‘The Eagle’ soared again at Cobram Harness Racing Club’s meet last week — this time in the RACV Summer Cup.
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Higherthananeagle continued his love affair with the Cobram track, chalking up five wins from five starts, for David Aiken’s stable and the Stokie Racing Group.
Superbly reined by Kima Frenning, the four-year-old gelding overpowered the Keith Cotchin-trained Gone Too Far as the five-year-old mare, reined by Ryan Duffy, fought hard to score a pillar-to-post win.
It was truly a case of ‘gone too far’ for the mare as Frenning and her star ‘Eagle’ swallowed her up and bolted home in a sizzling final quarter of 27.6 to salute by more than 6m.
Higherthananeagle’s brilliant performance sends him to the top of the Horse of the Year premiership ladder and also places the young Avenel reinswoman in a perfect position for Driver of the Year, leading her nearest rivals by several points.
It was a great day on the track for the district reinsmen with Shepparton’s Duffy leading the way, taking home a driving double, but was denied a treble when pipped into second place by the narrowest of margins driving Keith Cotchin’s Regal Assassin NZ.
The writing was on the wall early that the Cotchin/Duffy team was in for an exciting day on the track when Gone Too Far finished second place behind Higherthananeagle.
The team’s Exciter certainly put life into the Joe Kennedy Memorial three-year-old pace when he stole the spoils in the last stride from Vena May, reined by David Moran for Laura Crossland’s stable, breaking the hearts of the filly’s supporters, forced to settle for yet another second.
Lining up in the next on the program, the team had the tables turned when David Jack’s trotting sensation Princess Mila stormed home three wide on the home bend in the John Brooks Memorial Trotters Handicap, running down the Cotchin/Duffy team to salute in a thrilling three-way finish ahead of Royal Assassin NZ and Majestic Time, reined by Cameron Maggs.
Duffy chalked up a well-deserved driving double in the Eeles Saddlery and Canvas Pace with Noel Tyndall’s Crocodile Kid, dashing the hopes of the Riverina team, Chris Hughes and Blake Jones, having hopped the border with crowd favourite Carramar Arapaho.
The Nathalia-trained five-year-old chalked up the fastest mile rate for the afternoon of 1:54.3, just 1.2 seconds outside the track record for the 1670m.
The club expresses its sincere appreciation to Graeme Eeles for his generous sponsorship and trophy for the race.
The warm conditions saw the aptly named four-year-old mare Thermo, trained at Kyabram by Mark Watson, greet the judge by almost 10m ahead of favourite Saving Major Percy in the Strathmerton Lion Pace.
With only two favourites scoring for the day, long shot four-year-old mare Dayseedee took centre stage in a boilover, saluting at odds of $54.50 in the De Maria Mitsubishi Pace for delighted Congupna horseman Danny Ferris.
Dayseedee led all the way for an arrogant win after resuming from a lengthy spell with Ferris claiming the four-year-old mare was the quickest horse he has trained.
The Stuart Govers-trained Bensonfire, which has been in the wilderness for almost a year, lined up in the next on the program, Bakers Delight Pace taking a leaf out of Dayseedee’s book when saluting ahead of the favourite, Albury-trained Lettuceventilate in an impressive mile rate of 1:56.5.
Laura Crossland’s Kellys Ideal held up the side for the favourites with a classy win in the Michael Toohey Memorial Pace; the four-year-old gelding keeping his own slate clean since joining the Kialla stable.
The club thanked the Brooks, Kennedy and Toohey families for their generosity in providing trophies for the races honouring loved ones on a day when the club remembered the amazing contribution made by John Brooks, Joe Kennedy and Michael Toohey — instrumental in the club’s achievement and present day success.
The club now looks to its February 18 race meeting when past presidents of the club, as well as two foundation members, Bill Farrell and Jim Cox, will be remembered with races being named in their honour.