Winning doubles for Hart

IT seems a winning double is no trouble for leading harness racing reinsman Cameron Hart these days.

The state’s premier driver landed a winning double at Young on Friday night and backed that up with another two winners at Menangle on Saturday night.

Now the 25-year-old reinsman will look for a repeat performance at Menangle today with six strong chances on the eight-race program.

The first three races today are all for the square-gaiters and Hart will quietly fancy his chances in all three.

Veteran gelding Melpark Magic hasn’t won a race in more than six months but is proving a great money-spinner for his owners Leon Jurd and former Club Menangle chairman Rex Horne.

He fought on well for a third to Leaf Stride at Menangle last week after coming off 20-metres in a standing start race and should relish a return to mobile conditions today and be hard to beat in Race 1.

Hart will start close to favourite in Race 2 when he takes the reins on promising filly Karakajack Tooth for trainer Jarrod Alchin.

Yet to win in three starts, Alchin has taken plenty of time with this daughter of US Stallion Volstead and her three starts have all resulted in impressive placings.

Perfectly-drawn in gate three today, Karakajack Tooth showed enough gate speed last start to suggest Hart will look for an all-the-way win.

Even Race 3 looks within his grasp with the consistent trotter Viksun, who hasn’t won in almost 12 months but seems to do her best work when Hart is in the bike.

Hart was more than satisfied with the efforts of Promiseland and Nerano in his winning double at Menangle last weekend.

“Promiseland has been a consistent mare through her career,” he said.

“She had a little drop in grade and ran some nice sectionals and really zipped home up the straight.

“She has nice gate speed and can put herself in a good spot with the right run in any race.”

Hart was even more impressed with Nerano’s effort in winning the night’s feature, the Joe and Michael Ilsley Free-For-All, beating two handy ones on Max Delight and Jay OK.

“It was an exciting race with a 47s lead time, which you don’t see too often,” said Hart.

“He’s always been a high speed horse but to win at Menangle the way he did showed he’d be competitive in anything he goes in.”

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Court, for HRNSW