The night belonged to trainer Lance Justice as he took first place in two of the three metropolitan events, including the Blacks A Fake FFA.  Punters who backed the Justice-trained Our Malabar at $10.20 odds will be happily counting their winnings as the bay gelding put on an impressive performance to take first place.  He overcame a wide barrier draw, sitting just outside Megasam through the opening splits.  He then worked his way up to the front of the field just before 800m.

Our Malabar beat out quite a field of stayers to take the first place finish.  This included Just Callme Cullen, who finished in a close second place, and Cincinnati Kid who took third place 4.00 off the leader.  He even beat out the much touted Tanabi Bromac who was expected to do well in his return to harness racing.  The KP Cotchin-trained gelding finished in fourth position.

2010 Blacks A Fake FFA Results:

There was plenty of pacing action going on at Gloucester Park with the 2010 Media Guild Cup.  The $17,500 race pit the unstoppable Has The Answers against a field of stayers hoping to knock the Tony Svilicich horse off his pedestal.  They’ll have to wait another day as the brown gelding took his second consecutive win of the new pacing season.

Has The Answers was the $1.30 favourite to win this one, and he didn’t let punters down.  Showing fantastic gate speed, the horse led throughout the race.  He finished in first position to take the $11,725 prize.  Gary Bromac – somewhat of an unlikely contender at $53.00 odds – finished in second place. Touch Me Toes took third.

Has The Answers’ stable mate Mysta Magical Mach was expected to do well in this one, though the gelding’s restrained start saw him go wide early on.  He led one wide at the line to finish in fourth position.

Another weekend has wrapped up, but the pacing action continues throughout the week.  Don’t forget to get to SportsBet to check out all the odds on the pacing taking place throughout Australia.

2010 Media Guild Cup Results:

The Battle of the Claimers kicked off with the first heat being the first on the night’s card. It was somewhat of a surprising finish as Palomine finished in the top position. This is fantastic news for punters who chose the bay gelding as he paid out at 5.40 odds. Race favourite Our Sand Fly didn’t fare too badly, finishing in a close third place just 3.10 off the race leader. Ticket Time took second.

Plenty were expecting Anvils Revival to take the win, though the New Zealand horse had a very disappointing run. He finished in 11th position.

Battle of the Claimers Heat 1 Results:

The second heat in The Battle of the Claimers was another shocking finish. There were six major contenders going into this harness race, but only one managed to live up to the hype. Miami Rocket – a 3.20 favourite, crossed the line in first place to take the top prize of $5,400. The DK Douglas-driven gelding started the race three wide. He moved up to the outside leader before overtaking the field in the final moments of the race.

Upward Ever Upward was the only other top contender that placed in this qualifying heat. The BK Woodhouse-trained gelding finished in third position, 7.80m off the race leader and right behind second place finisher The Timely Trader. Flying Class, Way Up High, and Awesome Alto were all expected to do well in this field but finished fifth, seventh, and ninth respectively.

The Battle of the Claimers Heat 2 Results:

It seems it was a night for surprises as heat three produced another unlikely winner. Jay Bee Aitch and Dhoni were expected to do well, though neither managed to place in the top three. The former fared the best, finishing in fourth and 10.20m off the race leader. Punters who backed race favourite Dhoni were most certainly disappointed with the horses sixth place finish.

Dark Duncan surprised harness racing fans by crossing the line first. The DK Douglas-driven gelding had fantastic gate speed and led at the bell. He finished with a very convincing 8.10m over the second place finisher. Altivo and Brulea Charlie (another favourite going into the race) rounded out the top three.

The Battle of the Claimers Heat 3 Results:

Don’t forget that the first four finishers in these qualifying heats will be going on to appear in The Battle of the Claimers Final event. It will be held at Tabcorp Park on September 9, so stay tuned for a full preview of the race. Plus, you can check out all the results and odds on pacing events throughout Australia at SportsBet.

Has The Answers, the race favourite, didn’t disappoint as the Tony Svilicich-trained gelding crossed the finish line in first position, beating out the competition by a margin of 4.90m. That’s great news for punters who backed the horse at SportsBet at 1.30 odds. He got off to a brilliant start with excellent gate speed. The brown gelding led the pace to the finish line, all the while keeping a comfortable lead. It’s a great kick off to the new season for the record setting gelding. Plenty of experts are expecting another fantastic season.

Motu Treasure finished in second after a fantastic start. The New Zealand horse was a frontrunner for many punters with 5.40 odds. With two laps to go, the bay gelding was just behind leader Has The Answers. It was a position that he never surrendered as he crossed the line second. Mysta Magical Mach (12.30) was touted as a strong contender, probably the only Svilicich-trained horse that could keep up with the speed of Has The Answers. While the ML Woodley-driven gelding didn’t quite match the speed of his stable mate, he did have a fairly successful run. He went into the final lap as the outside leader and managed to take a third place finish, 8.20 off of first place.

2010 New Seasons Pace Results:

Justice started the night off right with a win in the Tabcorp Park Melton Pacers Handicap. The M0+ race was run over a distance of 2,240 metres and carried a purse worth $15,000. Justice’s horse Vito Vito was a $3.00 favourite going into the race, and the brown gelding didn’t let punters down. Starting from the front row in barrier four, Vito Vito went on to take a convincing win and over $10,000 in prize money. Tellthebanker was 8.70 behind to take second. Justice’s Artoc finished in third place 9.10 off the leader.

2010 Tabcorp Park Melton Pacers Handicap Results:

The success didn’t stop there for Justice. He followed up the impressive performance with another in race number seven – the Minuteman Free For All. Many were predicting that the Justice-trained Smoken Up would take the win in this one, and the gelding didn’t disappoint. In a thrilling race that came right down to the wire, Smoken Up managed to pull ahead of second place finisher TI Vogliobene to take the much needed win. Not only did this mark the horse’s seventh win in Australia this season, but it also secured the trainers’ premiership title for Justice. This year marks the fourth premiership win in the last five years for Justice.

While Douglas and Peacock had high hopes going into Friday night’s festivities, neither trainer came through with a win. The night was especially disappointing for Peacock when he failed to come through with a placing in The Graduate. Race number six on the card featured four Peacock-trained horses that were expected to do well. Cullens Impact, who was expected to do the best, took 11th place, finishing 19.50 off the leader. Wrongly Accused didn’t fare any better, finishing in last place 24.90 off the leader. The BL Hansen-trained Arber took first place and the $13,500 prize.

2010 Minuteman FFA Results:

De Lovely ($1.70) was the race favourite and she certainly didn’t disappoint as she became one of only three horses to win the New Zealand-Australian Oaks double. The win also marks her third in four Group 1 starts. The DJ Butcher-driven filly was two back, catching a ride off Rocknrolla. Even when the leading horse got one off at the pegs at 900m, De Lovely surged forward, closing in on race leader Torque In Motion. Butcher was able to drive the determined filly into the lead in a thrilling final 27.5 seconds to take the win. Torque In Motion finished second with a 4.3 margin. Miss Trickin Lombo ($44.00) surprised a few onlookers with a convincing third place finish.

The race winner will now return to her native New Zealand in hopes of qualifying for the August 13 semi finals of the Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown in Friday night’s heat in Auckland.

2010 Nevele R Stud Australian Oaks Pacing Results:

Adding to the list of harness racing winners over the weekend was Mr Feelgood, who took a big win at Albion Park in the 2010 Sunshine Sprint.

While the Group 2 race didn’t produce a new record holder, it didn’t disappoint onlookers as it came down to a four way race between the favoured Mr Feelgood, Tip Your Hat in the lead, Be Good Johnny sitting just behind, and Washakie in the one by one in the wash up.

At the 300m, Mr Feelgood began making a move, first getting the best of Tip Your Hat. With Washakie not taking advantage of a run opportunity, and Be Good Johnny and Fox Valley Appeal searching for peg runs, Mr Feelgood dominated the field, crossing the finish line with a 2.50m over second place finisher Tip Your Hat.

The LA McCarthy-trained winner will be back at Albion Park competing for a chance to win the $100,000 Group 1 SEW Eurodrive Winter Cup. Be sure you put down all your bets on this upcoming Group 1 race at SportsBet as this online sportsbook is offering the best possible harness racing odds, and all new members can pick up a $100 free bet just for signing up.

2010 Sunshine Sprint Pacing Results:

Highlights in the world of harness racing during June included the $100,000 Group 1 Diamond Classic on Friday June 11, where the nation’s most impressive juvenile fillies fought it out at Gloucester Park.

It was a surprise result as Chill Factor filly Cool Adda ($14.80) took out the race 4.4m ahead of Miss Baypoint ($14.30) and Prix De Whitby ($24.90). Many clever punters cleaned up at SportsBet backing the longer-priced runners and proving that with the two-year-old races track experience goes a long way in deciding who will win.

Another big feature was the two-year-old colts and geldings equivalent to the Diamond Classic, when the $100,000 Group 1 Pearl Classic took place at Gloucester Park on Saturday June 18. The 2010 Pearl Classic saw the pronounced favourite Go West U Terror ($1.10) secure an uncontested victory, thrashing the competition by over 30 metres, one of the largest winning margins in history. The lesson punters learned was that when a young horse has had such an imposing record and is driven by one of the greats, Gary Hall Jnr, it is best to stick with the favourite with the bookies like SportsBet.

This month pacing fans have plenty more great races to try their luck on. The first huge night of racing has already taken place, when the four $100,000 Group 1 finals of the WA Sires took place at Gloucester Park.

If you missed out on these, don’t panic. There are still top class pacing events coming up soon and because it takes just five minutes to open a SportsBet account, you can be making money sooner than you think!

This Friday night two $100,000 Group 1 Vicbred Super Series finals will be decided at Tabcorp Park in Victoria, with plenty of quality two-year-olds to bet on including sensational filly Aussie Made Lombo who looks the pick in the fillies final.

Gold Coast Derby Winner For A Reason should win the Queensland Derby after dual Group 1 winner Lanercost was scratched

Other headline pacing races not to miss this month include the $100,000 Group 1 Queensland Derby at Albion Park where Gold Coast Derby winner For A Reason is the horse to beat following the sensational scratching of the dual Group 1 winning Lanercost ; the $125,000 Group 1 Golden Slipper for two-year-olds at Gloucester Park where you could be betting on Australia’s future pacing superstars; the $100,000 Winter Cup at Albion Park where SportsBet has the odds that will warm up your winter; and the highly anticipated $200,000 Group 1 Chariots of Fire for four-year-olds at Harold Park where there is not only plenty of prizemoney on offer for the contenders, but thousands to be won through SportsBet too!

Stay up to date with the latest harness racing fixtures with the Australian Harness Racing Calendar, and remember, if you place a punt at the TAB you are getting ripped off! Online betting is the way to go now, and SportsBet makes it easy to sign up, select your favourites and then enjoy the great payouts!

The first big pacing event was on May 7 at Tabcorp Park, when classy mare Broadways Best secured victory in the $100,000 Group 1 Vicbred Super Series Final (2240m). Starting as the $2.30 favourite Broadways Best went on to defeat $59.70 outsider Shez Ryleymak by 4.5m with Elixir ($17.70) in third.

The other major race kicking off the month that night was the $50,000 Group 2 Sony Centre Champagne Classic (2130m) for two-year-olds at Fremantle’s Gloucester Park, where Scot Bay ($2) narrowly missed out on maintaining his unbeaten record when Bettors Ace ($5.40) defeated him by a neck. Long-priced roughie Trunkey Galileo ($99.40) finished off the trifecta.

The following night, Queensland’s Albion Park was the place to be when the esteemed course hosted the four Group 2 Qbred Triad Finals. The first was the $75,000 four-year-old mares final won by the John McCarthy-trained and driven Forever After; next Bay Of Eagles took out the $85,000 three-year-old colts and geldings final ahead of the odds-on favourite Karter Brown; the $85,000 three-year-old fillies final saw the brilliant Abbey Tiara secure victory by a neck over Torque In Motion; the final Qbred final of the night was the $75,000 entires and geldings where $63.30 outsider Hez Hellbound secured an upset victory.

Another elite level pacing feature followed on Friday May 14, with Gloucester Park hosting the $150,000 Group 1 Gannons WA Oaks. This year the odds-on favourite Millwood Meg ($1.90) reigned supreme, the Mach Three filly scoring a decisive 7.5m victory ahead of Arctic Fire ($3.70).

Top racing then continued on Friday May 21 at Tabcorp Park Victoria, the meeting headlined by the $100,000 Vicbred Super Series Final (2240m) for four-year-old entires and geldings, taken out by the flawless Bonavista Bay.

Other drawcards on the night included Devilish Smile’s 12.3m win in the $50,000 Group 2 Tatlow Stakes Final (2240m), and the $30,000 Group 3 Harness Breeders VIC Ladyship Cup (1720m) where Broadways’ Best secured another impressive victory following her Group 1 Vicbred Super Series success earlier in the month.

Saturday night May 22 was another cracker with two Group 1 finals at Brisbane’s premier pacing venue, Albion Park. First up two-year-old filly Aussie Made Lombo took out the $150,000 Group 1 Kay Seymour Nursery Pace Final (2138m) before Sushi Sushi claimed the male equivalent in the $150,000 Group 1 Kevin Seymour Nursery Pace Final (2138m).

Four more group pacing features finished off the month, the first being the highly anticipated $100,000 Group 1 Queen of the Pacific at Tabcorp Park on Friday 28 won by four-year-old mare Ananz. The night also saw impressive filly Rocknrolla take out the $100,000 Group 1 Vicbred Super Series 3YO Fillies Final (2240m) and Lively Moth win the $50,000 Group 2 Victaulic Tatlow Stakes (2240m).

The final group pacing race in May was on the same night over in WA’s Gloucester Park, the $35,000 Gorup 3 WASBA Breeders Stakes (1730m) where hot $1.90 favourite Little Big Sister sizzled to victory.

Stay tuned for the preview of June’s pacing features.

Leading online bookmaker IASbet had the best odds for all of the excellent pacing features in May, so visit them for your next harness racing bet to get access to the most comprehensive range of wagers, competitive odds and generous bonuses!

After sitting three wide early on, the Geoff Webster-trained Mister Zion ($3.10) had snared the lead by the bell and held on for the win despite a strong challenge by the Gavin Lang-trained and driven Sammy Maguire ($2.30 Fav) who finished second just a head back.

Impressive filly Make Mine Cullen ($3.70) was only 1.5m away for third in a close top three finish after leading in the early stages of the race and sitting on the inside for the sprint home.

It was a thrilling finish for the spectators and a nervous wait for connections of the top two horses with Mister Zion and Sammy Maguire locked shoulder-to-shoulder over the final lap.

Mister Zion and Sammy Maguire were locked shoulder-to-shoulder over the final lap

On the back straight Sammy Maguire raced on the outside of Mister Zion, driven by boom reinsman Greg Sugars, who got just ahead on the line giving him the win over the odds-on favourite. It was the second consecutive year Sammy Maguire ran second in the Mildura Cup.

A son of Red River Hanover, Mister Zion now boasts an impressive strike rate of 14 wins from 23 starts and his career prizemoney totals $197,347.

2010 Park Douglas Printing Mildura Pacing Cup Results:

One of the biggest pacing races of the weekend was the $50,000 Group 2 Community Newspapers Western Gateway 3YO Pace (2130m) where the brilliant David Hercules smashed his rivals for a sensational win at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The Artesian gelding began as the hot pre-race favourite at $1.70 and lived up to all expectations coasting to an incredible 12.4m victory ahead of roughie Indomitable Saab ($49.70) with Crombie ($11.60) a further 1.5m back for third.

Lombo Navigator ($10) held on for a close fourth while other fancied pacers failed to fire with Grinjaro ($6.80) and Chillin Dylan ($9.7) finishing ninth and eighth respectively.

After blasting from his ideal barrier one, David Hercules found the lead early and maintained his dominance for an impressive all-the-way win.

Three-year-old David Hercules has now saluted in six of his 20 career starts and Friday night’s $33,500 first prize elevated his total earnings to $176,964.

Other pacing features that took place on Friday night included the $20,000 Simpson Memorial (2160m) at Harold Park.

Chariot King ($3.30) narrowly beat home the hugely popular Two Eye See ($3.10) by a neck with Just A Blue Chip ($16.10) 2.5m away in third.

First round heats of the Australian Pacing Gold for two-year-old colts and geldings were also conducted at Harold Park with Just Grange, Wotattitude, Veracity Red and Min Min Lights all securing a win.

Victoria’s Tapcorp Park was home to the other Australian Pacing Gold heats on Friday night, won by Royal Verdict, Jadahson, Mathias and Dee Deviot. Trainer Peter Tonkins and Emma Stewart prepared all of the APG heat winners at Tabcorp except Royal Verdict giving their Smythes Creek stable a great start in the series.

The second round heats for the APG will take place four days prior to the $300,000 final on April 23.

Bathurst reinswoman and golden girl Ashlee Sikjka had a night to remember at the Dubbo Showground Paceway on Easter Saturday when she drove a treble of victories during the tab.mobi $102,000 Dubbo Carnival of Cups.

Siejka’s first winner of the night came in (R2) Amaroo Hotel & Grapevine Cafe C4/C6 Pacing Cup behind the Lester Hewitt-trained Fast Sticks ($3.20) who ran 300^th of a second outside the 2020m track record to take the 6yr old geldings’ lifetime dollars past the $75,000 mark and record his 14^th victory from just 37 starts.

Siejka’s biggest thrill during the eight event card came in the main race of the night which was the $30,000 Karloo Mick 4 & 5yr old Championship Cup, named in honour of Dubbo’s first million dollar pacer after the club received generous sponsorship from local harness racing enthusiasts Peter Moraghan, Frank Hession and Barry Lew.

Siejka was in the gig behind Intoxicated ($2.80) who was shooting for nine victories in a row but was up against some quality pacers in Rockets Reject (Jim Douglas $3.10), who was looking for eight wins in a row, and classy pacer Ohoka Utah (Michael Formosa $2.40 fav).

With the Dubbo track on fire thanks to curator Gary Edwards, the main race was set to be run at a hectic pace and that it was. Jim Douglas fired Rockets Reject out of gate six to cross to the lead while Siejka made her way up to the death. From there on in was a case of both pacers going stride for stride throughout the race in from of an excited Dubbo crowd.

As they entered the home straight and headed for the finish line Siejka clicked up Intoxicated and he powered away from Rockets Reject whilst holding off a late challenge from local C3 pacer Masterpiece Melody (Nathan Hoy $59.80), who ran the race of his life to finish 2^nd only 1.7 metres away, while Royal Surprise (Steve Turnbull $22) ran home late for 3^rd.

With the pace a cracker throughout it was no surprise to see Quick Approval’s 2007 track record equalled with a 1:58.7 mile rate. Intoxicated now takes his record to 12 wins from 17 starts, while the Cup prize money of $20,250 lifted his lifetime earnings to over $102,000.

Trainer Mick Siejka said with the Karloo Mick Cup firmly in the bag, Intoxicated will now head to New Zealand for a number of feature races. Siejka also told the big race crowd in Dubbo on Saturday night that i was great to win the feature race in Dubbo especially with the race named in hnour of Dubbo’s champion Karloo Mick.

Seijka said, “We followed Barry, Rhonda and Karloo Mick all through their Inter Dominion campaigns and they have done so much for country racing so it’s a big thrill for our family.”

Seijka also praised daughter Ashlee for a terrific drive which once again proved she can handle the pressure, making all the right moves at the right time.

Ashlee topped her golden night off in Dubbo in the last race when she guided Fair Blazing ($2.30 fav) to its ninth win this season from 17 starts. Seijka settled Fair Blazing back in the field early before making a leisurely three wide move on the bell lap and unleashing the brakes on the home turn to win running away from Champion Melody ($6.80 Guy Chapple), while Getaloadathis ($5.50 Matt Rue) finished in 3^rd place.

For more information please contact:

DHRC Publicity & Promotions Director

Charles Andreas