Bits and Bridles

The future career of Southland harness racing mare Raklou (Sweet Lou) will take place in Western Australia for Gary Hall Snr.

The four year old mare won four races for Ryal Bush trainer Peter Hunter with her biggest win the Group Three Helen Pope Fillies Classic at Ashburton.

She also won the Bionic Chance Bracelet at Addington as a two year old and was placed third in the Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic won by Vessem.

Most of her three year old season was disrupted by health issues which trainer Peter Hunter described at ‘long covid’.

She appears to be over those problems and was back to winning form at Winton earlier this month.
From sixteen starts she won four races and was placed a further five times, ultimately banking $52,270 for her owner Brendan Fahy.

Driver Micheal Hay bookended the seven race card at Manawatu yesterday and his win on Quercus Rubra was his first in eleven years. The horseman has only just recently renewed his licence and fits race day driving in around his work as a builder and part time farrier.

Hay’s second win on the Manawatu card yesterday was with Whitebait Marg for Hasting trainer Tracy Cadwallader.

From limited starters the win was Tracy’s second win in the twenty seven years she’s held a trainers licence.

When Southland owned pacer Tact McLeod (Sweet Lou) races in the Interdominion Series next month he’ll be following in the footsteps of one of his distant relatives, Tactile.

As a four year old Tactile competed in the Interdominions in Melbourne where he won a heat and ran third in the final.

Trained at Wyndham by Derek Dynes, Tactile also ran in the 1965 series held at Forbury Park.

He won his heat on the first night beating Junior Royal by half a head. On the second night he finished second, beaten by two and a half lengths by Disband, and on the third night he finished last – the winner was Robin Dundee.

Tactile qualified for the Grand Final, came third favourite and finished thirteenth. In the final Jay Ar and Robin Dundee deadheated for first.

Tactile also competed in the 1966 Interdominions in Sydney where he won a heat and finished fourth in the final.

Top Of The Hill (What The Hill) has been a good money earner since coming south to Gore trainer Brian Norman.

In eleven starts the four year old gelding has won twice and has recorded four minor placings.
The well bred gelding’s third dam is Landora’s Pride which won thirty four races including the Northern Trotting Derby, the Rowe Cup and the Dominion Handicap.

Top Of The Hill’s last win was at the Winton HRC meeting on Sunday.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink