Successful Afternoon of Racing for Taranaki
The Taranaki GRC enjoyed a successful Monday afternoon of racing action when they hosted their annual TAB meeting with 15 races being contested at the Hatrick Raceway. Their flagship race, the $6,500 Croucher & Crowder Taranaki Cup was stylishly won by the Lisa Cole prepared Melita Vella.
Pictured: Handler Claire Harding with Monday’s Taranaki Cup winner Melita Vella
It was also a successful afternoon of racing for the long time Taranaki based trainer and club vice president Peter Clark who prepared the longshot meeting winners Big Time Harper ($33) and Bigtime Leo ($17).
The feature $6,500 Taranaki Cup field was dominated by Lisa Cole trained runners who provided the entire field. There was a sensation at the start when one of the favoured contenders Big Time Ocean stumbled when leaving the one trap. She quickly recovered to lead the field around the first turn.
Chasing her around that turn was Big Time Jackson, while Melita Vella had positioned herself handy to the pace after she hopped away from trap eight. It was Ocean and Jackson who vied for the pace down the back straight with Melita Vella stalking them, while also improving his field position was Bigtime Archie.
Swinging in for the run home Melita Vella slipped underneath Big Time Ocean and she booted clear to land the feature 520m event in 30.50s, holding a 1.25 length buffer over the strong finishing Bigtime Archie. Big Time Ocean gamely held for her third placing another 2.5 lengths astern, holding a head margin over the fourth placed Big Time Jackson.
Melita Vella has displayed pace since she crossed the Tasman and entered into the Cole kennels last November as a C1 graded chaser. She quickly attained her open class racing stripes and she is poised to quickly increase on the nine wins that Cole has so far prepared her for.
The Taranaki Cup runner up Bigtime Archie (left) and third placed Big Time Ocean; Bigtime Leo, seen here after an earlier race placing, was a winner during Monday’s Taranaki meeting for the long time Taranaki trainer Peter Clark
The Taranaki club now look forward to hosting their annual and very popular two-day Easter picnic meeting at their very well prepared home Hawera grass track.
By Peter Fenemor