Clearing Maidens – Ko Ko goes Kaboom while Hot And Dangerous looks swift and lethal

In our weekly Clearing Maidens article we look through those breaking through for their first victories.

It could be a long-time maiden who has finally mastered race rivals or a progressive star of the track in the future – they’ve all got one thing in common now – they’re race winners!

Cambridge 15th October

Heaven High (Sky Major – Let It Be) Another winner for the sire Sky Major, Heaven produced a sound performance in the 2nd on the card out of Cambridge on Tuesday, seeing off favoured types Taketheplunge and Beta Prepare to snare a maiden victory at start #12. The win capped a nice training effort from the Balle stable with the 4yr-old having his first start in some 10 months.

Heaven High is well bred being out of the well-known Norwegian Wood damline. The very impressive Band On The Run, a 9-time winner by Christian Cullen, and the 1.50 pacer Crocket’s Cullen are also out of dam Let It Be making for a strong page in the sales catalogue.

Heaven High leaves Cambridge on a high on Tuesday after a strong win.

Mike Ross (Bettor’s Delight – Big Lucy) Mike Ross is a horse that training partnership of Dylan and Jo Ferguson will remember for some time – the juvenile bringing up a first training victory for the couple. A 2.02.9 effort over the 1700m enough to catch race favourite Crumsy in the run home.

Dam Big Lucy proved a dependable mare on the track, winning 8-times during her 27-start career, as a mother she also met with early success, leaving the 11-time winner Louis Litt as her first foal.

Mike Ross brings up a first training win for the Ferguson training partnership

Hot And Dangerous (Captaintreacherous – Hothooves) The daughter of Captaintreacherous with hot hooves indeed. This smart filly had threatened to win a race against strong 2yr-old company in recent weeks and, on Tuesday, she found the right race, scoring after pouncing from a 1/1 sit over the last lap when piloted by Tony Cameron. Hot And Dangerous is the sister to another flyer in Hot And Treacherous, now the winner of some 17 races and a multiple Gr1 placed animal due to her performances in the Taylor Mile of 2022 and the Blacks A Fake and Sunshine Sprint of 2023.

Addington 16th

Koko Kaboom (Superfast Stuart – Ko Wrected) Ko Ko went Kaboom alright. Having worked into a 3rd placing behind Meandad last start Ko Ko Kaboom went a couple of spots better on Wednesday, making strides down the middle of the Addington track to score a nice maiden victory at start #7. The win was the first out of the Scott Lethaby stable with Bella Button placing for the barn on a number of occasions in 2021. Ko Ko Kaboom is out of a 2-time winning daughter of Diedre Don in Ko Wrected.

Terror Ma Sue (Terror To Love – Sue Me) Another maiden winner out of the Chris McDowell barn, Terror Ma Sue and Sam Thornley set up the 6th race of the night at Addington in some leisurely sectionals, accelerating nicely over the last 400m to score by 1 1/2 lengths from a closing Pacific Thunder.

The daughter of Terror To Love had placed on 7 prior occasions and becomes the 2nd winner out of Sue Me after Watching Brief scored for J Morrison earlier in the year.

Terror Ma Sue stacks them up and runs them home at Addington

Addington 18th October

Atlantic City (Volstead – Liberty City) After impressing on debut in behind star juvenile Habibti Pat, Atlantic City swept to the front early in the first of the night at Addington on Friday and couldn’t be caught – that despite the late charge from stablemate Tarragindi.

A bright future looks assured for the daughter of Volstead with her breeding suggesting plenty more wins in store for her. Her siblings include the impressive Empire City, a full sister, who has racked up 8 wins from 13 starts, and American Muscle, the winner of 8 from 58.

Atlantic City scores well in Christchurch city.

Rock Or Bust (Rocknrol Hanover – Don’t U Wantme Baby) After being unruly as the favourite last time out at Oamaru Rock Or Bust choose to rock race rivals in the 2nd of the night at Addington, a strong 2.25.1 showing from the front of the race proving far too slick for others in the maiden field. Rock or Bust had previously been competitive behind The Lazarus Effect and The Con Artist in recent weeks.

Dam Don’t U Wantme Baby is now a winning broodmare with the victory.

Rock Or Bust busts them open at Addington

Heaven (Rock N Roll Heaven – Kotare Yedo) A deserved winner. Heaven has been a consistent performer in recent months, particularly when racing at Addington so the victory, in the 12th race on the card, should not have been too much of a surprise to the form analysts.

The K James trained runner made good ground to score too, leaving it late to snare the victory from the well supported Buddha. The James stable enjoyed the first win of 2024 with the win.

Alexandra Park 18th October

Waltzing With Miki (Always B Miki – Lady Dancer) A good win for the Benjamin Butcher trained son of Always B Miki. Having already placed on 5 previous occasions Waltzing With Miki proved too strong over the concluding stages in the 8th of the night out of Alexandra Park, toughing it out from the parked position to grind down leader I Got Chills over the final furlong to score in 2.42.5 over the 2200m mobile trip.

Dam Lady Dancer won 7 from 21, amassing over $70’000 in career earnings. As a broodmare she now has left some 5 individual winners including the current performer and full brother to Waltzing With Miki in Miki Bennett (4 wins)

Invercargill 20th October

Enya Franco (Art Major – Edinburgh Franco) Striking in the first of the day out of Invercargill, Enya Franco was aided by an exceptional drive from Blair Orange who steered the mare in and out of a running line sit over the 400m, finally coming to mount a charge on the inner of the track to snare the victory from Top Pocket Chance and Cold Pursuit. The victory came about after 8 previous attempts on track.

Notable performers out of dam Edinburgh Franco include the 11-time winner Franco Edward (American Ideal) and the 7-time winner in Franco Ecuador (A Rocknroll Dance)

Enya Franco scores in the first out of Invercargill

Trippy Tyron (Superfast Stuart – Trips’ On Me) A trip to the far south seems to have agreed with this G O’Reilly runner with John Morrison and the daughter of Superfast Stuart combining to score a nice maiden victory in the 2nd of the day. The front-running win coming hot on the heels of running 5th to Mikki Kiovu at Oamaru on the 13th of October. This is a strong family of trotters with Trippy Tyron out of the 5-time winning mare in Trip’s On Me. Younger 1/2 brother Tyrons Strapping Lad ran 3rd at Addington on Friday night.

Sultan Of Swing (Downbytheseaside – Dunrobin) Money for winning and the fillies for free. Scoring at big odds this 3yr-old out of the Shirley stable showed a nice turn of foot in getting home via the passing lane in the 3rd of the day to score at odds of 27/1.

The odds obviously didn’t account for the bloodlines involved here which are solid enough. Dam Dunrobin won 2 from 9 while the wider breed is probably best known for the racetrack performances of Costa Del Magnifico, a 15-time winner by Mach Three, and The Musics Over, by Live Or Die, who went on to win some 16 times from 140 raceday starts.

That’s the way you do it. Sultan Of Swing scores.

Drummershavtime (Art Major – Musthavtime) Drummershavtime had been a model of consistency leading into Sunday so the winning turn shouldn’t have come as a surprise to many. The Brett Gray trained runner impressed too, simply leading and waltzing away with the affair, clearing out to win by over 2 lengths at the line from Absolute Babe and Ada R J.

Drummershavtime strides away from race rivals

By Harnesslink Media