.
The Stewart-Pitt combination struck again at the Melton meeting on Saturday night with Bay Of Biscay who made it seven wins, four second and one third from his 13 starts.
With the Vicbred Super Series now underway expect to see the StewartPitt team in the winner’s circle quite frequently.
Bunbartha-trained pacer Alta Bayamo became the eighth foal from broodmare Shez Madam Jasper to win a race when he broke his maiden status at Monday’s Yarra Valley meeting.
The three-year-old son of Alta Christiano got the better of the favourite Anakin in a two horse war to the finishing post to notch his maiden win at his seventh try.
His unraced dam by Village Jasper has also left the multiple winners Niquero, On Fire Within, Village Encounter and Shez Elite among her eight winners.
Trainer-driver John Newberry took Alta Bayamo to the front running position over the 1650m trip and he was too good for the favourite in smart 1:57.5 mile rate time.
The Newberrys own Alta Bayamo and her dam so it was a popular family win.
Today: Mildura (n), Melton (n)
Tomorrow: Melton (n)
Sunday: Cranbourne (n)
Monday: Terang (d)
Tuesday: Shepparton (n)
Wednesday: Maryborough (d), Bendigo (n)
ursday: Ballarat (n)
