Hart set to dominate

He’s set to dominate the Breeders Challenge harness racing finals next week at Tabcorp Park Menangle.

And now premier reinsman Cameron Hart may also be the one to beat in the $100,000 Len Smith Mile after plans revealed much-improved pacer Majestic Cruiser (Art Major) was a possible starter in the Group One.

With drives like Madrid (three-year-old fillies), My Ultimate Byron (three-year-old colts) and Tay Tay (four-year-old mares), Hart is in demand for Saturday week’s rich finals.

And if Saturday night’s (Oct. 22) Menangle racing goes as expected he will partner Majestic Cruiser in not just the Len Smith Mile but also accompany him to New Zealand for next month’s New Zealand Cup.

“He had a standing start trial at Menangle last week and seems to have gone to the next level,” said Hart.

“So, his trainer Jason Grimson has begun making plans to take him to New Zealand and I can’t wait for the chance to be part of their biggest race.

“He’ll go around in a 2300m race at Menangle this weekend and from that we should get a good gauge as to where he’s at.

“As long as he is satisfactory in those lead-up races he’ll probably head across the Tasman.”

Hart described Majestic Cruiser as a laid-back character who took everything in his stride and he didn’t expect the horse to be fazed by a 20,000 crowd at the NZ Cup.

“Not much seems to bother him,” said Hart.

Meanwhile the young reinsman is just as buoyant about his prosects with last Saturday night’s Breeders Challenge four-year-old mares’ winner Tay Tay, who ran the fastest time of the four-year-old mares and as a result gave Hart the chance to choose what barrier he would like to come from.

He chose gate two while the second-fastest, Orchid Stride (Jack Trainor), will come from gate one.

“This mare just keeps getting better and better and although she showed her quality when she was racing in Victoria, she has just kept improving and Menangle has brought out the best in her,” said Hart.

Meanwhile invitations for the annual Claiming Concessional Drivers’ Invitation series, which will also be run on Breeders Challenge and Len Smith Mile final night have gone out to Lleyton Green, Jack Brown, Seaton Grima, Taylah Osmond, Justin Reynolds, Travis Bullock, Blake Hughes, Grace Panella and Jemma Coney. The two reserves are Sofia Arvidsson and James Locke.

by Michael Court, for HRNSW