Queensland harness racing wrap

Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.

THE GOOD

Saturday night was a special moment for the Grimsey family, with Teddy Disco claiming the Group 1 2YO Redcliffe Yearling Sales Series Final.

Owned and bred by Littlehaven – managed by Barry Grimsey – the flashy gelding is trained by Barry’s son Shawn.

The win was the second victory for the Grimsey family in the Redcliffe feature, having previously won the race in 2013 with Designer Style, then a Group 2 race.

In claiming the 2021 feature at the top level, it became the second Group 1 for Grimsey as a trainer following his success with Wicked Style in the 2012 3YO RQIS Final (QBRED Triad).

Bred by the Grimseys, Teddy Disco is by Tintin In America out of Three Jewels, a six-time winner that was also trained by Shawn.

Put through the 2020 Redcliffe Yearling Sale, Teddy Disco was a buy-back after reaching $6,500 in the sale ring.

Showing improvement at each appearance to date, Teddy Disco was a smart winner of his heat of the Redcliffe Series and was a well-supported favourite to claim the Final.

After easing across from gate five, driver Nathan Dawson was content to sit outside the leader O B Legal.

After a slick lead time of 10.9 seconds, the opening two quarters were recorded in 29.9 and 30.8, with the third split covered in 29.6 seconds. Watch the replay here.

Asking the son of Tintin In America for the effort as they approached the quarter pole, Dawson knew he was travelling strongly and held off R Eleven Art in claiming victory by nearly six metres.

In a case of déjà vu, it was once again a Kylie Rasmussen driven runner that was runner-up to the Grimseys in Redcliffe’s lone Group 1 race.

Rasmussen, who drove Teddy Disco into second placing in the QBRED Breeders Classic back in May, was runner-up to Designer Style back in 2013 when driving Vander Jenkins.

Driving R Elven Art in the 2021 Sales Final, ‘Lady Luck’ had to settle for second placing behind Teddy Disco.

The win provided Tintin In America with his first credit for a male Group 1 success, with Teddy Disco joining the West Australian filly Lady Jadore as his lone elite level winners in Australia.

The record of Teddy Disco now stands at three wins in four starts, with a fast-finishing second in the Breeders Classic the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record.

A clash with the unbeaten Dangerzone is now on the horizon as Teddy Disco looks towards the upcoming QBRED Triad on Blacks A Fake night – the final night of the TAB Queensland  Constellations.

THE BAD

Young trainer and driver Lachie Manzelmann had, on paper, a reasonably handy set of driving engagements on Tuesday at Albion Park.

As can often be the case, things did not go his way and of his six drives, the closest result he secured was in his first drive of the day when fourth aboard Dargos Pet.

Following the six unplaced efforts on Tuesday, attention shifted to The Triangle the next evening.

A seventh in the seventh race at Redcliffe on Wednesday night in his seventh drive for the week, and the luck was yet to arrive.

Following the last race on the card, Lachie may have been forgiven for thinking it was not to be his week after leading every stride bar the one that counted when run down on the wire driving Sheza Chance for trainer Donny Smith.

However, come Thursday the tide had turned and Charm Offensive, a horse that he trains for his father – prominent gallops trainer John – was able to lead all the way with Lachie taking the winning drive.

That was quickly followed one race later when steering Jukebox Jet for Ron Sallis to an all-the-way win.

Completing the day with victory in the last race aboard Royal Obsession, again for Sallis, Manzelmann was able to end two days of frustration with a winning treble.

The win also secured a winning treble for trainer Ron Sallis, with his other win coming from Rocknroll Dude who arrived in the closing stages to defeat his stablemate, Slingshot.

In a top day for Sallis, he took four horses to the track, landing three winners and a second, which also gave him a winning quinella.

A Friday night win at big odds with Our Ultimate Hanna continued the improved run after only being narrowly beaten aboard Street Appeal in the opening race of the night for Manzelmann.

Turning the week around, another winner was added with victory aboard Dargos Pet at Marburg, to give Manzelmann a handful of winners.

Taking his season tally to 47 wins, Lachie is in a great position as the half-way point of the term to better his previous best tally of 64 recorded last season.

THE MILESTONE

A significant milestone passed last week with limited fanfare when Grant Dixon secured his 100th win for the season as a trainer on Tuesday at Albion Park.

It is the 10th consecutive season that Dixon has prepared 100 winners for the season since taking over the stable from his late father Bill.

While Grant was not at the reins of the milestone winner, the team effort was on display with second-string driver for the team, Chris Petroff taking the drive.

It was the aptly named Chasing Great that bought up win 100 for the season, as the Dixon stable searches for the third consecutive J D Watts Training award, presented to the country’s leading trainer by number of winners.

In a personal milestone for Dixon, he is on target to crack 100 Albion Park wins in the season as a driver.

With the halfway point of the season arriving this Wednesday, Dixon sits on 50 driving wins at The Creek after bringing up the half-century on Friday night.

Major Lester was able to lead all the way in the second race of the night to reach the half-ton, making it an early double to follow on from the tough win of Bombadier Jujon in race one.

The win also moves Grant’s tally of victories at Albion Park within striking distance of 2,000, a figure that could be reached later this season at his current rate of winners.

The Dixon stable is a well-oiled machine that continues to churn out the winners and with the stable star Colt Thirty One also on the cusp of millionaire status, there is plenty to look forward to in the second half of the season.

THE WILDCARD

It was the winning performance of Krug in the Derby that was the standout on a stellar night of racing at Redcliffe on Saturday night.

The Cran Dalgety star was clinical in putting his opponents to the sword in an effortless victory in the 2040-metre feature.

Sitting parked as General Montana held the front, Anthony Butt never looked concerned in the early stages.

With the leader capitulating at the 700-metre mark, Krug cruised to the front and kept his opponents chasing in vain, taking his first win on Australian soil, seemingly never out of second gear.

The win shaved over two seconds off the race record held by Colt Thirty One and established a new overall track record for the distance, eclipsing the previous mark held by Bodhi Tree.

While the excitement builds towards The Rising Sun with Krug, there were several other laudable performances on the night.

Big Gem Montana was a comfortable winner of the first ever Garrards Showcase when stepping to the front and leading throughout for trainer Darrel Graham and driver Adam Sanderson.

Proving a remarkably versatile three-year-old, Big Gem Montana has seemingly been everywhere this season.

The Lanercost gelding has been a finalist in the Group 1 QBRED Triad for colts and geldings, raced on the grass at Kilcoy, won the Marburg Show Final, competed in two Trot Rods heats and has now claimed the Showcase.

L L Cool J backed up his Patrons Purse victory with a strong win from the front in the Group 2 Redcliffe Cup.

After some nervous moments as the tapes released, the five-year-old eventually filled his gear and worked into a pace, pressing forward to the lead – a position he would not relinquish thereafter.

Godofthunder was aided by a crafty drive by Magical Matty Elkins to claim the Redcliffe Trotters Cup.

Stepping cleanly, Elkins was content to let the gelding roll along in front and making the field chase proved a winning ploy.

The win was the first victory in Queensland since joining the stable of Narissa McMullen and the six-year-old can boast victories in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and now the Sunshine State.

Meanwhile, the training honours went to New South Wales visitor Gemma Hewitt who secured a double with victories in the first two races of the night.

Keayang Kreuzer was driven to victory by Luke McCarthy while Kash Us Back claimed the second race on the card with Brendan Barnes able to secure the one-by-one trail from gate five before finishing over the top.

THIS WEEK

Following on from the first Group 1 event of the 2021 TAB Queensland Constellations, this Saturday will see the first round of heats of the Darrel Alexander Memorial.

The DJA as it is commonly referred to is for square gaiters with the highest point scorers over two rounds of heats progressing to the Group 1 Final on Saturday July 17.

Complementing the first round heats this Saturday will be the Wondais Mate run over the 1660-metre trip and is the slated third-up target for King Of Swing.

The race calendar this week will see Albion Park host four meetings – Tuesday afternoon, Thursday afternoon, Friday night and Saturday night.

Redcliffe will have two meetings on Wednesday night and Sunday night to complete the six meetings for the week.

Wednesday’s meeting will also signal the half-way point of the newly aligned racing season, six months in, with six still to run.

By Darren Clayton from Racing Queensland