MEETING ROUNDUP JULY 16 AT TAMWORTH COMPILED BY JULIE MAUGHAN
Running 3110 metres is not for the faint hearted but Tamworth pacer Leighmont is ready for the challenge in the End of Season Marathon Final to be conducted at Tamworth on July 30.
Two heats were conducted at Tamworth last Thursday over the 2730 metre distance.
Leighmont, owned and trained at Tamworth by Ken Natty won the Psarakis Accounting Marathon Heat 2 last week at Tamworth, the same as he did last year before going on to finish third in the final.
The Village Jasper-Blue Moon Navajo gelding has proven he can achieve the distance.
"He ran a good race last year" said Natty "It will all depend on how the race is run but I have put a fair bit of work into the horse for the race"
With Peter Hedges taking the reins behind Leighmont for the win last week at Tamworth it was Sissies Beach Girl (David Munsie) who led the field and Merry Jasper raced out in the breeze.
Leighmont was placed four back on the outside running line but with a slow quarter of 36.3 reinsman Hedges raced around the field to sit out in the breeze.
"I was glad when Peter went and sat outside the leader and didn’t have to work hard" said Natty. "You can’t do anything about the time but it was good of Peter to read the run and that’s what has won him the race"
With the bell sounding Leighmont quickened the tempo out in front to go on and have a 1.6 metre win over Merry Jasper (Cameron Davies) and So Bad (Kerry Wellington) 1.6 metres away third.
For reinsman Peter Hedges, who drove Leighmont in the series last year, he is happy with the horse.
"He is a versatile horse and with a good draw and a little bit of speed he will be right into it. Today I just had to sit there and wait for them to run" added Hedges with the MR being 2.15.7.
Meanwhile The Muse trained by Craig Clegg at Moonbi is also in with a show in the Final after taking out the Psarakis Accounting Marathon Heat 1 with Daniel Morgan in the spider.
"She (The Muse) got a good run and really run the trip out today" said Morgan who will retain the drive in the Final. "I have had two drives on her for a first and third".
"We had a really good run behind the leader (Jacks A Smarty) and sprinted down the back and finished the race off nice" added Morgan with The Muse having a 1.1 metre win over Signory Shannon (Chris Shepherdson) and Aces First (Sarah Rushbrook) another 13.8 metres away third.
The Muse (Modern Art-Decora) 5yo was having back to back wins with the Anthony Clinch owned mare set for the Final after taking out the 2730 metre heat in 2.05.5 with the previous win at Tamworth being run over 2360 metre distance.
"I get the drive in the final so I’m pretty pleased about that. Hopefully she draws good" said Daniel Morgan who has just returned from the NSW Rising Star series.
Daniel Morgan will see himself in his first Marathon race.
Tom Ison is lamenting on his first twelve months in harness racing and can’t wipe the smile off his face with last week’s Tamworth meeting his best yet.
Celebrating his seventeenth birthday earlier in the week, Ison then took to the Tamworth harness meeting where he drove his first winning double at the meeting, but then topped that with his first winning treble.
"I thought a double would be nice but three has made my day" said Ison."It’s unbelievable it’s a good feeling, double was good, treble is exceptional that’s something"
Ison recorded the driving double at the meeting for trainer Graham Moon with Tepary and Hannah’s Freedom and achieved the treble after driving the Dwayne Brown trained Bluecolla Moon to a win.
One could throw in the pun that Ison was over the Moon!
Tepary (Ohoka Arizona-U R Whatu Eat) was the first to greet the judge with an all the way win in the TAB Rewards Pace after commencing from the four barrier, paying $9.30 for the win.
"Graham (Moon) said she had great gate speed" said Ison after the win.
Tepary had a 3metre win over Mister Armageddon (Lola Weidemann) and Cody Shannon (Courtney Sutherland) another metre away third.
It was the win of Hannahs Freedom (Lombo Mandingo-Bell Of Freedom) in the Prydes & Hazells Best Presented Horse Pace that Ison notched his first career driving double and made it back to back wins for Hannah’s Freedom.
"As soon as I saw the fields and she (Hannah’s Freedom) drew one I knew she had it" said a confident Ison who had to do a little work in the race to ensure the win.
"I got crossed coming out of the gate and got a bit worried but didn’t want to get boxed in so got out and then got the lead back and knew we had it from there"
A lap and half from home Ison popped Hannah’s Freedom off the pegs to race out in the breeze but as the bell sounded regained the lead to then come away for a 6.8 metre win over Kates Attitude (Brendan James) and Putting For Eagle (Luke Muirhead) 2 metres away third.
"She came home like a train, she just kept going" added Ison of Hannah’s Freedom who was race favourite.
"This one was more of a race win, whereas the other she just had to chase and pull out and get going but today she has shown ability and she is going to go on with it"
Hannah’s Freedom had her last win at Tamworth back on July 2 with Ison in the spider.
With Graham Moon handling the training of Tepary and Hannah’s Freedom his wife Jenny was happy as she owns both the pacers, and after moving to the Tamworth area from Goulburn the results are starting to show for the couple.
"We are getting enjoyment out of it. We are only hobby trainers and its good to win a race but when you win two it’s even a nicer feeling. The horses have settled in real nice. " added Moon.
It was the following event, the TAB App.Pace that Ison was up for win number three behind the Dwayne Brown trained Bluecolla Moon.
"It was a good run and I was confident" said Ison
Going straight to the lead Ison let Blucolla Moon slip along up the back straight on the final occasion before coming away with 8.1 metre win over Elboron (Tony Missen) and The Artful Dodger (David Munsie) 2.4 metres away third.
"I was leading and held them all. We kicked at the 600" said Ison. "That’s my second win on the mare"
For Tom Ison who has just returned from the NSW Rising Star series representing the North West he has already put his claim on the U23 Junior Drivers title at Tamworth with 13 winning drives and is only one point behind Anthony Varga in the senior ranks.
Julie Maughan