Queensland Harness Racing Wrap - April 29

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

THE GOOD

Bringing a team of eight horses north to campaign while helping the Jack Butler stable, Mitch Turnbull was able to secure his first victory for the trip at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Caring for the team trained by his father Steve while in Queensland, the Turnbull stable had their first starter for the trip the week prior, while Mitch had also driven some runners for Butler across the week.

On Friday night, the Butler stable was able to quinella the last race of the night when first starter Birkirkara justified favouritism with a dominant victory when partnered by Adam Richardson, with Little Surfer Girl holding on for second with Mitch Turnbull taking the reins.

On Saturday night, the finishing positions reversed when Mitch was able to secure victory aboard Drive To The Beach, with Bettor Keppel just a half-neck away in second with Richardson driving.

The win gave Steve Turnbull the training quinella and also the quinella for the owners - Turnbull’s Radiant Lodge Syndicate.

Bettor Keppel was able to find the one-by-one trail while Drive To The Beach was hemmed away three back along the inside after starting from the inside second line barrier.

Approaching the 600 metre point, Bettor Keppel was eased three-wide as Captain Nemo began to yield ground and Turnbull was able to squeeze out of the pocket and find space to get to the outside on the back of the stable mate.

As the field swung for home, Bettor Keppel had forged his way to the front for Richardson, but it was Drive To The Beach that was lurking ominously and the Turnbull pair pulled clear of the field to fight it out.

Drive To The Beach had the superior speed over the concluding stages, claiming the half-neck winning margin.

A couple of races later and the same names were all to the fore as Im Desirable claimed victory, overcoming an outside second line gate to score.

Settled in the running line, the six-year-old mare was saved for one run and when produced in the stretch, had the speed to reel in the leaders, pull clear and post a winning margin of 5.3 metres.

The win gave Im Desirable the 16^th win of her career and took her stake earnings past $150,000 with the 1.55.2 victory.

Both winners and the second placed Bettor Keppel are all raced by the Radiant Lodge Syndicate and were all bred by John Starr.

THE BAD

After securing the Tuesday race day vacated by Albion Park owing to a track resurfacing project, the weather was against the Marburg club last week.

With a nine-race card scheduled, four races were completed on the day, however continued wet weather, which had been present for two days took its toll, with the last five races forced to be abandoned.

Trotter Miss Memphis - a four-year-old - was able to take advantage of conditions in the opening race of the day and beginning smartly from the tapes, was able to take control soon after the start of the 2200 metre event.

Once in front, Nathan Dawson was able to stack them up and guide the mare to her second career victory, connections picking up the second win QBRED bonus with the win.

Our Sweet Jess secured a QBRED first win bonus in race three, the Dayl March-trained and driven filly breaking maiden ranks with an all the way victory.

Landing in front soon after the start, Our Sweet Jess was never in danger in securing a three-metre margin over the Mitch Turnbull-driven Air Born.

The last race prior to the meeting abandonment saw Dallas Wilkins secure his first win of the season aboard seven-year-old gelding Could It Be Me.

Content to sit parked, Wilkins drove confidently and pulled clear in the stretch to post an 8.7 metre victory.

It was just the second winner for Wilkins in over 10 years, his other win coming aboard the same pacer when scoring at Redcliffe on September 15, 2022. 

THE WILDCARD

Queensland-trained pacers were again performing both interstate and internationally in the past week.

Speak The Truth continued his New Zealand campaign when tackling the Taylor Mile at Auckland’s Alexandra Park.

Drawn off the second line, Adam Sanderson made a three-wide move with one-lap to travel and from that point, Speak The Truth was left wide over the last 800 metres trying to get into the contest.

Peaking at the top of the stretch, it was the veteran Mach Shard that sprouted wings over the closing stages to arrive for an upset victory, defeating Don’t Stop Dreaming, with Constellations-bound pacer, Merlin, holding on for third.

At Menangle, the Darren Weeks-trained Ajay Volstead made it two wins in as many starts on the 1400 metre track when securing his second NSW Foundation Trot Heat for three-year-olds over 2300 metres.

Driven by Luke McCarthy, the colt was sent to the front with one mile to travel and from the front was able to control the speed and claim a comfortable 7.6 metre margin.

While Ajay Volstead has performed strongly for Weeks, his last start Albion Park winner, Soap Opera was a scratching from the heats of the New South Wales Oaks on Saturday night at Menangle.

That allowed the Chantal Turpin-trained Shes Fullofspirit to gain a start in the heat as the first emergency and after finishing fifth, the filly has been listed as the first emergency for the Final.

Turpin’s other two runners, Rylee Rhayne Bow and Zena Rhayne Bow, have both been able to progress to the Final.

Rylee Rhayne Bow held on for third placing after showing good early speed to find the fence before releasing to the short-price favourite and winner Lux Aeterna.

Zena Rhayne Bow was making good ground in the closing stages of her heat in finishing second to the impressive winner Very Pretty.

Girl From Rosedale could not replicate her victory from the previous week when trying to qualify for the QE11 Mile through the Robin Dundee Stakes.

The Ryan Veivers-trained mare finished at the rear behind the Jess Tubbs-trained Rakero Rebel.

THE MILESTONE

Last training back in the 2018-19 season, Anthony Gorman has rejoined the training ranks in the past month.

With father-in-law Ron Wells taking to the high seas to enjoy a cruising holiday, Gorman has taken over Wells' Marburg stable while he is away and at Redcliffe on Thursday, secured success with Jet Force.

With Jet Force the only horse racing at present from the stable, the stable star - Cosmic Flyer - has been trialling in readiness for a return, with the upcoming QBRED Breeders Classic on the radar.

Jet Force was having his fourth start for Gorman when claiming an ANZAC Day victory at Redcliffe after working around the field in the closing stages to secure his second win of the season.

Driven by Nathan Rothwell, the six-year-old was taken back in the early stages from gate five before making his move with 500 metres to travel.

Gaining the three-wide cart into the race on the back of Bettor Dream Sweet, Rothwell angled four-wide when that runner started to stall soon after moving wider.

Chasing hard, Jet Force was able to reel in the leaders and pull clear for a 5.3 metre victory which was the 14^th of his career, nine of those wins coming after Shirley and Ron Wells purchased the gelding back in 2022.

For Gorman, it was his first training victory since September 22, 2018 when Goodtime Stride was successful at Albion Park.

Goodtime Stride is the dam of Cosmic Flyer, the three-year-old suggesting a race return is not far away with a sharp Redcliffe trial performance back on April 18 with the Breeders Classic ahead.

THIS WEEK

A total of five days of racing this week in Queensland, with Albion Park hosting three meetings and Redcliffe two.

The second week of the Trot Rods will be held on Wednesday night following the successful running of heats one and two last week.

Interstate Eyes will focus on the New South Wales Oaks where Chantal Turpin will have Rylee Rhayne Bow start from barrier three, with stable mate Zena Rhayne Bow from barrier five in the Group 1 feature.