By Adam Hamilton
When Chris Lang gets excited about a trotter, it pays to take notice.
And Lang is seriously excited about his Kiwi-bred five-year-old Ollivici.
After a campaign where he didn’t fire, Lang spelled the son of former classy Kiwi trotting mare Belle Galleon and it’s proven a masterstroke.
“He’s come back the horse I’ve always hoped he would be,” he said. “I’ll be very surprised if he’s not up with the best this campaign.”
Ollivici defied a baffling betting drift ($2.20 to $3.50) to lead throughout and turn the Maori’s Idol free-for-all (1720m) into little more than track work.
He coasted around in a 1min57sec mile rate and just dashed home in 27.5sec.
It was a soft win and the best part was the newfound gate speed Ollivici showed to spear through and lead from gate two.
It was his 12th win from just 25 starts and given Lang’s record with star trotters, probably just the start of a huge two or three years.
Of course, Ollivici is a half-brother to former superstar Kiwi trotter Stent, a $1.3mil earner.
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Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave won’t race again before the world’s richest harness race.
Trainer Andy Gath was thrilled with the four-year-old’s blazing Melton win last night, but warned there was still improvement to come for the $2.1mil TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 2.
Catch A Wave only won by a neck, but clocked a brilliant 1min51.7sec mile rate for 1720m and looked to “switch-off” once he had the race won at the 100m mark.
“It was a mix of switching-off and getting a bit tired, to be honest,” Gath said. “He made a long, sustained run and went his own last half off the track in somewhere between 54 and 55, so he was entitled to get a bit tired.
“But Kate (Gath, driver) said he also switch-off a bit. She could feel he pick-up again when the second horse came back at him again late.”
Catch A Wave was only second-up since his Miracle Mile win on March 4.
“There’s now doubt he’s come back a lot bigger and needed some racing,” Gath said.
“He wasn’t fully wound-up tonight. He was close and we needed to see exactly where he was at, but we can still screw him down a bit more before the big one.
“But I won’t do that in a race, not now.
“It was a hard run tonight and I won’t back him up again next week and I don’t want to race him the week before we go to Sydney.
“So, his racing is done before the Eureka.
“We can work him at home and I’ll look towards a Melton trial the Tuesday before the Eureka and then we could take him to Sydney the next day.”
Gath concedes Queensland sensation Leap To Fame is the horse everyone has to beat in the Eureka, but he’s looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ve got huge respect for him, I’ve watched him and loved him for 18 months now,” he said.
“But our guy has shown he can peak for the biggest races and he’s been to Menangle and won a Miracle Mile.
“We can’t wait to be part of it.”
Another major TAB Eureka player, The Lost Storm, also continued his preparation with a strong Melton win last night.
The Queensland Derby winner enjoyed a dream run of a frantic speed and had the race run before the home bend.
Driven out by Mark Pitt, The Lost Storm scored by five metres in a slick 1min53.1sec mile rate for the longer 2240m trip.
The race marked the first Aussie defeat of Northern Derby runner-up Son Of Mac and it was a tough one.
Trainer-driver Kyle Marshall went in search of the lead from gate six, but had to sit parked in a blistering pace.
He was gone at the 500m and dropped out sharply to be essentially eased out of the race.
Stewards queried the performance and ordered a string of vet checks.
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Gifted pacer Captain Ravishing remains the mystery horse of this TAB Eureka.
Now back with original trainer Ahmed Taiba, the four-year-old will go into the $2.1mil feature without having raced for six months.
And now, almost certainly, with just two official trials.
Captain Ravishing sustained a minor hoof injury in a solo workout at Geelong last Friday week and missed some work.
He pleased Taiba in a serious workout at home yesterday (Saturday) and got to the Shepparton trials on Thursday night.
All going well, it’s off to Menangle for a trial up there before the TAB Eureka.
Taiba has repeatedly said keeping Captain Ravishing fresh and saving all his explosive speed is his best hope of winning the feature.
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Pacing sensation Leap To Fame will have his final TAB Eureka lead-up at Albion Park on Friday night.
At least that’s what trainer-driver Grant Dixon hopes.
“Hopefully there are enough entrants for the race to go ahead,” he said. “Ideally, I’d get that run into him before we head to Sydney the Sunday before the Eureka.
“But, if the race doesn’t go ahead, he’s very close to right and I can top him off at home.”
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Surely Tims A Trooper deserves a TAB Eureka slot.
But it is likely he will still have to “prove” himself in next Saturday night’s $50,000 The Singo an Menangle.
As good as his form is and as impressive as his win at Albion Park last night was, there only looks one TAB Eureka slot left open.
Presuming Wayne Loader will take his own horse Ripp in his “Western Jewel” slot, that only leaves John Singleton’s slot. Ripp ran a good second at Menangle last night.
And it’s been well advertised Singleton will use the race named after him, The Singo, to choose his slot runner.
But, on what Tims A Trooper has done, a win or even a big run in defeat would have him clear favourite to snag that slot.
Tims A Trooper’s rivals in The Singo are set to include star WA mare Wonderful To Fly and emerging Tasmanian pacer Mickey Oh, further underlining the broad national interest the TAB Eureka has created.
While Tims A Trooper has lived in the shadow of his stablemate and contemporary, Leap To Fame, he is well on the way to banking $400,000 in earnings and that Albion Park win after sitting parked last night was stunning.
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There was a strong Kiwi connection to the brilliant win of The Bigboss in the $175,000 Nutrien Sales 2YO final (2150m) at Bendigo last Friday night.
The Nathan Jack trained-and-driven colt was bred by Croon Bloodstock, being by Bettors Delight out of Christian Cullen mare Gentle Anvil.
A dashing front-running drive by Jack helped The Bigboss emphatically turn the tables on the exciting $1.50 favourite Bay Of Biscay, who sat outside him and out-dashed him to win the heat.
This time Jack put the foot down at the 1200m, running his last three splits in 28.1, 27.3 and 28.1sec for a 1min54sec mile rate to win brilliantly by 17.2m over Bay Of Biscay.
In contrast, hot favourite Lux Aeterna led throughout and toyed with her rivals in the fillies’ final, scoring by 26m in a 1min56sec mile rate.
She’s now won the Bathurst Gold Tiara and Nurien finals in her unbeaten five-race streak for trainer-driver Rickie Alchin.
Sweet Bella also remains unbeaten in five runs for Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin after ;leading throughout to win the 3YO fillies’ Nutrien final.
While Captain Hammerhead caused a minor upset when he led throughout to win the 3YO colts and geldings final for trainer-driver David Moran in a slick 1min54.3sec mile rate. Hot favourite Petracca had to sit parked and dropped out to finish 50m away in 11th spot.
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Former Kiwi four-year-old Your So Fine emerged as a possible WA Pacing Cup contender with his dominant Marathon win at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
The son of Always B Miki led throughout from a standing start for his fifth successive win and gave nothing else a chance in the $30,000 Marathon over the testing 3309m trip.
Your So Fine easily held-off 30m backmarker and fellow former Kiwi pacer Steel The Show to win by 6.3m in a 2min3.2sec mile rate, capped by closing splits of 56.3 and 28.7sec.
Team Bond won the free-for-all on the night with their promising former Kiwi five-year-old Tenzing Bromac.
Another former Kiwi to impress on the night was Ray Williams’ Cyclone Charlotte, who toyed with her rivals in the $30,000 WASBA 4&5YO Mares’ final.
The daughter of Bettors Delight, out of former classy Kiwi mare Cyclone Kate, has now won three on end and eight of her 18 starts.
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Patience is being rewarded for Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars with Kiwi import Rakero Rebel.
The four-year-old mare arrived in Australia with big hopes, but proved costly in her first campaign.
But with a break and her mojo back, the daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven made it three wins from as many starts this campaign by winning again at Melton last night.
