Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
Friday night’s Garrards Yearling Sales Series 3YO Final delivered some searing racetrack action with the winner’s name a throwback to the mirror ball days of the seventies.
“The heat was on, rising to the top, everybody going strong, and that is when my spark got hot, I heard somebody say; burn baby burn, disco inferno”.
It was unconfirmed if driver Nathan Dawson was singing these lyrics to Disco Inferno, by The Trammps, as Teddy Disco lit up the Redcliffe Triangle with some electric moves on Friday night.
What was confirmed was that Teddy Disco was a dominant winner of the Group 3 feature, pulling clear to claim victory by just under 25 metres, to join Governor Jujon as a winner of both the two-year-old and three-year-old Sales Series events.
It was a neat steer from Dawson from inside the second line, finding the space to angle away from inside after 300-metres onto the back of the race favourite Bangkok Deejay.
Turning out of the home straight with two laps to travel, Angus Garrard urged Bangkok Deejay to the front, leaving Teddy Disco parked.
Sitting just off the leader through the next lap, as the bell was passed, Dawson really dialled it up and sent Teddy Disco to test the leader.
Really throwing it down through the third quarter, Teddy Disco responded and put Bangkok Deejay away to forge clear, kicking for home with 400-metres to travel.
Swinging into the home stretch, the son of Tintin In America had a huge lead and ran the 2040-metre trip right out, defeating Alwaysbeme flashing home into second for Mark Dux with O B Legal, with Peter Greig in the seat, holding on for third.
The victory stretched the stake earnings for the Shawn Grimsey-trained three-year-old past $160,000 and made it 10 wins from 16 starts.
Of those wins, Teddy Disco remains undefeated at Redcliffe from six outings there, as he heads towards the Redcliffe Derby this coming week.
Owned and bred by the Grimsey Family, the win was the fourth Group 2 winner for Shawn as a trainer, to sit alongside his pair of Group 1 victories secured by Wicked Style and Teddy Disco.
THE BAD
Shane Fraser took three horses to Redcliffe last Friday and would have been confident in the chances of Bangkok Deejay to come away with the victory in the Garrards Yearling Sales 3YO Final.
From barrier two, the son of A Rocknroll Dance was heavily supported when betting markets opened, to eventually start at $1.33 favourite to claim the Group 2 feature.
However, it was not to be Bangkok Deejay’s night.
He was a spent force with 400-metres to travel, as Teddy Disco powered clear, leaving the Fraser-trained standardbred to battle into fifth.
On paper, it appeared that Bangkok Deejay (pictured) was the pick of Fraser’s three runners, but as can be the case in racing, it was the only one of the three that did not salute.
However, Fraser still had a successful night with his other two starters claiming victory.
Cheesandkisses got the ball rolling with a swooping victory in the opening race of the night over 1780 metres, with Trent Dawson taking the drive.
It was Cheesandkisses’ seventh career victory and her first the season and follows some strong sectionals in recent performances.
Manila Playboy continued his excellent Redcliffe record when scoring a big win in the Chris Garrard Patron’s Purse, driven to victory in the Group 3 feature by Angus Garrard.
Sitting outside the leader Captain Crusader, which had dictated a leisurely tempo through the first 800-metres, Garrard moved his drive closer to apply some pressure.
As the field turned for home, Manila Playboy had the measure of the leader and forged to the front to hold on for a tough victory.
Artillery used the passing lane to grab second for Luke McCarthy and Hemsworth finished hard to grab third for Pete McMullen.
The winning treble may have gone begging later in the evening, yet it was still a winning double, and with all three runners out of broodmare gem Bangkok Dancer, there was still plenty to celebrate.
THE MILESTONE
Jurgen Strohschon had a chance meeting with harness racing legend Ray Cross some years back following building work he completed for the veteran trainer.
As can happen, one thing led to another, and soon Strohschon had a stable hand licence and then a trainer’s licence. In September 2019 he geared up his first runner Kid Calvert.
It would take 21 before Kid Calvert won a race for Strohschon, in February 2020.
Since then, Kid Calvert had a further 80 starts without a victory and has been off the scene since March.
As luck would have it, an opportunity arose to secure Ideal Tiger (pictured) recently and Strohschon jumped at the chance.
It led to immediate success when the seven-year-old American Ideal gelding resumed from a spell at Redcliffe last week.
After Ideal Tiger was driven to the front, soon after the start, by Chloe Butler, The Poohbah moved up to apply pressure, but Butler opted to take the trail.
Angling to the passing lane in the home stretch, Ideal Tiger picked up strongly and darted through to claim a narrow victory.
It was the second win from 102 starters that Strohschon had sent out.
With the first-up victory by Ideal Tiger recorded in smart fashion, he may not have to wait as long for the third win to come along.
THE WILDCARD
It was just 12 months ago that Spirit Of St Louis had his first start in Australia after crossing the Tasman to join the stables of Belinda McCarthy and the Cobbity Equine Team.
His first appearance was on June 4, 2021, when he scored a victory at Goulburn, and that was followed with a victory at Albion Park 15 days later in the qualifying pace.
On the same card that night at Albion Park a year ago was the Lucky Creed Open Pace which was the starting point for King Of Swing on his Constellations campaign for 2021.
Fast forward twelve months and Spirit Of St Louis (pictured on the outside) was back in Queensland and ranked as arguably the top pacer in the country when he resumed from a spell in the Lucky Creed.
In twelve months under the care of the McCarthy team, the Sweet Lou gelding had banked more than $580,000 in stakes, won 10 races, including the Group 1 Ballarat Cup, and finished second in a Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile.
From barrier two in Saturday’s 2680-metre Lucky Creed, the five-year-old was sent out an easing $1.40 favourite and found the front soon after the start with Luke McCarthy in the bike.
Blacksadance, which had started from outside the front line, was soon sent on a forward mission.
McCarthy was content to let the Pete McMullen-driven Blacksadance take control with 2200-metres to travel.
Majestic Cruiser made a move to park outside Blacksadance with two laps to travel, with no other changes until the field approached the home turn on the final occasion.
Blacksadance ran through the third quarter in an electric 26.6 seconds, as he tried to pinch the contest when he turned for home.
However, Spirit Of St Louis stuck to the task and, with McCarthy angling the gelding to the outside, he wore down the leader to claim a half-neck victory over Blacksadance, with Colt Thirty One sticking to the inside for third.
With the ultimate target the Group 1 TAB Blacks A Fake, Spirit Of St Louis will be out to cap a meteoric rise and should only get better as the Carnival progresses.
THIS WEEK
There will be six race meetings in Queensland this week, with two at Albion Park, three at Redcliffe and a Sunday fixture at Marburg.
Albion Park will host a 10-race card on Tuesday afternoon with the Friday night meeting set to host some strong racing.
Heats for the Group 1 Darrel Alexander Memorial will be conducted along with the Final and Consolation of the Up To 70 Series.
Heat winners of that Series have been Hy Voltage, Classie Washington, Timzee, Slip The Hundy and Ryans Gangster, setting up an enthralling contest over the flying mile.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the week will come from Redcliffe on Saturday night at the big Redcliffe Gold Cup meeting.
Upgraded to Group 1 status in 2022, the Gold Cup is the only Group 1 Standing Start feature in Australia.
Complementing the Cup will be the Garrards Yearling Sales Series Final, the Redcliffe Derby and the Redcliffe Oaks.