Time-honoured three-year-old features the Morley Park Princess of the Wimmera and Alabar Horsham Guineas will be run and won at Horsham Harness Racing Club tomorrow.
Terang trained filly Jilliby Jitterbug looks the likely favourite in the $8075 Morley Park Princess of the Wimmera, a chance to add to her six wins from 15 starts and bank of $208,110.
Marg Lee's Rock N Roll Heaven filly looks extremely well graded and heads to Horsham after three sound performances in last month's Breeders Challenge at Menangle.
Jilliby Jitterbug has plenty of early toe and while her record over the short trip is outstanding, the 2200m at Horsham may well prove to be her Achilles heel with a bunch of talented rivals to contend with.
Horsham owners Robbie Connelly and Shannon Hoffman both have great chances of a hometown victory with the much improved, Rod Carberry-trained filly Bou Chard and beautifully bred New Zealander Champagne Taste from Brad Hunt's stable.
Both fillies contested the Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series and were far from disgraced in that prestigious affair.
Bou Chard scored an impressive victory at Tabcorp Park Melton in the $25,000 Empire Stallions Vicbred Silver Pace while Champagne Taste has since led all the way for a tradesmanlike win at Stawell on July 20.
Burrumbeet horseman Michael Stanley returns to Horsham with the smart filly Alessa, hoping for a repeat result of his victory with Soho Berlin in the 2015 Princess Of The Wimmera.
Alessa performed admirably through the Vicbred Super Series, having proven she could do it tough when sixth in the series final, beaten just 12m by Rocknroll Magic (in a 1:56.9 mile rate) after doing plenty of work. She tuned up for tomorrow’s assignment with an effortless 18m victory at Maryborough last week.
Studmaster Stephen O’Donoghue will present a free service to Morley Park’s colonial bred entire Major Bronski, in addition to an inscribed rug and trophies, for the winning owner, trainer and driver. Major Bronski served 93 mares in his first commercial season at Morley Park and the impressive son of Art Major has really left his stamp through his progeny.
The Alabar Horsham Guineas lineup also contains a host of winning chances headed by trainer Dean Braun's New Zealand import Stuover.
The bay has impressed in all three starts since crossing the Tasman, notching up two victories at Cranbourne before taking on a classy bunch at Melton in the $20,500 VHRSC’s The Graduate. The gelded son of Changeover NZ finished second that night, beaten just a neck by Spiritwriter in a performance that served notice of a bright future.
Driver Greg Sugars is looking for back-to-back victories in the Alabar Horsham Guineas, having saluted last year with the Tim Bolitho-trained gelding Rule Of Thumb, and is certain to make the most of Stuover’s ideal draw in gate two.
However, the in-form combo won’t get things their own way, with Franco Jameson, Willem, Truth And Courage, Livingston Bay and Longtan Cassanova all having the form and ability to take out the race.
Former Kiwi pacer Franco Jameson finished close behind Stuover at Cranbourne on July 19 and was an easy winner just five days later at Swan Hill for trainer Adam Kelly and driver Michael Bellman.
Willem is the least experienced runner in the Guineas with just three starts under the belt, but the Shepparton trained son of Lombo Pocket Watch impressed plenty when scoring at Cobram and then finishing a close fourth behind Ideal Eagle at Charlton.
Alabar Bloodstock is a longtime sponsor of the Horsham Guineas and its representative Brett Coffey will present a free service to Alabar’s outstanding Group 1 winning son of Christian Cullen, Alta Christiano, to the winning connections, together with an inscribed rug and trophies for the victorious owner, trainer and driver.
Michael Howard (HRV Media/Communications Co-Ordinator)