Keybow set the time standard for Saturday night’s Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg heats but the Hunter Valley-owned speedster’s 29.45 win was the high point in a night of extremely mixed fortunes for Victorian trainer Darren McDonald at Wentworth Park.
Darren also won a heat with Dark Warrior in 30.29 and secured a third semi-finalist when Where’s The Surf chased home Frank Sidrak’s flying Iona Tokyo in 29.78.
But Darren’s otherwise joyous experience was tarnished by a serious injury to his exciting prospect There’s A Earn.
After being unplaced in Ollie Bale’s heat, There’s A Earn injured his tendons in an incident in the catching pen and his future is now in doubt.
The injury dejected Darren, who had been touting There’s A Earn as his next superstar.
Victorians again dominated the Egg heats with George Dailly producing 11 starters and winning a double with Ollie Bale and Easton Bale but being desperately unlucky not to win the last heat with Empire Allen.
Empire Allen looked all over a winner when he charged up on the outside of the tiring Woods leaving the back straight but that dog virtually fell back into the Victorian’s lap.
After amazingly looking a winning chance again on the home bend Empire Allen collided and missed a place.
George Dailly also qualified for the semi-finals with runners-up Dyna Beth and Musquin Bale and minor placegetter Hawk Alone while a commonsense stewards’ decision also put his Fort Allen into Saturday’s semis.
Fort Allen was chasing local trainer Jim Coyle’s Evil Punk on the back straight when the lure broke down in heat seven.
Previously, in cases where a re-run for a heat was not possible, a ballot would have been conducted to decide the semi-final qualifiers.
But on Saturday the stewards elected to implement a little known rule which allowed them to nominate dogs they believed were sure to finish among the placegetters to dodge the ballot.
That decision should be applauded as it would have been criminal to see Fort Allen, and especially Evil Punk, who had the race won, eliminated from a Group 1 series by bad luck in a draw.
Given all that, how unlucky is Evil Punk’s trainer Jim Coyle, a true battler from working class Riverstone?
His dog has been a luckless finalist in a host of big races and had fallen at his previous Wentworth Park start on March 22.
Jim worked wonders to get the dog right physically and mentally for Saturday’s Easter Egg heats only to see the dog catch the lure and take another heavy tumble when he had the race “shot to pieces".
"I think Evil Punk is trying to emulate his mother Punk Angel, who fell in three successive races at one stage of her career," a brave Jim quipped after Saturday’s no race.
Miata’s WA trainer Paul Stuart, a former Sydneysider, declared his Golden Easter Egg heat winner Dyna Nalin would "go from any box" after the dog clocked 29.69 to win heat one from box one.
"I prefer to see him on the rails but Dyna Nalin won’t crash towards the fence from an outside box, he will run straight," Paul said.
The all-the-way heat win by Sydney’s most consistent "lid pinger" Iona Tokyo in 29.78 in heat two capped a fabulous Saturday for her owner-trainer Frank Sidrak.
Frank’s Paws Of Thunder winner Iona Seven, who broke down after winning that Group 1 classic in January, is on the comeback trail and broke the track record in a trial for trainer Robbie Britton at Geelong on Saturday morning.
"Not only that, but Iona Habit, the dam of Iona Seven and Iona Tokyo, had another litter of pups this morning, and now Iona Tokyo has won her Easter Egg heat tonight. What an eventful 24 hours," Frank remarked.
Incidentally, none of the Golden Easter Egg heat winners went as quick as Victorian trainer Jimmy Auld’s Hooksy did in his 29.44 win a heat in the Group 3 Macro Meats New Sensation at Wentworth Park on Friday night.
Jimmy by-passed the Golden Easter Egg to concentrate on the easier event with the lightly-raced, inexperienced Hooksy, but admitted to me after Friday’s New Sensation heat win that he now "regretted" not having the dog in the Egg. After all, first prizemoney for the two finals differs by $225,000.
See you next week!
