By Isaac Murphy
Ray Burman’s Park Ridge kennel had a night out at Albion Park on Thursday, claiming a quinella and a nightly double, while a prolific Chris Riordan chaser continued his form and a Tony Apap favourite set its sights on bigger races.
The quinella for the Burman kennel came in race four over the 600m as Dream Blaster cast aside recent bad luck to carve a perfectly timed run up the rails, beating out kennel mate Smart Marlow.
Burman was rapt with the result.
“He’s (Dream Blaster) been pretty unlucky in some quality races lately so to see him do that tonight was great, especially the quinella,” he said.
“Both dogs are getting on a bit now but they’ve been really consistent for me and keep putting in so we’ll keep running them.”
Burman said it was important dogs had the option to race over further distances.
“It was great to see a 600m race on a Thursday night, they’re very rare,” he said.
Burman grabbed the nightly double two races later when exciting chaser Magic Hornet making it back to back victories at the track and distance clocking the fastest run on the night in the process 29.85.
“Very happy with the run, he’s broken 30 seconds on both occasions around the 520 now, very happy he’s form a good litter," Burman said.
“I don’t know there’s a huge amount of improvement in her but she’d like to get some 6 and 7 hundred metre races in the future.”
Burman said it had been an exciting year for the kennel with the litter of Barcia Bale and Bizarre Barbie producing plenty of winners for Ray and his wife Mary who own their dogs.
“The litter has won 50 or 60 races now and we’ve got another litter coming on out of Paw Licking who seems to be very good, so we’re just keeping fingers crossed,” he said.
“The mother is due to whelp to Fabregas tomorrow, so we’re pretty excited around our place.”
The last dog to beat Magic Hornet was Chris Riordan’s Fabrique who extended his remarkable run to five wins from his last six starts at the track with a gritty win in the seventh.
Riordan praising his dogs box manners, while hoping for further improvement.
“He finds the rail, he got underneath them again tonight, he could be going even better if he starts jumping,” he said.
“We’ll just keep bringing him back here as long as he keeps winning, he’ll stay at the 520 now, we were lucky to pick up a few wins over the shorter distances but his future races are over the 520 for sure.”
Bubble Guppy for Tony Apap was well found by the punters and didn’t disappoint beating a hot field in the Best 8 over 520m.
Apap was optimistic about his dog’s potential.
“He’s been a bit unlucky the last few weeks,” he said
“But if you watch his run last week it was enormous, he was last at the first turn and he’s just finished half a length by half a length.”
Apap said he was looking to cash in on Bubble Guppy’s form while he was in the prime of his career.
“He’s just over 4 years old and while he’s racing right we’ll keep him going,” he said.
“We’re looking at the Nationals coming up, we’ve got to have a go at the Nationals the way he’s racing.
“All he needs is an ounce of luck around the first turn, he came home in 12.5 which is flying.”