Show queen claims opening Showcase qualifier

Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.

THE GOOD

The first round of the Garrard’s Showcase has been completed with the Warwick Show kicking off the series on Friday night.

Queensland’s show queen - Lola Weidemann - displayed why she owns that title, claiming the Ray Bunch Machinery Cantor Cup Final with eight-year-old grey gelding Ghost Gum.

Ghost Gum has been a wonderful horse for the Weidemann family - both at registered race meetings and on the show circuit - and has guaranteed his entry to the next round of the Showcase Series.

A distinctive grey, Ghost Gum has had 282 ‘official’ race starts that have returned 21 wins and a further 63 placings.

The highlight of Ghost Gum’s career came last season in Marburg’s flagship event when claiming the 2020 Oakwood Capital Goldstrike Final when driven by Lachie Manzelmann.

On the show circuit, the gelding has had a further 28 starts.

That show record includes finishing as the runner-up in the 2017 Ekka Final and then third in the 2018 Final.

On Friday, he tackled heat three of the Cantor Cup where the judge could not find a verdict with a dead heat declared alongside the Dayl March-trained and driven Artful Maid.

Just over one hour later, the Final was set down for decision and it developed into a two-horse breakaway, with the dead-heaters again locking horns for a showdown.

Andrew Millard was aboard Artful Maid - after Dayl March opted to rein his other finalist Our Major Day - and threw down a solid challenge to the leader Ghost Gum, with the pair kicking clear of their rivals over the closing stages.

Under strong urgings from Weidemann, the ghostly grey responded, pulling clear to claim the Final by a margin of one length.

More positions in the Garrard’s Showcase heats to be held in June - with the final on Redcliffe Cup night - are up for offer with further shows at Nanango, Toowoomba, Kingaroy, Marburg, Gympie, and Boonah.

With the show circuit cancelled in 2020 because of COVID-19, you can be guaranteed to see the Weidemann sisters blazing the show trail in 2021.

THE BAD

Injuries and setbacks are a frustration with any horse, but when it happens to high quality performers, that frustration intensifies.

A former Queensland Horse of the Year, Leos Best, has provided trainer Grant Dixon with his fair share of exasperated moments in recent years.

Those annoyances were somewhat eased and would have provided plenty of satisfaction for the Dixon stable with Leos Best back in the winner’s circle on Saturday night.

Now an eight-year-old, the 2017 Horse of the Year winner claimed his first race victory since October 2019 when leading throughout for driver, and now owner of Leos Best, Trista Dixon.

With 12 months off the scene, it has been a slow road back after returning to the track on December 5, 2020.

That return came in the Group 2 Queensland Cup when finishing down the line behind Cruz.

Since that run, Leos Best has shown steady improvement at each outing, as he continued to get the miles into the legs.

Capitalising on a good gate on Saturday night, Trista Dixon sent the gelding straight to the front where he stayed, claiming a near five-metre winning margin.

That took Leos Best record to 31 wins in 76 starts, moving within striking distance of $400,000 in stakes.

A gelded son of Cammibest, Leos Best is a dual Group 1 winner that also claimed a QBRED Grand Slam, winning Triad Finals at two, three and four.

THE MILESTONE

It has been a while between Saturday night drinks for reinsman Clint Sneddon, but the win of Northern Muscle has broken that drought at The Creek.

Having his third drive behind the Denis Smith-trained square-gaiter, Sneddon was able to drive a controlled race to land a decisive win over the mobile mile.

Always showing a deft hand with the trotting gait, the last time Sneddon had claimed a Saturday night victory came aboard Its Three By Two, back on June 6, 2015.

That same trotter also provided the no-fuss Sneddon with his biggest win in the sulky when the pair combined to land victory in the 2014 Jim McNeil Final by a huge 25-metre winning margin.

Partnering Northern Muscle in all three runs since returning for his latest preparation, it was a smart return in the Trotters Marathon when a close-up fourth.

Tackling the mobile mile for just the second time in his career, Northern Muscle was sent forward by Sneddon to sit at the wheel of the track record holding Greg The Great.

Travelling strongly down the back straight despite a 28.6-second third split whilst exposed, Northern Muscle put the leader to sleep at the 400-metre pole.

Knowing where his dangers were, Sneddon kicked for home at the perfect moment to cruise home for victory in a 1.57.0 mile-rate, a new PB for Northern Muscle.

The win also squared the ledger between Northern Muscle and Tough Monarch in the battle for most wins by a QBRED trotter, with both now having 25 wins on the board.

With the strength of that victory, if Sneddon can keep the seat aboard Northern Muscle, he will not be waiting five years for his next Saturday night success.

THE WILDCARD

I Am Sparta may have been the first two-year-old winner of the year in Queensland, however the first two-year-old only race was run and won last Tuesday, March 16.

With a field of six ‘babies’ to do battle, punters were in the corner of the Chantal Turpin-trained Gotta Go Milking, sending the gelding out as favourite.

However, it was the Grant Dixon-trained and driven Racy Roxy that was able to score victory, finishing over the top of the leader Arnold Street in claiming a two-and-a-half-metre winning margin.

It has been seven years since a filly claimed the first two-year-old event of the season in Queensland, but that did not stop the well-mannered Racy Roxy scoring a smart debut victory.

The filly is a true 100% homebred, with the Seymour-managed Solid Earth not only owning the filly but owning both her sire Mr Feelgood and her dam Rani Major.

Rani Major was a smart race mare in her own right, retiring to the breeding barn with 13 wins and 25 placings in her 50 starts and banking just shy of $250,000 in stakes.

Trained throughout her career by Grant Dixon, Rani Major completed the 2YO/3YO Triad double, claiming the Group 1 2YO Fillies Final in 2012 before going on to land the Group 2 3YO Fillies Final in 2013.

Rani Major went within a half-neck of a Triad Grand Slam, finishing runner-up to How Will I Know in the 2014 4YO Final.

Racy Roxy is the second-live foal of her dam - with the first, Delight Of Rani, placed once in four career starts.

Claiming the first win QBRED bonus along with her winning prizemoney, Racy Roxy will now likely head to the Changeover Classic.

THIS WEEK

Six meetings will be held in Queensland this week, with The Creek to host four meetings and Redcliffe a mid-week pair.

The week will kick off with an extra Monday afternoon meeting to be held at Albion Park dropping into the schedule - where there will be eight races - with an early start time of 11.13am.

Racing at The Creek will proceed as per a normal week thereafter, with Tuesday and Friday afternoon meetings followed by the Saturday night metropolitan fixture.

The first feature two-year-old event of the season is programmed for Saturday night with the running of the Changeover Classic.

Redcliffe will host their regular Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon fixtures, with nine races set for Wednesday night and fields for Thursday to be released on Monday afternoon.

With Easter next week, stakeholders are requested to familiarise themselves with altered acceptance times/dates to avoid missing deadlines.