Queensland Harness Racing Wrap - November 22

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

THE GOOD

With a name more synonymous with Redcliffe, the Eberts made their mark at Albion Park on Tuesday, November 16.

Kerry Ebert is the former long-serving president of the Redcliffe Harness Racing Club, while Darren Ebert heads the auctioneering company that conducts the annual yearling sales at the Peninsula club.

On Tuesday, the father-son pair combined to record a one-two finish courtesy of Doolittle Dexter and Chump Chop running the quinella in the fourth race on the card.

Both horses are trained by Darren, however it was the horse owned by Kerry that claimed the victory.

Many of Kerry’s horses have been named with a ‘Doolittle’ prefix, and the victory of Doolittle Dexter was the three-year-old’s maiden breaking win.

In recent times, Darren has named some of his horses with a meat or butcher theme, rather fitting for the trained butcher, with Chump Chop the best of these, having claimed 11 victories in his career for Ebert.

It was Chump Chop that had the support of the punters on Tuesday, with the seven-year-old sent out as the race favourite.

Doolittle Dexter was at the other end of the market as one of the outsiders despite starting from barrier two.

From barrier six, Chump Chop was doing plenty of work in the early stages as he was pressing forward to finally sit outside the leader.

Turning for home, Pete McMullen was hard at work with Chump Chop, but the gelding was able to respond, digging in for the fight and hitting the front close to the finish line.

It was the Leonard Cain-driven Doolittle Dexter that had a relatively easy run one out and two back and loomed as the danger in the stretch as he let down for the run to the judge.

Sprinting sharply, the gelded son of Cammibest arrived in the last stride, relegating Chump Chop to second placing by the barest possible margin.

In claiming the win, it also provided Darren Ebert with the 50^th training win of his career and his 12^th success this season.

With the 2021 season his most successful to date, it has been Chump Chop that has led the way for his stable, claiming four wins for the term.

 THE BAD

With an extended period out of the winner’s enclosure, trainer Geoff Dawson may have rightly felt slightly frustrated at when his seven-year-old Feelingforamiracle would next claim a win.

Resuming from a spell back in August with 10 wins and 24 placings to his name, it has been a lean period for the gelding who managed to add just one minor placing in 15 starts for the campaign.

Heading to Sunday’s Marburg meeting, Feelingforamiracle was again looking at a task after drawing a second-line barrier around the tight track.

Geoff’s daughter and regular stable driver, Kelli Dawson had the drive on the seven-year-old, and once Kotare Elite worked to the front, Kelli was off and around the field to sit outside the leader.

It was a winning move as the pair were able to put the leader away turning for home, make a break on the field and hold on for a three-metre victory.

Claiming career win 11, it was a real family moment for the Dawson’s with the latest win of  Feelingforamiracle.

Trained by Geoff and driven by Kelli, the 99-start veteran is owned by Gail Dawson and bred by the mother-son combination of Gail and Trent Dawson.

Kelli has driven Feelingforamiracle to 10 of his victories with Trent in the seat a the only other win by the gelding.

It was Meatloaf that sang two out of three ain’t bad, with Geoff Dawson ending the week with two training victories from three starters.

Mister Reactor started the week with an Albion Park victory in a two-year-old event, leading throughout with Kelli taking the reins.

Shereacts missed the money on Friday at Albion Park before Feelingforamiracle ended the week how it started.

THE MILESTONE

Peter Greig looks set to be crowned the Marburg trainer of the year after adding another two victories to his tally at Sunday’s meeting.

Making the most of his opportunities at the 700-metre oval in season 2021, Not The Kingswood and Vic Hunter are the latest winners for Greig to land a win at Marburg this season.

The pair join their stablemates Elle Jay, Miss Mia, Lorimer Lady, Teachers Pet, Royal Princess and Forgive Me as winners this term at Marburg.

Vic Hunter was the first to cash-in for the stable, with the five-year-old gelding owned by Greig’s partner Patrice Madden.

After just one start for the stable in November 2020, he was not sighted at the races in almost 12 months before resuming in October.

The son of Mr Feelgood was stepping out in his fourth run back from the long spell to claim the all-the-way win.

It was another son of Mr Feelgood that provided a win for Greig in the second leg of the winning double.

Not The Kingswood started from inside the second line and was soon angled into the running line to avoid a pocket with no passing lane on the tight Marburg circuit.

Shifting three-wide passing the 300-metre point, Greig had the three-year-old to the outside and looming strongly was able to claim the victory.

Not only was it a training and driving double for Greig, it was also an owning double for Madden who was also the breeder of Not The Kingswood as well as also being a part-owner.

The win was part of four winners on the day for Mr Feelgood, with Greig’s pair joining Hey Mister Taylor and Feelingforamiracle as winning progeny of their sire.

THE WILDCARD

With just two horses in training, trainer Mark McNee went to last Monday’s Redcliffe meeting with what on paper looked strong wining hopes.

Celebrating a birthday the week prior where the Redcliffe Club had named a race in his honour, one of McNee’s runners was starting in that event.

Lifes Black was unable to make it the happiest of birthdays but went some way to overturning that disappointment with victory on The Triangle on Monday.

Driven by Lachie Manzelmann, the pair began from barrier five and soon after the start had eased to settle nearer the rear in the running line.

Making a wide and sweeping run around the home bend, Manzelmann was able to extract the best from the five-year-old to score a stylish last stride victory.

Making it a baker’s dozen, the win was the 13^th Redcliffe victory for Lifes Black and his 17^th overall.

Two races later and the McNee/Manzelmann combination were back in the winner’s enclosure, this time with the super consistent La Safron.

Having finished in the money at 11 of his previous 13 starts, the eight-year-old cashed-in with a new career best winning rate of 1.56.8.

Securing the one-by-one trail, La Safron had the speed to get past his opponents in the stretch and take victory by just under four metres.

McNee took both Lifes Black and La Safron to Albion Park on Saturday night, with both horses looking for success on the five-day back-up.

While both finished unplaced, the Lifes Black form was franked with Westar Sam that was defeated by Lifes Black on Monday, turning the tables by scoring victory in Saturday’s qualifier.

Lifes Black may have been unplaced, yet he was under two metres from the winner.

THIS WEEK

Following seven straight days of harness racing action in Queensland, it will be a little quieter this week.

Albion Park will play host to nine races on Tuesday afternoon to sit alongside the meetings on Friday night and Saturday’s metropolitan fixture.

The Saturday night fixture will see the running of an Ultimate Tools sponsored two-year-old race where $20,000 in total stakes is up for grabs.

Coinciding with the Kilcoy gallops meeting on Saturday, there will also be three harness events held on the grass at the Moonee Valley of the North.