Three short-priced favourites lined up in tonight’s three-year-old colts and geldings’ Breeders Crown heats at Bendigo.
But only punters who cashed out after just one leg – My Kiwi Mate ($1.30) winning Race 1 – walked away with more loot than what they set out with.
Andy Gath-trained Burnaholeinmypocket upstaged Menin Gate by the slightest of margins in the second of the night’s heats, while $1.30 pop Ideal For Real came in sixth in Race 5, Lexus On The Beach instead scooping the prize from Egodan.
My Kiwi Mate (Bettors Delight/Classic Nymph) took out the ninth heat of the IRT Breeders Crown Series 17, the Craig Demmler-trained former Kiwi holding off runner-up Rule Of Thumb by just a short half-head.
The runner-up charged late, but My Kiwi Mate, driven by Jodi Quinlan, did enough, holding on in a 1:58.5 mile rate.
Rule Of Thumb (Greg Sugars) was probably unlucky, held up at a vital stage, while Madis Mate finished third for Michael Bellman.
Burnaholeinmypocket moved straight through to the semis with his heat victory, the son of Bettors Delight/Kelly Maguire from the Andy Gath stable with Kate Gath in the sulky upstaging Queensland and Victorian Derby winner Menin Gate by a short half-head in 1:56.7.
Chumlee (Amanda Turnbull) ran third.
Bathurst colt Lexus On The Beach (Somebeachsomewhere/Panoramic Lady) took out the 11th Breeders Crown heat for trainer Steve Turnbull and reinswoman Amanda Turnbull, scoring a 4.4-metre win over Egodan from the Beau Tindale camp with Rod Petroff in the cart, while Sluggem (Anthony Butt) came in third.
Lexus On The Beach showed plenty of dash early, ran to the front and kept on running, rating 1:56.2 for an all-the-way win.
Ideal For Real galloped late and never raced like the New South Wales Derby winner punters know.
by Cody Winnell
>> RE-LIVE THE ACTION
My Kiwi Mate holds on … just!
Burnaholeinmypocket upstages Menin Gate
Lexus On The Beach grabs the win