MELTON PREVIEW: BREEDERS CROWN SEMIS UPON US

By Matt Nicholls and Cody Winnell, HRV

09/08/2012

Pictures: Stuart McCormick, Harness Racing Victoria

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LEADING trainer/driver Jodi Quinlan has kept Getya Wings Out as fresh as possible in the lead-up to tomorrow night’s Breeders Crown Series first semi-final for 2YO fillies at Melton.

The Parwan (near Bacchus Marsh and Melton) reinswoman said the daughter of Mach Three had "exceeded all expectations" this preparation, netting four wins from eight starts for prizemoney of more than $31,000.

Since her March 20 debut at Geelong, which she won, Getya Wings Out has contested the Australian Pacing Gold series – winning two APG consolation races – and the Empire Vicbred Super Series, finishing fourth in the final.

At her most recent start on July 21 at Shepparton, Getya Wings Out showed a powerful turn of foot down the outside in the straight to beat a smart field, which included the likes of Just A Bit Sassy and Snow Cone.

Quinlan said Getya Wings Out would be spelled immediately after the Breeders Crown series.

"She had a quiet trial on Monday so that’s tightened her right up for Friday night," Quinlan said.

"She’s definitely getting towards the end of her tether though and she needs the paddock soon."

The question for Quinlan tomorrow night will be to go forward or to take a sit?

She’ll probably elect for the latter.

“I think ideally she’s a sit-sprinter but she’s very versatile and she’s got plenty of speed,” Quinlan said.

From gate three, Quinlan is expected to push forward before trying to find some cover, and it shouldn’t be hard with plenty of speed in the race.

Pole-marker Our Femme Fatale is a fast beginner, while Rogers Passion from two and Just A Bit Sassy are also expected to push forward at the start.

“This is clearly the toughest of the two semi-finals,” Quinlan said.

“There are probably six really good ones in this heat, whereas the other one is probably a bit weaker, so she’s got her work cut out for her.”

Our Femme Fatale, Getya Wings Out, Just A Bit Sassy, Ohyouluckything and Delightful Christian are the main chances in the first semi-final, while Frith and the Craig Demmler-trained and driven Glenferrie Shuffle are two of the leading hopes in the second semi.

The first semi for the 2YO fillies will be run at 7.12pm, with the second at 10.12pm.

Sushi Sushi's upset loss might have knocked our Melbourne Racing tipster out of last Friday's quaddie, but the Harness Punter still managed to tip website readers into a good thing.

Our harness racing guru accurately tipped that Catch Your Breath would be the horse to beat in race eight at Melton and the horse didn't let him down, scoring with ease at $1.90.

Tomorrow night promises to be enough big night of racing at Melton, with eight semi-finals of the Breeders Crown series on the nine-race program.

Although he has taken two horses in the opening leg of the quaddie, the Harness Punter thinks Marquess De Posh is the best bet of the night.

She'll race in the first semi-final for the 3YO fillies.

"Marquess De Posh is Australia's standout filly and she takes on a good Kiwi here (Cheer The Lady)," the Harness Punter said.

"But our filly should be the first to pegs and either hold the top or opt to take a sit on the Kiwi.

"Word from stable is that she is flying, so given that sort of run in transit, she will go close."

Excel Stride was one of the major talking points at Melton last Friday after producing an explosive win in the My Lightning Blue FFA.

The John McCarthy-trained, Luke McCarthy-driven entire stopped the clock in a blistering mile rate of 1:52.1 and beat $2 favourite Smoken Up with ease after a slick final quarter of 27.3.

The forgotten horse in what rapidly loomed as a match race between two-time Miracle Mile winner Smoken Up and Chariots of Fire champion Caribbean Blaster, Excel Stride proved a horse apart.

“He (has) just developed and gotten bigger and stronger each preparation and tonight he just went super,” driver Luke McCarthy said after the win.

“We’d been looking for a race to kick off his Breeders Crown campaign in Sydney but they only had stand starts so we came down here thinking we’d run into a much easier race.

“Smoken Up was in Queensland and Jaccka Clive was off the scene so we thought it might be us and Caribbean Blaster and that was going to be hard enough. But for him to go that well with how much improvement he’s got in him was just super.”

So impressive was Excel Stride's win that he is now the $2.60 favourite to win the Breeders Crown FInal for 4YO Colts and Geldings on Sunday, August 19. Second in the market is Sushi Sushi at $3.30, followed by Caribbean Blaster $3.60 and Mustang Mach $6.

The Harness Punter didn't get the quaddie last week (Mustang Mach's win against Sushi Sushi knocked him out), but his best bet saluted when Catch Your Breath took out race eight at Melton.

A $1.90 favourite, the Tony Dillon-trained gelding was restrained at the start from gate six, before coming from last in the back straight to win by a comfortable four metres.

Driven by Brian Gath, the five-year-old gelding has enjoyed three wins and two placings from his past five starts.

On Friday night he won in a mile rate of 1:59.5 over the 2240-metre trip. The pack went slow up front, clocking quarters of 32.0, 29.9 and 29.5 before Catch Your Breath found clear running in the straight and zoomed home in 27.1 - the second-fastest final quarter of the night.

Palais Du Louvre was an impressive winner last Friday night, clocking an impressive mile rate of 1:53.8 in the Support John Tabone Pace (1720m).

Trained by Leigh Miles and driven by Scott Dyer, the five-year-old gelding made a mockery of the perceived front-runner track bias at Melton, coming from well back to win seven metres.

Last Friday's win was Palais Du Louvre's 15th from 52 starts and he has now accumulated more than $110,000 in prizemoney for owner/breeder Paul Humphreys.

Going by his latest success, you can bet there will be more wins around the corner.

For more information about John Tabone, the man the race was named after, click HERE

Mustang Mach knocked out plenty of quaddie punters last Friday when he upset boom pacer Sushi Sushi to win the $25,000 Melton Pacing Cup final.

The $13 shot race up beside Sushi Sushi in the home straight after pulling out wide and beat the $1.20 favourite fair and square.

Greg Sugars, who was driving the odds-on favourite, gave his charge every chance of winning, but Mustang Mach was simply too good on the night.

A four-year-old entire trained by Dean Braun at Lara, near Geelong, Mustang Mach took his career recrord to 37:15-6-1 for stakes of $294,000.

The stallion prospect was driven by Avenel-based David Moran, who took a concession, and returned a slick mile rate of 1:55.3 over the 2240m trip.

The upset win put Mustang Mach into calculations for the 4YO Breeders Crown final, of which Sushi Sushi was expected to be the hot favourite before last Friday night.