28 June 2012 -A filly purchased in Europe to be trained in Australia by our foremost squaregaiting trainer Chris Lang. It’s a match made in heaven.
Swede Dreams is set to make her local debut after being primed for her first Australian start with a trial at Bendigo's Lord's Raceway on Monday night. She will have her first race start at Shepparton tonight. In her trial Swede Dreams finished third behind the Mick Carbone pacer Sparken Up and the Ross Graham trained trotting mare Bohemian Queen. Trotting writer Blake Redden reports that a plan was hatched to buy Swede Dreams way back in 2009 when Lang was in Sweden with his mighty trotter Sundons Gift. It wasn’t long before the now three-year-old by Varenne was at the Lang’s door. She might not have been the sale topper at around $A25,000 but her breeding says she will be able to trot. Her father is widely renowned as the greatest trotter to ever grace the earth; he retired with 62 wins from 73 starts. He was also crowned the champion US, French and Italy horse of the year in 2001 after an extraordinary season in which he captured the Elitlopp, Prix d’Amerique and American Breeders Crown. Lang recounts how the original purchase came about. It may have seemed a fleeting thought at first but as time now tells that wasn’t the end of the story. Bryant and her father were determined to bring over a squaregaiter from Europe and they made their intentions clear almost a year later. “When we got back from the Elitlopp in 2009 a month or so later Janice Bryant rang me who is the daughter of Michael Bryant, and between the two of them they’re very well-known equine chiropractors,” he said. “Janice rang me and I spoke to her for about 40 minutes on the phone about buying a filly at the next years Elitlopp sale but to be quite honest I thought I’d never hear from her again. “About six weeks before the Elitlopp 2010 Janice phoned and says we’re booked, we’ll meet you over there. So I met up with Janice and her dad Michael in Stockholm and we went out to a couple of the studs,” he said. If the name Michael Bryant rings a bell it’s because he has been in the news as the chiropractor of Black Caviar throughout her career and particularly for her recent assault on Royal Ascot. After an exhaustive search the team had found their filly – by Varenne out of the Grand Lobell mare Reality As – named Swede Dreams. “She went into quarantine and it took about four months to get her her, then we broke her in. The thing to remember is she is about six months younger than our three-year-olds so she’s still maturing but I wanted to give her a run,” Lang said. The reason she is so much younger than her rivals tomorrow night is the fact that she was born and bred in Europe. They plan their mating’s, like us, around summer time which is effectively our winter in the southern hemisphere. Her immaturity may stop her from dominating as a young horse but as Lang points out when she grows and develops she has enough ability to win a few races in Victoria. “I believe she will win races – that’s all I’m saying – I’m not saying how many at this point in time,” he said. Lang knows he will have to win a few races with her just to keep the owners happy with a number of high profile horse people amongst them. Joining the Bryant’s are a financial planner, and Arabian horse importer, a thoroughbred trainer – Tony Noonan – a greyhound trainer, an eventing rider, an ex-Gold Coast Harness Club President and an owner of major media and racing website. “Tony Noonan dropped in here one day and we made an agreement – if I got her to trot I get a trotting trainers fee but if I get her to gallop I get paid what he gets paid.”
0 Comments
20 June 2012 - New Zealand colt Major Star kept his unbeaten record in-tact, winning at his Australian debut at Bendigo’s Lord’s Raceway on Tuesday night. The tall, athletic Art Major 2yo put in a powerhouse performance, pacing a 27.7 final quarter to take out the Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series (colts & geldings heat). Driven by his trainer Brent Mangos, Major Star, the $2.40 favourite scored a 2.3 metre win over the two other top fancied contenders Lenny The Shark ($3.10 and Keyang Starzzz ($4.10). Keyang Starzzz (Glen Craven) led out at a slow clip and Mangos took Major Star up to eyeball the well-performed Four Starzzz Shark colt with a lap to go. The pace wasn't lifted until the final 600 metres when the front runners clapped on the speed. Major Star overhauled Keyang Starzzz in the race to the post with Lenny The Shark (John Justice), which box-seated behind the leader, coming to the outside to motor home into the runners up spot. Ben Cartwright (Greg Sugars) also did his best at the business end of the trip and rounded out the top four finishers. Major Star's only other performance was at New Zealand's Alexandra Park, 1 June where he won a 1700 metre juvenile event. The colt is raced by the Auckland Trotting Club 2012 Syndicate. Major Star will now zero in on the $100,000 Group 1 Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series Final at Tabcorp Park, Melton on 6 July. - David Aldred
11 June 2012 - The Pratt family celebrated the memory of popular trainer Les Pratt at Lord's Raceway on Saturday night with the inaugural running of the $10,000 Les Pratt Memorial 3yo Fillies Classic.
The race sponsored by a long time client of Les Pratt, Peter Hayes on behalf of the Pratt family was won by the David Aiken trained Real Bonus. Pratt passed away last winter after sustaining injuries in a training accident in Bendigo. The trainer loved harness racing and breeding and it is fitting that a quality fillies race now carries his name. Real Bonus, bred in Bendigo by the late Ron Pocock was also a fitting winner. The tough filly sat parked and scored an emphatic 5 metre win in the Classic with a 1:58.8 mile rate and covering the final half mile in 58.7 seconds. Driven by Nathan Jack, Real Bouns ($3.30 fav) beat Dobop (Jodi Quinlan) and Thisiswhoiam (Daryl Douglas). - David Aldred 10 June 2012 - Aleppo Sunrise trotted roughly in patches of the 2650 metre Bendigo Bank Bendigo Trotters Cup but was still simply too classy for his opposition on Saturday night at Lord's Raceway. Driven patiently by trainer Chris Lang, Aleppo Sunrise never looked comfortable in the race but the $3.00 equal race favourite still powered away at the finish to win by 2.7 metres from outsider Gentlemans Honour (Chris Lang Jr) with another longshot Star Gun (Steve Lindberg) close up in third place. Backmarker Earl Of Mot, the other equal race favourite, finished fourth. It wasn't the prettiest performance by Aleppo Sunrise but Lang was full of praise for the 6yo Sundon gelding. "I'm very pleased to be here," he said accepting the trophy from Bendigo Bank Bendigo regional manager Wayne Tobin. "This horse has done a mighty job." Aleppo Sunrise has won 12 of 41 starts and the Bendigo Trotters Cup win was the trotter's second in a fortnight.
In other feature race results at Bendigo, the Michael Barby trained It Is Billy made it three wins from four starts in the Alabar Bendigo Guineas, Ellen Tormey steered the Chris Angove trained Loveyougoodboy to victory in the Bendigo Bank 3yo Trotters Classic and Nathan Jack drove a smart race to win the Les Pratt Memorial 3yo Fillies Classic when tough pacer Real Bonus from the David Aiken stable sat parked for the entire journey before powering away to win the Classic by more than five metres. - David Aldred - VIEW THE GoPro camera footage of the Trotters Cup & Guineas 10 June 2012 - Aleppo Sunrise trotted roughly in patches of the 2650 metre Bendigo Bank Bendigo Trotters Cup but was still simply too classy for his opposition on Saturday night at Lord's Raceway. Driven patiently by trainer Chris Lang, Aleppo Sunrise never looked comfortable in the race but the $3.00 equal race favourite still powered away at the finish to win by 2.7 metres from outsider Gentlemans Honour (Chris Lang Jr) with another longshot Star Gun (Steve Lindberg) close up in third place. Backmarker Earl Of Mot, the other equal race favourite, finished fourth. It wasn't the prettiest performance by Aleppo Sunrise but Lang was full of praise for the 6yo Sundon gelding. "I'm very pleased to be here," he said accepting the trophy from Bendigo Bank Bendigo regional manager Wayne Tobin. "This horse has done a mighty job." Aleppo Sunrise has won 12 of 41 starts and the Bendigo Trotters Cup win was the trotter's second in a fortnight.
In other feature race results at Bendigo, the Michael Barby trained It Is Billy made it three wins from four starts in the Alabar Bendigo Guineas, Ellen Tormey steered the Chris Angove trained Loveyougoodboy to victory in the Bendigo Bank 3yo Trotters Classic and Nathan Jack drove a smart race to win the Les Pratt Memorial 3yo Fillies Classic when tough pacer Real Bonus from the David Aiken stable sat parked for the entire journey before powering away to win the Classic by more than five metres. - David Aldred - VIEW THE GoPro camera footage of the Trotters Cup & Guineas 9 June 2012 - Bendigo trainer Alan McIntosh is hoping for a hometown victory when Si Capisco compete's in tonight's $15,000 Bendigo Bank 2012 Bendigo Trotters Cup over 2650 metres at Lord’s Raceway.
Chris Alford steered Si Capisco to victory on a rain affected track in the $15,000 John Slack Memorial Trot Cup at Ballarat last week and the son of Sundon looks ideally placed for its chance to put together back to back feature races. To be driven tonight by New Zealander Bob Butt, Si Capisco has raced well for McIntosh since being purchased by his family earlier this year. As well has his last start Ballarat win Si Capisco was also runner up to Earl Of Mot, beaten seven metres in the Bruce Skeggs Cup at Cranbourne in May and won the Mildura Trotters Cup in April. Si Capisco’s opposition looks stronger than last week with 40 metre backmarker Earl Of Mot, the winner of three of his past five starts for the Lance Justice stable looking the best of them. Leigh Sutton has also elected to stay aboard Earl Of Mot in preference to continuing his winning association with Makemcry Maori which will start of the outside of the frontline with Nathan Jack aboard. Other in-form trotters in the Cup include last start Melton winner Aleppo Sunrise and Xanderxav, both off 10 metre handicaps. The state’s leading driver Daryl Douglas is on board Savannah Way, a very smart gelding trained by Ross Graham. Douglas had a good association with Savannah Way last year but the son of Sundon has been on the sidelines for 11 months. The Bendigo Trotters Cup is one of six trophy races on the 10 race Bendigo card which starts at 5:25pm. The $10,000 Les Pratt Memorial 3yo Fillies Classic (2150m) has drawn together a classy line-up. The Classic is the first running of the race which is recognising the contribution to local harness racing by the late Les Pratt who passed away as a result of a training accident almost a year ago. Elmore trainer Keith Cotchin has a very strong hand in this race with three chances. The will harness up Chiquita Bromac (Scott Dyer), Dobop (Jodi Quinlan) and Rubeelee (John Caldow). The Alabar Bendigo Guineas and the Bendigo Bank 3yo Trotters Classic are the other two feature races on the program. Trophies will also be presented to the winners of the Laser Electrical Pace and the Dunlop & Pitson Earthmoving Pace. The public also get a chance to be a active participant in Bendigo's big racenight. The BHRC will conduct a sweepstakes draw on the Bendigo Trotters Cup with names drawn from a lucky barrel to match the Cup starters. The person who draws the Cup winner will recieve a 40" LCD TV. Entry forms are available in the racebook. - David Aldred |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2012
Categories |