Dashman's harness examination - September 16

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

CAIN PLANE ON GRASS RUNWAY

With seven drives on the eight race card at Kilcoy, Sunday afternoon proved to be a picnic on the grass for driver Leonard Cain.

Cain was the runner-up on three occasions, secured a winning treble and also reached a season milestone when the win of Illbewatching provided the 25-year-old with his 100th winner this term.

Justcallmenitro was the first of Cain’s treble, the four-year-old mare breaking maiden ranks at her 53^rd career appearance for trainer Stewart Dickson.

Sitting on 99 wins this year, Cain grabbed another silver when Snack Time Rocks could only manage second behind Shezamaterialgirl.

However, he did not have to wait long, reaching triple figures and raising the bat when sweeping down the outside aboard Illbewatching to claim victory, with the seven-year-old recording the 24^th win in his career and providing Dickson with a training double.

Just one race later and Cain completed the treble, pulling clear over the closing stages aboard the Stephen Woodward-trained Sammys Secret to post a 21.2 metre winning margin.

Opening his 2024 season with a winning treble on January 4 at Redcliffe, Cain has now posted his fourth successive century season.

With just on four months of the term remaining, he is on target at his current strike-rate to exceed his career high 125 wins of the 2023 season.

QBRED VICTREE FOR VETERAN

Highlighting the value of the QBRED futurity scheme, seven-year-old trotting gelding Victree Hill secured connections the first win bonus when claiming victory on Saturday night at Albion Park.

Joining the Shane Graham stable in the middle of August, Victree Hill, who is owned by well-known breeders Lindsay and Mary Vagg, had already won nine races and in excess of $130,000 stakes in his career.

Runner-up in his first two starts for Graham, the writing was on the wall that a win was imminent and tackling mobile conditions on Saturday, the gelding capitalised.

With a strong tempo set from the front by Adelle, Graham made his move at the 500 metre mark, and Victree Hill moved up strongly, hit the front with 70 metres to travel before holding off the fast-finishing Zealous Spur.

Claiming the 11th win of his career, Victree Hill secured the $14,000 QBRED first win bonus, along with the $2,000 first trotting win bonus, making the result close to a $25,000 pay day when adding in the race stake.

Bred by the Vaggs, the square gaiter started his career in Victoria under trainer Courtney Slater, winning nine races under her care, including the Group 3 Breeders Crown Graduate and the Echuca Trotters Cup.

Sent to NSW at the start of this season, Victree Hill placed on six occasions and scored a Menangle win in 14 appearances for the Jarrod Alchin barn before transferring to Graham.

Sweet Pretense is the dam of Victree Hill with her only other foal to race is the current three-year-old Ajay Volstead.

DROUGHT BREAKER

A member of an exclusive club to have trained 2,000 winners and also driven 2,000 winners, Darrel Graham claimed his first driving winner of 2024 at Kilcoy on Sunday.

While not kitting up in the drivers suit as regularly as previous seasons, the four-time Group 1-winning reinsman was able to get the best from four-year-old gelding Queenslander over the concluding stages to arrive for victory.

With four runners engaged at the Kilcoy meeting, Graham finished second with his first two drives, Tenggeri and Spellmakers Charm, both pacers finishing behind a Stewart Dickson-trained and Leonard Cain-driven winner respectively.

In the seventh race of the day and having his 11^th drive for the season, race favourite Queenslander loomed strongly over the closing stages.

Graham was busy at work on the race favourite Queenslander, and nearing the post, the gelding put the head in front to secure the win and break the drought for both horse and driver.

VODKA AND COOKIES THE RIGHT MIX FOR VIC

The Cookie Monster is starting to gain a keen following for Hall of Fame trainer Vic Frost.

The three-year-old pacer has continued the strong season for the Frost stable.

Frost was at the track on Tuesday to oversee The Cookie Monster who finished strongly, charging home down the outside to victory with Leonard Cain taking the reins.

It was successive victories for The Cookie Monster to take his record to three wins from nine starts and was the first of two winners for Frost during the week.

Vodka En Ice continued his good season at 'The Creek' on Friday night, the 1.55.7 success a new personal best for the five-year-old and his fifth success this season.

Leonard Cain took the drive aboard Vodka En Ice and has now driven the gelding in five of his eight career wins.

The win of Vodka En Ice took Frost to 17 wins this term, eclipsing the past two seasons combined.

With four months of the season remaining, he is well positioned to surpass the 22 wins of season 2015-16, the highest season tally since Frost turned 70.

THIS WEEK

For the six racing days ahead, it will be a three-three split, with three meetings from Albion Park and three from Redcliffe.

Tuesday at 'The Creek' will be a nine race card with the opening four races of the day for the square gaiters, before the pacers step on to the track for the remainder of the program.

A Friday night meeting will be followed by the Saturday metro card, where there is a chance Leap To Fame will make a return as he heads towards the Victoria Cup.

Redcliffe will race in their traditional Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon slots, before rounding out the week with a Sunday night fixture.