Tonk bounced back from a confidence destroying fall in early November to win NSW’s biggest race, the Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg, at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Owned in Victoria by Charlie Mercieca and his wife and parents, Tonk took advantage of a first turn collision between pacemakers Buckle Up Wes and Magic Display to zoom away with the $250,000 winner’s cheque.
After the race Victorian trainer Jamie Ennis, whose father Gary was also a leading trainer, revealed that Tonk had lost form after a heavy tumble at The Meadows in November.
"It took a while for Tonk to regain his confidence in a field," Jamie said.
Owner Charlie Mercieca is also a trainer but said: "I’m on a suburban block and while I have trained dogs for 15 years I can only manage two or three at a time.
"I trained Tonk originally after securing him on advice from Jamie Ennis that the Bartrim Bale progeny were going to be good.
"I wanted to call the dog Tonic, and that was the name I applied for, but when I got the papers back it was Tonk.
"I didn’t worry about it and now the name has grown on me, I think it is really catchy."
Tom Dailly, who trained last year’s winner Grigorieva Bale, had three Golden Easter Egg finalists and landed the runner-up cheque with Hawk Alone.
"I’ll be back again next year, at least I got something out of the wreck tonight," Tom quipped.
Not a bad wreck considering Hawk Alone earned $62,500 for finishing second and Tom’s Musquin Bale collected another $4,350 for winning the race nine fifth grade.
Tonk’s Easter Egg time of 29.62 was 0.02 outside the race record established in 2012 by Don’t Knocka Him, but race records tumbled in Saturday’s other main races.
Not surprisingly Hooksy chopped an astonishing 0.40 – equivalent to six lengths – off Charmed Assassin’s race record when he led throughout in the Macro Meats New Sensation.
Hooksy’s time of 29.36 was 0.26 faster than Tonk’s Golden Easter Egg figures and makes the Jimmy Auld-trained star the dog to beat in the Queensland Derby at Albion Park, which gets under way with heats on April 24.
Glenn Rounds’ Anything Less broke Tifia’s 2012 race record when he won the Sportingbet Magic Maiden final in 29.62, which was 0.24 quicker than the previous best.
All Strung Out, a litter brother and kennelmate to Anything Less, was second reserve for the Magic Maiden after staging a sensational performance to finish third in his semi-final after leaving the starting boxes 15 lengths behind the field.
Many experts considered Anything Less would be hard pressed getting across from box eight on Saturday but his trainer said that had never been a concern.
"I knew he would run straight to the first corner," Glenn said later.
"I’ll return to Melbourne and over the next week think about what I will do next with Anything Less and All Strung Out.
"They are only 20 months old so obviously have a big future.
"Now that they have been around Wentworth Park a few times I’ll probably bring them back to Sydney for the group one Peter Mosman Classic heats on June 7."
Has there ever been a more impressive group one long distance win than the last-to-first performance of Darren McDonald’s new $95,000 acquisition Sweet It Is in the AAA Radiator Specialists Association Cup final?
Sweet It Is was tailed off with just over a lap to go and still had only one rival behind her going through the catching pen.
Yet she gave tearaway leader Xylia Allen "wind burn" in the run home to set a new race record of 41.78 in the 720m Cup final, bettering the old mark by 0.16 set by Miata in 2012 and equalled last year by Fancy Liza.
Zipping Willow and Ritza Hattie are set to shine in this week’s heats of the Group 2 Evans & Son Jewellers Ladies Bracelet following their impressive wins at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
Zipping Willow overcame a slow start from box eight to win a Free For All in 29.72.
"She can begin a lot better than that but needs to draw inside and if she can find a rails box is capable of running 29.50," trainer Jason Mackay said after Saturday’s win.
Ritza Hattie’s trainer Mark Gatt has earmarked next month’s Group 1 Macro Meats Sapphire Crown at Melbourne’s Sandown for his bitch but is also considering starting her in Saturday’s Ladies Bracelet heats at Wentworth Park.
Ritza Hattie finally "nailed" the start at Wentworth Park to lead throughout in a scorching 29.47 in Saturday night’s The Ambrosoli, holding off a powerful finish from WA star Dyna Nalin to score by just over two lengths.
See you next week!
