Queensland Harness Racing wrap

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

THE GOOD

All eyes were on Marburg on Sunday with an eight-race card highlighted by the running of two heats of the Family Challenge.

A four-race series, the first two heats were timed to coincide with Father’s Day, with the remaining two heats to be held at their next meeting, this Sunday September 12.

Four families were invited to compete, with two generations of each family doing battle in the Series, the invited families being Alistair and Brendan Barnes, Darrel and Brittany Graham, Gavin and Matt Crone and Greg and Matt Elkins.

The leading point scoring family across the four heats will be declared as the winning family with the added twist of the leading generation along with the overall leading driver claiming a points tally victory.

After the first two heats, the ‘old boys’ showed their children how it is done, claiming victory in both events with Darrel Graham and Alistair Barnes scoring winning honours.

The first heat saw Darrel Graham land the drive aboard Clarenden Dazzler for trainer Greg Minns and after drawing barrier one was sent to the post as an odds-on favourite.

Taking full advantage of the good gate, the pair of Dazzlers were able to lead all the way, claiming victory over Matt Crone and My Ultimate Clippa, with Greg Elkins and Royal Princess grabbing third along the inside.

The second heat looked at the mercy of the younger generation who had the drives on the three horses at the top of the market.

However, proving it really was Father’s Day, Al Barnes was able to pinch the race in the closing strides to ensure the dads reigned supreme.

Driving Miss Mia for trainer Peter Greig, Barnes set sail down the outside and was able to arrive in the last stride, defeating Matt Elkins and Beef City Starzzz with Brendan Barnes and Bonnies Cam in third with the tight margins of a short half-head by a half-head.

While the other three dads may have filled the last three spots of the second heat, if there was any doubt as to which generation held bragging rights, it was settled by the training performance.

Peter Greig trained the winning trifecta and made it a winning treble for the day.

Heats three and four will be keenly contested with the ‘kids’ needing to lift to avoid a pending clean sweep.

See results and race replays here.

THE BAD

Godofthunder was successful in the closing race of Saturday’s Albion Park fixture, the win taking plenty of driving from Matt Elkins to get the gelding home.

After working hard to get the best out of Godofthunder to claim victory, Elkins then had to give a little bit more after the race, earning the wrath of stewards and having a fine imposed for his whip use.

With Elkins celebrating a birthday on Sunday, his early birthday present in the shape of Saturday night success had some of the lustre taken off it.

Heading to Sunday’s Marburg fixture, ‘Magical’ Matty looked to have a nice book of birthday drives, however likely left the course with a case of what might have been, going within a short half head – the barest possible margin – not once but twice which would have provided a driving treble.

Starting the day with the steer aboard Kid Calvert for Jurgen Strohschon, the pair led the field for 1849-metres of the 1850-metre event, collared right on the line by the Peter Greig-trained and driven Teachers Pet.

Elkins had the drive in the ‘bookend’ for Greig aboard Beef City Starzzz in the second heat of the Family Challenge and again from gate one showed good speed out of the machine to lead the field.

However, like the result of the first race, Elkins was in front every stride bar the one that counted as Miss Mia and Al Barnes arrived to claim the victory.

Not all was lost, with Elkins driving home the winner of race two aboard the Tayla Gillespie-trained Johnrod.

After 10 previous attempts to get Johnrod home for victory, the pair finally combined at attempt 11 with an all the way performance to claim victory by a half-head.

THE MILESTONE

Bella Ball Terror was having just its second start for trainer Trent Dawson when charging home to score at Albion Park on Friday, September 3.

Dawson had the gelding positioned three back against the markers and was able to angle into clear space to come with a booming finish over the top and claim victory.

It was the 12th career victory for the six-year-old gelding as he broke through for the first time this season in scoring his second Albion Park victory, the previous when prepared by Dennis Picker back in July of 2019.

Having always shown above average ability, Bella Ball Terror competed in the 2017 VicBred Super Series Final claimed by Poster Boy and again clashed with that same superstar in the 2018 NSW Derby heats.

After just eight starts as a five-year-old that returned three wins, Bella Ball Terror looked sharp when sprinting hard to claim victory and ensure he has now won at least one race every season since beginning his career.

The win also gave Trent Dawson his 35th win this season in the sulky to continue his good form in 2021.

While he may not be punching out the number of winners that his cousin Pete McMullen and Nathan Dawson who are leading the Queensland and National Drivers title, Trent is leading the way in another category.

The latest success for Dawson sees the astute horseman as the leading percentage driver in the Sunshine State.

With 35 wins for the season from 166 drives, Dawson has a winning percentage of 21.08%, which places him 15th nationally and the only Queensland driver to be in the top 20.

THE WILDCARD

It was a day out at Marburg for trainer Peter Greig who was able to ‘bookend’ the card, train a winning treble and train the trifecta of the eighth race on the card.

In all, Greig prepared 4 winners for the week, also training a winner at Wednesday’s meeting at Redcliffe.

Starting from barrier one on Wednesday, Beef City Blaze took the trail before finishing best to claim his 17th career victory.

A consistent performer throughout his career, the six-year-old gelding is edging closer to $100,000 in career earnings for his owners and breeders, Bernie and Carmel Clifton.

Peter Greig took eight horses to the Marburg meeting on Sunday with six of the eight running in the money.

Opening the day with Teachers Pet, Greig took the drive and was content to sit outside the leader before getting busy at the 300-metre mark and just edging out the leader for the narrowest of victories.

The second win came up in race four when Pete McMullen took the drive aboard three-year-old filly Forgive Me, spearing to the front and then leading throughout to claim the victory.

Looking to complete the ‘bookend’ in race eight, Greig had three runners engaged in the second of the Family Challenge heats.

Beef City Starzzz had gate one for Matt Elkins, Bonnies Cam gate six for Brendan Barnes and Miss Mia had gate eight for Alistair Barnes.

With Beef City Starzzz making the most of a gate break by Pacific Coin to his outside, he was able to lead comfortably and looked to have the race won.

Unfortunately for the Cliftons, they were unable to get their second win of the week as it was Miss Mia for Al Barnes that arrived right on the wire to pinch the victory.

Bonnies Cam made a dive between the pair to sneak through and grab third place, giving Greig the trifecta.

With the official margins of a short half-head x half-head, it was agonisingly close to a triple dead-heat – a uniquely rare achievement.

With the victory of Miss Mia, her owner/breeders were also able to claim a treble for the day.

Jeff and Leann Wallace bred and own Greig’s three winners, with Teachers Pet, Forgive Me and Miss Mia all hailing from the same maternal line that the Wallaces have had so much success with over the years.

THIS WEEK

It is a different calendar this week in Queensland with six race meetings and an amended schedule.

Redcliffe will undergo resurfacing works on the track this week which sees a reshuffle to the week.

The changes include no meeting in Queensland this Wednesday night and Albion Park picking up the two meetings from Redcliffe.

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoon will come from The Creek, as will the meetings on Friday and Saturday night.

Marburg will again host a Sunday afternoon fixture to complete six meetings for the week in the Southeast corner.

Friday night from Albion Park will see the Springboard Series Finals for both the three-year-old and two-year-old trotters, with each Final offering $15,000 in prizemoney.