Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
The Rising Sun may only be a new event on the Queensland and Australian calendar, but the Gemma Hewitt-trained Kashed Up has become the first horse to secure a start in both editions.
Securing a wildcard to the inaugural 2021 race as a three-year-old, the four-year-old gained exemption to the 2022 edition courtesy of victory in the Queensland Sun on Saturday night.
The Group 2 Queensland Sun's conditions replicate the Rising Sun for three and four-year-old pacers, however, it is restricted to Queensland-trained horses.
Hewitt headed north to the Sunshine State in 2021 with a small team with no fixed plans other than to see how they would perform through the Winter Carnival, avoiding the cold winters of Central West New South Wales.
She now trains a small team, headlined by Kashed Up that she bred and owns, in the Sunshine State.
With Brendan Barnes taking the reins, Kashed Up blasted out of the mobile to find the front easily, setting up a very steady lead time of 37 seconds.
Taking a trail when Slip The Hundy improved around the field at the 1200-metre point, Barnes gave Kashed Up the perfect breather and the gelding had plenty to offer as the field approached the home turn.
Finding space and with momentum, Kashed Up angled into the clear to claim victory by just under two metres and stamp his ticket to consecutive Rising Suns.
Big Wheels, trained and driven by Chantal Turpin, charged home in the closing stages after being snookered on the poles to grab second place. The effort was enough to convince the selection panel of a spot in this Saturday’s Group 1 Rising Sun.
Tims A Trooper held on for third. He has been installed as the emergency for the Rising Sun and joins stablemate Leap To Fame in the race.
Kashed Up's victory provided a great presentation for the Queensland Sun, with a huge contingent on hand to help Gemma celebrate her biggest race success since deciding to stay in Queensland.
Joined by her parents Bern and Cath Hewitt, brothers Jason and Doug, and other family and friends, many from New South Wales, it made for a special photo following the trophy presentation.
It all shapes as a bragging rights moment for the upcoming Rising Sun, with Kashed Up now squaring off against Ripp, trained by Bern and to be driven by Doug.
THE BAD
It was a tough night for favourite backers on Saturday at Albion Park, with just three market leaders winning on the 11-race card.
Jeradas Delight, Ronaldo and Spirit of St Louis were the three favourites to claim victory.
Of the heavily supported beaten brigade, Jewel Melody ($1.50) and Global Flight ($1.60) were odds-on, while Manila Playboy ($2.15), Tommy Lincoln ($2.10), Jenden Strike ($2.30), Watts Up Sunshine ($2.60), Majestic Harry ($2.40) and Jilliby Kung Fu $2) were in the black.
Jewel Melody, already a two-time Group 1 winner, never looked likely in the Group 3 Wayne Wilson Paleface Adios Classic. She showed no early hustle and, when hitting the front turning for home, the two-year-old was vulnerable.
Beaten by bad luck in the Redcliffe Sales Series Final last start, Hold On To Ya Bling gained some redemption by sweeping straight by Jewel Melody to score a stylish victory and add another Group victory for the Queensland-bound stallion Bling It On.
Jilliby Kung Fu was looking to remain undefeated in his comeback, having claimed both wins since resuming after more than two years off the racing scene, over 1660 metres.
Finding the front early, driver Luke McCarthy opted for cover as the Jason Grimson-trained It Aint The Money powered on to take control after an opening quarter in 26.7.
Dictating thereafter at a high tempo with quarters in 29.5 and 28.2 before closing it out with a 28.3 final split, It Aint The Money held off the fast-finishing Make Mine Memphis who charged home to get within a half-head of victory.
Jilliby Kung Fu could not replicate his first and second-up efforts, finishing six metres in arrears of the winner in fifth place.
Global Flight was also defeated when looking to maintain an unbeaten Albion Park streak, going under in the second-round heats of the DJA Trotters Series.
Having claimed all three starts since crossing the Tasman, the Narissa McMullen-trained and driven gelding made a costly error and had to settle for seventh placing behind Riley Moment.
The Majestic Son gelding was able to rely on his first-round victory in the DJA to secure enough points to progress to this Saturday’s G1 Final.
Manila Playboy was well-supported to claim the Queensland Sun, however, the Shane Fraser-trained gelding could only manage sixth behind Kashed Up after doing some work in the run.
The dual Group 1 winner may have missed automatic entry for the Rising Sun, however, his performance this campaign was enough to claim a place in the field.
THE MILESTONE
There were four horses in the 2022 Season that had recorded five successive wins at Redcliffe- Abercombie Tab, Maywyn A Jug Ortwo, Schooby - and now Johnrod has joined the club.
Matt Elkins had been closely linked with three of the first four on the list (Schooby the exception) and he was in control of the reins aboard Johnrod on Wednesday night when the Tayla Gillespie-trained pacer made it five in succession.
It was a milestone moment as the win aboard Johnrod was also the 600th career driving victory for Elkins who is on track for his best season in the bike.
Claiming 79 wins in the 2021 Season, Elkins moved equal with that number after he completed a driving double on the same night at Redcliffe when he steered Moonlight Butcher to victory for trainer Dan Russell.
Still, with six months of the season remaining, Elkins' benchmark was the 2018/19 season when he piloted 110 winners at an 11% strike rate, his 2022 strike rate sits at 15%.
Driving the last three wins aboard Abercrombie Tab in his streak, Matt was in the seat for all five of Maywyn A Jug Ortwo and Johnrod's five straight wins.
It has been a super season for Johnrod, winning 8 and placing in 7 of his 17 starts for the term, with the six-year-old moving to equal second for Tayla Gillespie with 11 wins under her care.
Elkins has been in the bike for 7 of the 8 wins recorded by Johnrod for the season, with Nathan Dawson on the reins for the other victory.
Holding a seven-win bragging rights buffer over partner Narissa McMullen, Elkins sits fourth in the State Drivers Premiership, 13 wins adrift of Angus Garrard in third.
THE WILDCARD
A regular in recent years over the big weeks of the Queensland Carnival, Brad Hewitt walked away with the driving honours at The Creek on Saturday, courtesy of a driving treble.
Starting the night in the best way possible, the New South Welshman took the reins aboard the David Hewitt-trained Rockin Marty, bringing the gelding with a well-timed run to score.
Charging home in last year’s Blacks A Fake to grab third, the six-year-old had won just once in 12 months since that effort, claiming the Wagga Cup consolation in April.
Settling in the running line from gate 10, Hewitt tracked into the race on the back of Major Jellis, before angling wider and sprinting hard to claim victory in a slick 1.52.4.
The second leg of the driving treble came a race later with Triple Four, a pacer that Hewitt also trains, overcoming gate 7 to score a dominant victory.
Spearing off the arm, Hewitt had the four-year-old in front before the first turn of the 2138-metre event and, from there, never looked in danger, pulling clear to claim a 10-metre winning margin.
A classy winner of both starts this season, the son of American Ideal has now won five races for Hewitt in seven starts and could be a force in the Constellations Carnival.
The final leg of the driving treble was also a training double for the man known as Hollywood, taking Ronaldo to an all-the-way victory.
Making the most of gate 1, Hewitt burrowed through to protect the inside running and, after a steady first quarter, made the task all the more difficult for the chasers with a 31.3 second quarter.
A five-year-old son of Alta Christiano, the well-named Ronaldo franked his performance the start prior where he sat outside the leader in a track record performance at Young.
It was a perfect three from three for Hollywood, putting his name up in lights.
THIS WEEK
The build-up has been insatiable and finally the second edition of The Rising Sun is upon us and will headline a huge week in Queensland.
There will be seven race meetings across the week, starting on Monday at Redcliffe and finishing Sunday at Marburg.
Redcliffe will host three meetings, the regular Wednesday and Thursday timeslots accompanied by the Monday night fixture.
Albion Park will have three meetings for the week, 10 races on Tuesday's card followed by Friday afternoon, and then the Constellations Carnival steps up another notch with a bumper night.
Group races complementing The Rising Sun will be the Group 3 Consolation, the Group 1 DJA Trotting Championships Final, the Group 3 Fleur De Lil Ladyship Stakes and the Group 3 Mr Feelgood Open.
Marburg enters the Constellations Carnival for the first time this year and Sunday’s card will see the inaugural running of The Western Star, restricted to Queensland-trained standardbreds.
The 2022 NAIDOC Week celebrations will also be on the card, with a trophy and rug race as Racing Queensland continues its ongoing commitment to strengthening its relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.