Queensland Harness Racing Wrap - September 25

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

THE GOOD

The record-breaking season of Nathan Dawson continues at full throttle with no signs of slowing, with the leading reinsman reaching 300 wins for the season on Saturday night.

With the latest milestone, Dawson becomes just the second Queensland driver to ever reach 300 wins in a season, with Pete McMullen becoming the first in the 2021 season.

Continuing to rack up the winners throughout the week, Dawson went winless on Tuesday at Albion Park, yet the final tally of winners from Monday to Saturday, still hit 12.

With winning doubles on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the premiership leader dominated the metropolitan card on Saturday night, driving four winners on the nine-race card.

Starting the night with a win aboard the in-form Aphorism for Chris Frisby, the next three wins all came for Jack Butler, who Dawson has been driving more regularly for in recent months, which has coincided with an increase of winners.

Hot And Treacherous was the second of Dawson’s winners, the talented five-year-old defying the 20-metre handicap under the standing start conditions, sent forward in the middle stages and holding on for a stylish victory.

After a sectionally strong performance in the Len Smith Mile at Menangle last start, the gelding was put into the race early by Dawson when sent to take control and from there the pair were never headed, the victory providing Dawson with win 300.

The best of the four winners for Dawson and arguably the best performance on the night belonged to the trotting mare Adelle.

Allowed time to settle into her gait from outside the second row, she was sent forward with 700 metres to travel and powered up strongly down the back straight, forging clear and pulling away to a slick 1.57.4 victory, a time that was 0.3 outside the track record.

Completing the quartet with a victory in the last race, Dawson had No Motive positioned three back from her inside second-line gate, with the mare responding and rattling late to score.

Now just two wins away from 1700 career victories, the pace has been frenetic as the winners continue to flow.

His first 100 winners for the season set a new Australian record, with the century achieved in 86 days, shaving one day off the previous record held by Chris Alford and Daryl Douglas.

Bringing up his 200^th winner of the season on July 8 aboard Uptown Beachgirl in the Fleur De Lil Ladyship Stakes, it has taken Dawson just 77 days to snare the third century.

In the 2021 season when Pete McMullen set the Queensland record of 315 winners for a season, his 300^th victory came 21 days before the end of the season.

With Dawson ending the week on 302 winners, there are 98 days remaining in 2023.

THE BAD

Ashlee Nitro already owns the record of a mare with the most ever Redcliffe victories, with the seven-year-old mare finishing first past the post on 20 occasions prior to her most recent start there last Wednesday.

Having her 137^th career appearance on 'The Triangle' last week, the Stewart Dickson-trained mare was able to descend on the opposition in the closing stages to claim victory by a neck margin.

Moving to 21 Redcliffe victories, it moved her back to within one win of Mister Hart, who has hit form in recent weeks and had moved into outright second place for horses with most Redcliffe wins.

However, the margin of one win between the pair lasted less than 24 hours, with Mister Hart claiming a Redcliffe victory on Thursday afternoon.

Driven by Zac Chappenden, making a cameo appearance back in Queensland for his mother and trainer Melissa Kendall, Mister Hart moved his advantage back to two wins, the nine-year-old veteran having now claimed 23 Redcliffe victories

Mister Hart had little difficulty in holding the lead over the 1780 metre journey, a position from which he was never headed, leading throughout to score his 27^th career victory from 232 starts, with four of those wins coming in his past five appearances.

With Mister Hart and Ashlee Nitro chasing the record of Glenmore Admiral who owns the Redcliffe record with 30 wins on 'The Triangle', it will take a mighty effort if either are able to chase down the huge number.

It has stood the test of time, with Glenmore Admiral’s last Redcliffe victory occurring on March 2, 1990.

THE WILDCARD

Having already reached 100 winners for the season, Brendan Barnes made it 100 Queensland winners when successful aboard Tralee Maxie at Albion Park on Tuesday.

After a winning double at Redcliffe on Monday night, Barnes was able to replicate the feat when registering a pair at Albion Park on Tuesday afternoon, with both winners coming for trainer Graham Dwyer.

Despondent was the first of Tuesday’s pair, taking the trail before darting through in the closing stages to take victory by a half-head, moving his tally in the state premiership to 99 wins.

The wait to get to 100 was only 35 minutes, with Barnes again driving a patient race to get Tralee Maxie home, the gelding claiming his fifth career win with the success.

That made it successive victories for the four-year-old gelding which proved too strong for his opposition and claimed a new career best winning rate of 1.55.3.

Reaching 100 wins for the fifth successive season, Barnes ended the week on 103, his successful combination with Graham Dwyer this season also realising three victories at Tamworth earlier in the year.

Those three wins included the Golden Guitar Final and Consolation for Dwyer, aboard Surf Ace and Despondent, respectively.

THE MILESTONE

It was a week for milestones in Queensland with Leonard Cain reaching 100 driving wins for the season.

Becoming just the second driver in the state to pass 1000 drives for the term last week, Cain ended the week with 1052 drives, second only to Nathan Dawson.

Starting the week strongly at Redcliffe on Monday, Cain was able to snare a winning treble and move closer to the century.

Partnering with the Richie Williams-trained Chronicles, it was a well-judged race by Cain, sitting parked outside the leader Western Showgirl, before pulling clear to claim a dominant victory.

Capitalising aboard the Billy Moore-trained Three Machs, Cain was able to stay out of trouble from the front in claiming a half-neck margin.

The treble was complete when The Casual Goose was able to prove stronger than his opposition, sitting parked and pulling clear in the closing stages to post a 8.7 metre margin.

Reaching the century of winners when partnering with Nevada Yankee in the last race at Albion Park on Tuesday afternoon, Cain had moved to 99 wins for the season earlier in the day when successful aboard The Reaper.

By reaching triple figures, Cain made it three successive century seasons in his career and by the end of the week, had moved to 102 winners in 2023, matching his 2021 season.

In 2022, Cain recorded the best season of his career, securing 110 winners, and with three months of the season remaining, he looks well placed to easily eclipse that figure and set a new personal benchmark.

THIS WEEK

Prior to 2020, the last week of September would have normally seen the completion of the first month of the new season.

With the shift to calendar alignment, following this coming Saturday’s meeting, there will be three whole months of the racing season remaining.

Redcliffe and Albion Park which hold three meetings this week, commencing with the eight-race card at Redcliffe on Monday night.

Racing from 'The Triangle' will also include 10 races on Wednesday night, before the Thursday afternoon fixture.

The three meetings from Albion Park start with a big 10 race card on Tuesday afternoon where the Springboard Trotting Finals for both two-year-old and three-year-old trotters will be held.

Friday will be a night meeting before the metropolitan fixture on Saturday where a s two-year-old event is scheduled, featuring $20,770 in stakes and bonus to the winning trainer and driver.

The latest up to NR70 Final will be a highlight of the meeting after several strong performances in the heats.