Lightly raced trotting filly Amira caused a stunning upset and upheld Ardmona horsewoman Donna Castles’ reputation of driving longshot winners when she won a Need For Speed heat for three-year-old trotting fillies at Melton last Friday night.
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The daughter of Quaker Jet came from three back on the pegs to run down the hot favourite, Hallebesofine, at the finishing post in a slick 1.57.8 mile rate time over the 1740 trip.
Amira was a 70/1 shot on the fixed odds but some punters enjoyed even more generous odds.
To make the win all the more memorable, Castles is not only the trainer and driver of the filly but also has a share of her ownership along with her partner, Doc Wilson, and Rochester trainer Col Godden.
Godden, currently campaigning a team in Queensland, also had a winner, Francs For Coming, at the Albion Park meeting the following night.
Amira was having just her fifth start and also won on debut at Kilmore in July in her first season of racing.
The win didn’t surprise Castles.
“We have always liked her and thought she could win the recent Shepparton Oaks at her previous last start but she went terribly. But we found out afterwards she had a virus,” she said.
“The plan was to make sure she got around without incident and although we had a few anxious moments she did everything we had hoped for.
“Some of our owners and followers were ecstatic as they got 150/1 about her chances.”
Castles said the Need For Speed final on October 10 was now the immediate focus for the filly, with hopefully bigger things to come.
The win completed a couple of fruitful days for Castles, who also won at the Kilmore meeting the previous night with a trotter she trains, Suzys Dream.
The six-year-old Dreamcatcher mare registered her fourth career win when she was driven the perfect race by Castles in the one-one sit and powered to victory in the concluding stages to win in a PB 2.03.3 mile rate time over the 2180m trip.
The win broke a run of 17 races without a win dating back to November last year when the mare won at Shepparton.
Trio of GV wins
GV trainers and drivers had a night out at last week’s Kilmore meeting with three winners.
Apart from Ardmona horsewoman Donna Castles’ win with Suzys Dream, Byrneside horseman Damian Wilson and Shepparton’s Steve Boyington also had winners at the meeting.
Wilson steered Ideal Moth to her eighth career win in 38 starts.
The four-year-old American Ideal mare posted a 1.57.1 mile rate for the 2180m trip, beating the 125/1 short Bringusjoy and Shes Aallaboutlove in a tight finish.
Wilson had Ideal Moth in the one-one sit in the run and she dug deep in the concluding stages to hold off all challengers.
Completing the GV hat-trick was Boyinton, who produced trotter I Am Harro for a dominant win, the third in his 42-race career.
Boyington put the handlebars down from a suitable draw at the start on the Majestic Son five-year-old mare to take the pacemaker role and was never in danger of being run down.
She had over five metres to spare over the favourite, Kimberleys Tree, at the finishing post.
I Am Harro had been working up to another win with two runner-up finishes — at Shepparton and Maryborough — in her previous three outings.
Comeandsee top talent
Top trainers usually go where the money is and that was the case at last Friday’s Wagga meeting.
Two Nutrien NSW Breeders Challenge two-year-old races on the program worth $15,000 lured Victoria’s top trainer, Emma Stewart, to make the long trip with Comeandsee, who saluted for Stanhope reinsman Mark Pitt in a heat for fillies.
Second home was the Craig Turnbull-prepared Sabalenka.
Another Victorian-trained pacer, Boytrous, saluted for Bendigo trainer-driver Alex Ashwood in a heat for colts and geldings. It was a Victorian quinella, with the Russell Jack-trained and Mark Pitt-driven Cocciadoro running second.
Comeandsee ran a blistering mile rate of 1.51.7 over the 1740m to win her third race in four starts while Boytrous made it three win from five starts with his win in a 1.53.1 mile rate time.
Chris Svanosio and David Miles were other prominent Victorian trainers who had runners at the meeting.
Svanosio produced the fastest mile rate at the meeting when Decode, a three-year-old son of Stay Hungry he trains and drives, ran a blistering 1.50 for the 1740m trip.
Munny the Munster has the need for speed
A substandard run at his previous start was forgotten when Munny The Munster bounced back to the winners’ list with a heat win in The Need For Speed series for three-year-old trotters at Melton last Friday night.
A $2.90 second favourite, Munny The Master settled near the tail of the field and gave a sizeable lead to pacemaker The Preacher.
But over the final lap, Munny The Munster, driven by Stacey Towers for Congupna trainer Mark Lee, reeled in her rivals and secured an inside run in the home straight to nab victory in a keenly contested finish.
It was Munny The Munster’s fifth win in only 15 career starts, which have also produced seven minor placings and over $130,000 in prizemoney.
Hot hand Liam on a roll
New Goulburn Valley reinsman recruit Liam Older is on a winning streak.
Older partnered Eleegant Lane to victory for Shepparton trainer Luke Tabone at the Melton meeting last Friday night and buttered up the next night to win on pacer Mighty Jolt at the same venue.
Eleegant Lane picked off her rivals over the final circuit with a sustained burst of power pacing.
A four-year-old mare by Rock N Roll Hanover, Eleegant Lane has been racing in great heart, with her past 10 starts producing three wins and six top-four finishes.
Her latest win was in a PB 1.55.4 mile rate time for the 1720m trip.
Trained by Samantha Gangell, Mighty Jolt unleashed a mighty run over the last 1000 metres to beat Platinum Jive and the fast-finishing Maas Betting Again in a 1.54.4 mile rate time over the 1720m journey.
The win was Mighty Jolt’s 12th in 78 career races, with 23 minor placings.
Older kept his winning streak going at Tuesday night’s Shepparton meeting, driving two winners.
He piloted the Charlene Gusman-trained Lom Baro to a narrow win, and also won on the Bec Bartley-trained pacer My Mate Ace.
It was the second win for the Sweet Lou three-year-old gelding in a nine-race career to date.
Older encouraged Lom Baro to the front and held on to beat the Caig Turnbull-trained Delizioso and the Wayne Potter-prepared La Smooch in a Shepparton trifecta.
Lom Baro produced a slick 1.55.9 mile rate for the 1690m trip.
Shepparton reinsman Nathan Jack completed a hat-trick of wins on the Brooke McPherson-trained trotter Aldebaran Denbay at the Shepparton meeting with a dominant front-running performance.
The four-year-old Volstead gelding had won at his previous two starts at Kilmore and remains unbeaten in three starts for McPherson.
Indulge me a win
Supporters of Lisa Pitt’s Stanhope stable didn’t have too many butterflies watching two of the pacers she trains win at Tuesday night's Shepparton meeting.
Indulge Me and Corbie Laidir scored runaways wins with Lisa’s hubby, Mark, in the sulky.
A two-year-old colt by Downbytheseaside, having only his third race start, lndulgeme spreadeagled his older rivals with a dashing front-running display. He cruised to the finishing line 18 metres clear of runner-up Daysofwinen Roses in a 1.55.4 mile rate time.
Indulgeme was coming off a runner-up finish at Melton at his previous start and was well found by punters as a $2.40 second favourite.
Corbie Laidir won in similar style to Indulgeme, racing straight to the front and running his older rivals ragged.
Only a two-year-old, Corbie Laidir was having his second race start and a 1.54.7 mile rate for the 1690m dash suggests it won’t be the last time he is in the winner’s circle.
Pitt drove a treble at the meeting, also partnering the Greg Fleming-trained Maurlen Compass to an easy third career win in just 12 starts.
A slashing runner-up finish at her previous start at Melton on September 18 showed the three-year-old Captaintreacerous filly was ready to go one better.
Tasmyn Potter kept the winners coming for district trainers and drivers when she partnered the Julie Douglas-trained Yella to his seventh career win in 94 tries.
Shepparton success
It was another big night for Goulburn Valley and northern Victoria pacers, trotters and drivers at the Shepparton meeting.
Isabel Walsh, Bec Bartley, Nathan Jack and Tasmyn Potter all had winners at the meeting.
Walsh produced Lochinvar Art three-year-old colt Dembe for his fourth career win in 13 starts.
Reinsman James Herbertson gave Denbe the run of the race and he sprint-laned to victory over the pacemakers King Saint and Ronnie The Hammer.
Silky Shane produces a winner
Murchison trainer Shane Sanderson was in the winner’s circle this week — but not on a trotting track.
Sanderson produced six-year-old galloper Annotate for a dashing win at the Tatura meeting on Tuesday with a dashing front-running display.
Coming up
Today: Melton (n)
Saturday: Geelong (n)
Sunday: Cranbourne (d)
Monday: Horsham (d)
Tuesday: Shepparton (n), Mildura (n)
Wednesday: Ballarat (n)
Thursday: Kilmore (n)
Friday: Melton (n)
Saturday: Melton (n)