Manonthemoon still has the desire to win

Manonthemoon (Safari), a horse which didn’t like retirement, showed why with a tough harness racing win at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.

Trainer-driver Angela Chapman brought the 10-year-old with a well-timed run to grab a half head win in the Brereton Jewellers Pace (2230m).

Backed from $33 into $10, Manonthemoon scored from Lap Of Honour ($7.50) with Giftedfromtheheart ($2.25 fav) a metre away third.

Chapman “retired” Manonthemoon at the end of last year.

“He had done a great job, winning 15 races from just over 150 starts, and I thought he deserved a comfortable retirement,” Chapman said.

“I put him in a nice paddock on our property at Angle Vale, but he was having none of it.

“I said to John (husband) that he was not enjoying being out of training, so maybe I would give him another campaign.”

Manonthemoon resumed at the end of July and finished ninth but in two subsequent runs has steadily improved his fitness.

“He started two weeks in a row, and I was going to give him this week off but saw the race was over 2230 metres and I knew he would love it,” Chapman said.

“We got a good run early and a lead up into the race and he finished well to grab the win.”

MANONTHEMOON REPLAY

Manonthemoon took his stakemoney winnings to $96,992 so now the $100,000 mark is well within his reach.

Chapman said she would take gelding’s campaign run-to-run before trying to retire him again.

Manonthemoon was bred by Chapman’s son Mitchell Langdon, but she now has the mare Diligent Moon and is excited by a two-year-old colt she has bred by the promising stallion Major Secret which stands at Allenby Lodge Stud in Kapunda.

Longtime harness enthusiast, Ian Shephard, from Kadina, is having an excellent run with his squaregaiters and Alderbaran Gwen notched her ninth win for the season inv the King Of The North @ Llowalong Farm Trotters Handicap (2230m).

Driven confidently by Michael Smith, Aldebaran Gwen ($4.80) scored by five metres from Quick Quaker ($8) with Confiscated ($3.80 fav), two metres away third.

The winner is trained at Globe Derby Park by Bronte Giorgio who has had a very successful association with the owner.

“I was on the lookout for a couple of cheap trotters from Victoria and was able to pick up Aldebaran Gwen and Orlandos Gift,” Shephard said.

“Gwen has won nine and Gift has won eight, so they have been good buys.”

Shephard said he had consulted top trainer Graeme Johannesen before buying the horses.

Johannesen has been a master trainer and prepared the all-time great trotter True Roman during the 1980s.

For complete race results, click here.

From HRSA Media