Crone team aiming to shoot up Inter Dominion rankings

By Jordan Gerrans

Like many trainers throughout Australasia, Ebenezer's Matt Crone has his eyes on Inter Dominion rankings as he aims to sneak up the list with less than a month to go until the series returns to Brisbane.

The 29-year-old Crone’s hopes were strengthened last Saturday evening when trotter Tam Oshanter scored under the bright lights on Saturday metro racing.

The chestnut gelding returns to Albion Park on Saturday night in the Trotting Feature, which is on the program for the opening night of the 2023 Queensland Summer Harness Carnival.

Tam Oshanter was ranked 51^st overall in the latest ID rankings unveiled with stable mate Indefensible one slot ahead.

Crone is eager to push further up the rankings with Tam Oshanter as he chases back-to-back city victories.

“It would be nice to get into there,” Crone said of the upcoming Inter Dominion series in Queensland.

“It would be good to sneak up. Hopefully we can jump up a few after Saturday’s win as we finished ahead of a number of horses that are ahead of him in the rankings. Hopefully we can finish top five on Saturday again.”

Tam Oshanter led all the way with Angus Garrard in the sulky on Saturday.

“He is back in form, there is no question about that,” caller Chris Barsby noted after the event. 

“He is going super, Tam Oshanter.”

The six metre victory was also Crone’s first of his training career on a Saturday night in the city.

He has recently taken over all of his family's pacers and trotters after his mother Kay previously was listed as the trainer.

Crone has prepared 17 winners this season and is striking at 16 per cent.

He was driving stable mate Indefensible in the race on Saturday night as Garrard and Tam Oshanter ran away with the prize.

“It was bloody awesome to get my first metro win,” he said.

“I was driving the other fella and I had a quick glance at the other horse.

“I was happy as he got up, I couldn’t believe it.”

The 20-year-old Garrard is likely to hand over the driving duties of Tam Oshanter to Crone on Saturday night as he has Sir Fahrenheit – who is trained by his father Daren – also in the 2138 metre Trotting Feature.

Tam Oshanter has been in the care of the Crones since March of this year after previously doing his racing for the leading Butler camp.

Crone described his Inter Dominion hopeful as a ‘handful’ in the early stages of their partnership but the square gaiter has put it all together in his last seven starts.

He has three victories to his name in that period of time as well as two other minor placings.

“He was super, once I saw him find the front easy enough I thought he would be pretty hard to run down,” the trainer said of Saturday’s win.

“He found plenty at the end, with 50 metres to go he started to pull away from them. I was pretty happy with it.

“He has turned a corner in recent weeks, he works hard and fast at home and he does the same at the races. He loves charging.”

Indefensible is the first emergency for the Trotting Feature on Saturday night and is likely to head to the Graham Harriott Trotters Discretionary Handicap at Marburg on Sunday instead. 

The Crone barn collected a positive result on Wednesday night as Chasin Dreamz got the cash around ‘The Triangle’.

Mare Chasin Dreamz has become a Redcliffe specialist over the last couple of years.

“She has been a little superstar for us, she has won 20 races and is a real weapon,” he said.

“She has been a ripper little us. She has done well for a $3,000 horse, winning 18 races for us.”

The Crone team are working up five young horses that they hope will make a mark in the two and three-year-old QBRED ranks in the coming months.

The 2023 Queensland Summer Harness Carnival begins on Saturday night at Albion Park and will feature the Be Good Johnny Sprint, which will be run at Listed level. 

The popular Peak Of The Creek also returns, providing horses with a National Rating from 55-70 the chance to compete in a $50,000 Final.

The unique series held heats on Tuesday with connections able once again to choose their own barriers based on the times their horses ran in the heats.

The highly vaunted QBRED scheme will also play an integral role this summer, with QBRED For Life 3YO races for both sexes featuring at the opening meeting, as well as a mixed-sex 2YO Final.