Heza Trick's magic Victorian Country Cup hat-trick
Heza Trick - Daryl Douglas
15 April 2012 - Former New Zealander Heza Trick completed a hat-trick of 2012 feature Aussie Cup victories claiming the coveted $50,000 Mildura Pacing Cup on Saturday night.
The Badlands Hanover gelding started the New Year sensationally, winning the Tasmania Cup in Hobart on 1 January, then again showed his brilliance beating Group 1 winner Choise Achiever in the Geelong Cup, six weeks later. The Mildura Cup is the icing on the cake for this future grand circuit performer. Heza Trick is owned by Eric and Heather Anderson's, Anderson Racing Syndicate, which secured the five-year-old at the New Zealand sales. "We got him for $12,000, which has turned out to be a reasonable price, but I have spent plenty on others that have been not much good," Anderson said. The Mildura Cup gave Anderson Racing their second Cup victory in three years, having previously scored with Bold Cruiser in 2009. Trained at the Anderson’s Strathfieldsaye property by son-in-law Glenn Douglas, Heza Trick with brother Daryl in the sulky was taken off the gate (barrier five) to possie up three back in the moving line, with Toulouse Lautrec burning away from gate four to lead from the rank outsider Thats Mister Ali (gate six). Favourite Abettorpunt was quickly eased away from an awkward second line draw to trail Heza Trick in the early stages, with reinsman Caleb Lewis electing to move forward in the middle stages to park outside the pacemaker. The action really started to hot up racing for the bell, when Glenn Douglas driving star mare Make Mine Cullen forward from last to park in the open. Daryl Douglas then set Heza Trick loose to death-seat for the final circuit. Applying plenty of pressure to Toulouse Lautrec in the back straight on the final occasion, Heza Trick raced away on straightening to score by a margin of 7.3 metres over last year’s runner-up Lets Slash An Burn which gained inside runs on turning from three back the markers when Wartime Sweetheart trailing the leader shifted away from the marker line, with Abettorpunt (four wide home turn) a nose away in third place and Make Mine Cullen fourth. In quarters of 30.1, 31.1, 28.4 and 28.7 for the last mile after a lead time of 75.7 seconds out of the gate, Heza Trick returned a mile rate of 2-00.1 for the journey, 1.9 seconds outside Safari’s record set in 2007. The Anderson Racing/ Douglas combination also triumphed in the $17,500 Free For All with Stirling Charmer scoring a half head victory over the Bendigo-owned Composed. Daryl Douglas drove four winners on the 10 race card. - David Aldred with files from Len Baker.
The Badlands Hanover gelding started the New Year sensationally, winning the Tasmania Cup in Hobart on 1 January, then again showed his brilliance beating Group 1 winner Choise Achiever in the Geelong Cup, six weeks later. The Mildura Cup is the icing on the cake for this future grand circuit performer. Heza Trick is owned by Eric and Heather Anderson's, Anderson Racing Syndicate, which secured the five-year-old at the New Zealand sales. "We got him for $12,000, which has turned out to be a reasonable price, but I have spent plenty on others that have been not much good," Anderson said. The Mildura Cup gave Anderson Racing their second Cup victory in three years, having previously scored with Bold Cruiser in 2009. Trained at the Anderson’s Strathfieldsaye property by son-in-law Glenn Douglas, Heza Trick with brother Daryl in the sulky was taken off the gate (barrier five) to possie up three back in the moving line, with Toulouse Lautrec burning away from gate four to lead from the rank outsider Thats Mister Ali (gate six). Favourite Abettorpunt was quickly eased away from an awkward second line draw to trail Heza Trick in the early stages, with reinsman Caleb Lewis electing to move forward in the middle stages to park outside the pacemaker. The action really started to hot up racing for the bell, when Glenn Douglas driving star mare Make Mine Cullen forward from last to park in the open. Daryl Douglas then set Heza Trick loose to death-seat for the final circuit. Applying plenty of pressure to Toulouse Lautrec in the back straight on the final occasion, Heza Trick raced away on straightening to score by a margin of 7.3 metres over last year’s runner-up Lets Slash An Burn which gained inside runs on turning from three back the markers when Wartime Sweetheart trailing the leader shifted away from the marker line, with Abettorpunt (four wide home turn) a nose away in third place and Make Mine Cullen fourth. In quarters of 30.1, 31.1, 28.4 and 28.7 for the last mile after a lead time of 75.7 seconds out of the gate, Heza Trick returned a mile rate of 2-00.1 for the journey, 1.9 seconds outside Safari’s record set in 2007. The Anderson Racing/ Douglas combination also triumphed in the $17,500 Free For All with Stirling Charmer scoring a half head victory over the Bendigo-owned Composed. Daryl Douglas drove four winners on the 10 race card. - David Aldred with files from Len Baker.
