Breeders Challenge heating up at Menangle

Things are beginning to hot up for this year NSW Breeders Challenge with six heats for harness racing two and three-year-olds to be run at Tabcorp Park Menangle today (Sep. 18).

That usually signals serious movement from the bigger stables as they set their stable up-and-comers for one of the biggest days of the year, the  Breeders Challenge finals at Club Menangle on October 29.

This state’s most successful stable, Cobbitty Equine Farm will have six runners across the heats today with most of the drives shared between Luke McCarthy and Jack Callaghan.

McCarthy will drive last-start Menangle winner Sara Ta Sloy in Race 1, the only two-year-old fillies’ heat.

Although she has won two of her four starts, the daughter of My General Lee may have her work cut out beating Rickie Alchin’s current stable star Lux Aeterna (Captaintreacherous), who is unbeaten in six starts and already has feature wins in the Pink Bonnet and Bathurst Gold Tiara to her resume.

Beautifully-bred colt Dashing gets a chance to add to his record with Jack Callaghan getting the plum drive for McCarthy  in Race 2, the first of two heats for the two-year-old colts and geldings.

By Art Major from former star mare Frith, Dashing is yet to register a win at Menangle but has impressed with ‘dashing’ displays at Newcastle and Penrith.

McCarthy has three chances in a heat for the three-year-old fillies with Luke tossing up whether to drive Promiseland or Eye Keep Smiling, a stable newcomer who has won her past five starts.

That leaves Callaghan to partner Peaceful, who is first-up from a spell but has trialled nicely and is another one bred by Diane Kelly from her champion mare Frith.

This year’s Breeders Challenge finals will revert to a Sunday timeslot with more than $800,000 in prizemoney for participants, on a day regarded as a collaborative effort between HRNSW and Club Menangle.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Court, for HRNSW