Queensland Harness Racing Wrap - March 4

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

THE GOOD

Some huge performances from a pair of QBRED stars will see three pacers owned in the Sunshine State contest the 2024 Miracle Mile.

After being slammed with the outside front line gate in the first of the Mile qualifiers, it looked a tough ask for the Shannon Price-trained Speak The Truth to force his way into Miracle Mile field.

When the mobile released the field, the early charge was frenetic as Spirit Of St Louis charged hard to cross Hot And Treacherous with the first quarter carved out in a sizzling 25.7 seconds.

Speak The Truth had floated forward was three-wide through the first panel and was sent forward to sit parked at the wheel of the leader.

With Ladies In Red making a three-wide move, driver Adam Sanderson was content with his position and left the star mare out on a limb as the second and third quarters appeared in 28.9 and 27.4 seconds. 

Swinging for home, Spirit Of St Louis and Speak The Truth had the chasers needing to dig deep and down the long stretch, that is how it developed, with a two-horse battle to the wire.

The Queensland five-year-old was in for the fight, digging deep to claim the verdict with 3.2 metres to spare and book his spot for the Grand Circuit event.

With the clock stopped at 1.48.8, Speak The Truth laid out the fastest mile ever produced by a QBRED pacer in Australia.

“He went very, very well,” trainer Shannon Price said after the race.

“The plan was to go forward, he will relish being up there on the speed, we are here to race so let’s show them how good he is."

The win certainly displayed the talent the five-year-old possesses and sets up another showdown with fellow Queenslander Leap To Fame, the pair having met on five previous occasions.

With both the Nullarbor and Race By Grins slot races on the horizon, Speak The Truth could potentially add one of those races to his upcoming agenda following this week’s Miracle Mile.

Saturday’s victory was the 15^th from 27 starts for the gelding, his stake earnings swelling to $447,000 with the win.

It also gave Private Bronski, the dam of Speak The Truth, a two-state double, with Bronski Delight successful at Albion Park earlier in the night.

Trained by Charlie Cini, Bronski Delight won the 13^th race of her career, taking her bank past $125,000 with a narrow victory.

Speak The Truth now joins fellow QBRED pacer Frankie Ferocious and the Queensland-trained Leap To Fame in the Miracle Mile field.

THE BAD

While seeing a stable star be moved out of your barn and win three straight for the new trainer can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow, for trainer Ben Crosby there is nothing bad about star four-year-old Frankie Ferocious.

Having prepared the speedy gelding throughout his two and three-year-old campaigns, it was a planned decision by Crosby and his father Bill to send Frankie Ferocious to Jason Grimson with an eye to the Chariots Of Fire.

Winning his final two appearances for Crosby at Albion Park in December, Frankie Ferocious is now undefeated in three starts for Grimson, while banking a further $200,000 in stakes with those three wins.

Securing his Chariots Of Fire ticket with a win in the 4YO Bonanza at Melton, Frankie Ferocious claimed the Chariots by demonstrating his wicked speed.

Finding the front soon after the start, the gelding was allowed to pinch a 29.4 second quarter, which allowed him to put it out of reach for the chasing runners with a 53.2 second closing half.

That saw the four-year-old stop the clock in 1.49.4, just 0.2 seconds outside the 1.49.2 he set two weeks prior in preparing for the Chariots.

With Saturday’s win giving him an invite to the Miracle Mile, there will be two QBRED horses and three Queensland-owned pacers in the biggest mile race in Australia.

THE MILESTONE

It was a good week for the Team Teal campaign in Queensland with 16 winners recorded by the female drivers and a win to the training ambassador with Shannon Price’s Speak The Truth at Menangle.

Chloe Butler led the teal charge, recording winners at three different meetings, as did Paige Bevan who featured in a dead-heat finish in the last race at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Butler secured a driving double at 'The Creek' on Friday, with both victories coming for trainer Lola Weidemann who was able to secure a training treble.

Partnering with Hesluvable and Strutty to claim victory on Friday, Chloe also secured a driving double on Tuesday with victories for Weidemann aboard Cheddar Made Beta and for her father, Jack, aboard Obi One.

Chloe completed the week with a victory aboard her own runner Everything Happens, the 10-year-old leading throughout at Marburg.

Paige Bevan claimed a win on Wednesday night at Redcliffe for trainer Dayl March aboard Arnold Street and a Marburg winner for March aboard Bonnies Cam.

Trista Dixon chipped in with a Saturday night double thanks to wins aboard Ok Boomer and Bombadier Jujon, with Taleah McMullen joining the Saturday night winners when steering Glenledi Boy to victory for trainer Melissa Gillies.

Alanah Richardson scored a training and driving victory on Friday with Pyrrhic Dancer, while Narissa McMullen claimed wins with Trouper Jujon and Bobby Waterhouse.

Jordan Topping claimed a Redcliffe victory aboard the Dan Russell-trained For No Reason to complete one of the biggest weeks seen in recent years for the Team Teal campaign.

THE WILDCARD

A mid-race attack proved the catalyst for victory with Gus in the Jim McNeil Trotting Championship Final on Saturday night.

The $2.80 second favourite was safely, albeit slowly away and passing the judge with two laps to travel, driver Pete McMullen opted to settle at the rear as the race favourite Defensive Guy was on the improve.

Hanging in the run, Defensive Guy was kept three-wide until finally getting to the leader’s wheel with one mile left to travel.

As the field approached the 1200 metre point, McMullen set Gus alight and passing the judge with one lap to travel had found the front, with Defensive Guy unable to repel the challenge to sit in the trail as he crossed the early leader Banff.

Turning off the back straight, Gus was full of running but Defensive Guy started to feel the pinch as he was under pressure.

Positioned one out and three back in the run, the Graham Dwyer-trained Koda Da Moda was sent three-wide and looked the only threat to Gus as they swung for the run to the judge.

However, they were chasing in vain as Gus had plenty in the tank and held Koda Da Moda to claim a 4.6 metre margin with the early leader, Banff, using the passing lane to dart through for third placing.

It was a second win in the series for owner Ross Patrick, having claimed the 2020 McNeil Final with Majestic Simon.

Trained and driven by Chantal Turpin in that Final, the win of Gus gave Turpin her second training success in the McNeil, while it was also a second driving win in the race for McMullen, having partnered Unknown Son for Graham Dwyer in the 2021 series.

Gus has now won five races since crossing the Tasman to join the Turpin stable, the Inter Dominion Finalist now likely to tackle the rescheduled Our Overanova Trotters Marathon.

THIS WEEK

All eyes will be on Menangle this Saturday night with the three Queensland-owned representatives to battle out the Miracle Mile.

Other Queensland interest will see Van Sank tackle the Group 1 Hammerhead Mile while his stable mate Sure Thing Captain will tackle a support race later in the night.

In Excess will line up in the New South Wales Derby for Darrel Graham, while Chantal Turpin will be represented by Rylee Rhayne Bow and Shes Fullofspirit in the J L Raith Memorial at Group 3 level.

At home in the Sunshine State, the week kicks off on Tuesday with the first two-year-old only race of the year at Albion Park.

Set down as race one on Tuesday, there were seven acceptors, however the field is already down to six with an early scratching.

Tuesday will also see the veteran Lancelot Bromac record his 500^th Albion Park start, the 14-year-old stepping out in race five.

There will be five meetings in Queensland for the week, with Albion Park also hosting a Friday afternoon fixture and the Saturday night metropolitan card where Team Teal celebrations will see a Female Drivers Invitation race.

Redcliffe host nine races on Wednesday night along with the Thursday afternoon meeting.