Harness racing can be a hard game at the best of times and after the $125,000 Golden Slipper at Gloucester Park last night, Gary Elson would be the first to agree.
Gary had two of the better supported runners in Ideal Tyson (American Ideal) who had drawn beautifully at barrier one and Sprinter (Mach Three) who had drawn poorly at barrier six on the front line.
Gary was on record as saying that Ideal Tyson was by far the better of his two and he felt he would be very hard to beat from barrier one.
But as soon as the gate went, Ideal Tyson was in trouble.
Dodolicious with Ryan Warwick in the bike burned the gate from barrier two and Ideal Tyson galloped when he tried to match her speed early.
Chris Voak immediately settled Ideal Tyson and sent him forward to sit outside Dodolicious and pressure her for the lead.
No sooner had he done so, Ideal Tyson went off stride for a short time going out of the straight with two laps to go which made his task even more difficult.
Settled again, Ideal Tyson again applied pressure on Dodolicious but Ryan Warwick was having none of it and held the lead.
All the while Sprinter with Nathan Turvey in the bike was doing nothing out the back and moved into the three wide line with 800 metres to go.
Dodolicious shook off Ideal Tyson at the 500 metres mark and turning for home looked to have the race in safe keeping.
However Sprinter had peeled four wide at the 400 metres and just breezed on by in the straight for a super impressive victory.
Dodolicious hung on gamely for second in front of Sheer Rocknroll who after trailing the leader the whole way battled into third.
Sprinter paced the 2130 metres in 2:34.3 a 1:56.5 mile rate.
A $34,000 purchase by Gary Elson at last years Australasian Classic Yearling sale at Auckland, Sprinter was bred by the Parkers at Drury who are renowned as the breeders of Auckland Reactor.
Sprinter is by Mach Three out of the Bettor's Delight mare Forgotten Dreams who is out of Dreaming Spies by Dream Away.
Last nights win was Sprinters sixth from just nine starts and with three placings as well took his earnings over the $120,000 mark.
Harnesslink Media