Latest news with #Betterthancash
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
2025 Rising Sun: Bay Of Biscay scratched by trainer Emma Stewart
Trainer Emma Stewart last night scratched the Chariots Of Fire winner from Saturday night's $300,000 Group 1 Rising Sun when all hope of a flight from Melbourne to Brisbane was lost. Bay Of Biscay and stablemates War Dan Buddy and Harold Smith had been on a waiting list for a flight on Friday after earlier hopes of flying last Tuesday had been thwarted. 'Emma's notified us there is no flight and scratched her three horses engaged on Saturday night,' Racing Queensland's Senior Racing Manager of Harness said. Earlier, Stewart had been adamant she would not travel her horses by road from Melbourne. Bay Of Biscay, a winner of 11 of his 22 starts and over $830,000, had been a long-time Rising Sun favourite. He led throughout for his biggest win in the Chariots Of Fire at Menangle on March 1 and then returned from a spell to narrowly but impressively win at Melton last Saturday night. Connections will now switch their focus entirely to the world's richest harness race, the $2.1m TAB Eureka, at Menangle on September 6. Bay Of Biscay ran second to Don Hugo in the race last year and is $3 prepost favourite to go one better this year. With Bay Of Biscay and War Dan Buddy scratched, emerging Kiwi pacer Betterthancash and the in-form Jacks Ultimate Fury get into the field as the two emergencies. 'You feel for the connections of those horses and the club for losing a headline horse like Bay Of Biscay, but we're thrilled to get a start and think he'll be very competitive,' Betterthancash's co-trainer Stacey White said. It makes for a huge night for White and husband David, who have top young trotter Bet N Win as a $1.50 favourite to beat Victorian star Arcee Phoenix in a heat of the Inter Dominion trotting series. It’s been a lean few years for New Zealand trotters in the Inter Dominion trotting series but Bet N Win and Oscar Bonavena are poised to change that in 2025. Story: @AdamHSport ðŸ'‡ — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) June 22, 2025 Stewart still hopes to be a major player in Brisbane with a batch of her young stars booked on the next flight on Tuesday. They include star two-year-old trio, Loucasso, Cardigan Dan and Dynamitedan, who are all major contenders in Australia's richest juvenile race, Saturday week's $500,000 Protostar at Albion Park.
Otago Daily Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Five gems to sparkle on Diamonds Day
Months of buildup will culminate at tomorrow's Diamonds Day meeting which has served as southern harness racing's day of championships for decades. Journalist Jonny Turner has followed the form of each Diamonds Day contender through the season ang gives his take on who will be best placed when the big day arrives. Betterthancash Race 10 The saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" seems to apply perfectly to Betterthancash. The pacer has been brilliant in all his recent outings in the southern country cups, especially with his last-start win at Winton. Previously, Betterthancash had taken full advantage of starting from the front line, but he came off a handicap and did significant mid-race work in his big Winton Cup win. Though he again faces a handicap in the Southern Country Cups Final, 10m looks very workable for Betterthancash, who beat almost all of his key rivals in that last-start victory. All signs point to another strong effort from the four-year-old, and there seem to be even fewer reasons for punters to lose faith in him. Seaside Rose Race 8 She has been absolutely in the zone in her last two starts in Southland, and the timing of Diamonds Day 2025 could not be better for her. Seaside Rose jogged to victory in the Southern Belle Speed Series Final at Winton last weekend, not appearing as though she ran a sharp time as she cruised clear of her rivals. The mare drops in grade tomorrow, and though she starts from a tough draw in barrier 8, she looks well capable of delivering a crushing victory. Secret Agent Man poses the clearest threat to the mare. He was just OK in his last start at Wyndham but expect trainer Nathan Williamson to have the pacer finely tuned for a bigger Diamonds Day performance. Jumal Race 6 How do they beat the red-hot favourite in Diamonds Day's group 1 feature? Given he has comprehensively dealt to many of his rivals leading into tomorrow's clash, it is a question with few strong answers. Jumal has looked explosive in his short career, and though group 1 races are never easy to win, the race tomorrow appears to have come along at the perfect time for this youngster. He is trained by a master in Steven Reid, who is rarely without a classy horse in his barn. An in-form Samantha Ottley takes the reins from barrier 6, which seems the only slight negative. However, in a field of just seven — with the scratching of D Mac, who has been sold to Perth interests — that draw does not look like a massive hurdle to overcome. Julie Jaccka Race 4 Winning her last two starts would ordinarily put Julie Jaccka in an awkward spot on Diamonds Day. But rather than copping the usual 14 rating points for those victories, the mare has only gone up three thanks to the junior concession of driver Dan Anderson. That puts Julie Jaccka on a very workable 10m handicap, where she looks ideally placed against horses she has mostly beaten in recent weeks. Usually beginning smartly and possessing a nice turn of foot, she must again rate a big winning threat if she can stay handy to the speed. Practical Magic — the often tipped and regularly beaten mare who has been written about extensively in this column — is the clear danger to the favourite. She again gets the advantage of the front line and could take some catching, especially if she can put a buffer between herself and Julie Jaccka. Brewster Baker Race 5 It is concerning enough that Brewster Baker does not bring proven manners to tomorrow's juvenile trotting feature. However, most of his rivals are in the same position, being baby squaregaiters. Brewster Baker produced a brilliant win in his last start, staging a big recovery from an early gallop at Addington. While he is clearly risky, so too is his main rival and favourite, Who's Ya Daddy, who broke and then recovered to run third in the same race. While early-season trotting features for 2yr-olds are not for the faint-hearted, those who choose to play into the race can follow Brewster Baker, knowing he has shown — on exposed form — that he is the most talented horse in the field so far. It is surprising he has not been installed as the early favourite for the Entain Southern Classic, so he may offer more value tomorrow than he possibly will going forward.
