While I enjoyed a night out at Temora on Saturday night for its Carnival Of Cup meeting a bigger story was breaking at Newcastle when the stewards lodged a protest on behalf of the second placegetter Jaccka Sudi in race six against the winner Love Like Rockets alleging that the driver on the winner had gained an unfair advantage over the concluding stages by using a whip in a free hand which is in contravention of the current whip rules.
The stewards commented that in the straight Jaccka Sudi was making ground on Love Like Rockets and then inside the 100 metres Adam Ruggari (Love Like Rockets) had used the whip on at least 10 occasions with a free hand to drive his mare out to the finish. As a result the stewards believed had Ruggari not used the whip in that manner Love Like Rockets would have finished second behind Jaccka Sudi and therefore upheld the protest.
It was only a matter of time before a driver tested out the full extent of the new whip rules and while this incident has polarised the industry, I believe the stewards made the right decision. Whether or not you agree with the new whip rules, Ruggari gained an advantage over the second driver Mathew Jackson because of his use of the whip.
It sounds an ominous warning to any drivers especially in New South Wales, considering using the whip in the fashion that was permissible before January 1 in the future. It won't be tolerated and while the majority of the industry would agree with the stewards that Love Like Rockets won because of the way he was hit with the whip, I am waiting for another case of a driver using the whip in an illegal manner to get to the front in the early stages of a race as happened at Young early in the New Year.
The sport of harness racing is dominated by leaders and if the stewards are prepared to uphold a protest because of the whip use in the concluding stages of a race they need to be ready to do exactly the same thing if a driver draws the stick in an illegal manner in the race to the first turn when attempting to cross a horse inside him that wants to hold the lead and is being driven in the correct manner. I wait with interest to see what the stewards will do.
Getting back to Temora it was great to see another big crowd turn up for a Carnival Of Cup meeting and while it was disappointing that I couldn't do my job properly because of a problem with the public address system it was still a great night to be there. The club had seven races on the card and the feature event was worth $10,000 while five of the remaining six races were worth $6000. The first was a restricted event worth $3000 but carried a great "trophy". The winning connections won a service to Aces N Sevens and after siring the three placegetters in the Leeton Breeders Plate, it was a trophy worth winning.
The Temora Cup was taken out by the Sydney trained Rockets Reject. The five year old is back under the care of Ian Wilson, was driven by Jimmy Douglass and showed his class with a strong performance to hold off two late challenges. Rockets Reject landed in the one-one trail before being pushed back to 1-2 when an early move was made. The horse pulled hard during different stages of the race and when the three wide train appeared inside the final 1000 metres, Douglass was forced out and with the horse still pulling he opted to let it slide to the lead with sheer speed around the top corner. After racing out with a big lead down the back straight and having posted the third quarter in 28.2, the short priced favourite looked to be in some trouble but with Douglass urging him to the line, Rockets Reject held off Alfeido and Stormy Warrior. Douglass said after the event that he had not used the whip at all during the concluding stages and was sure that he would have found something had his rivals got any closer to him in the straight. The plans aren't too big at the moment for Rockets Reject and at this stage Wilson and Douglass will target some metropolitan races before deciding which way to go later in the year. His acceleration is going to be a major bonus when he gets up in grade and he looks destined for a good future.
The three year old race on Saturday night looked an interesting one on paper and while there were only six runners it was still very exciting. The Bernie Kelly trained Jack Hall led from barrier two and was never headed. He was well supported in the bookies ring and would have cost the six bagmen some of their overall winnings on the night. Mike Wallace couldn't repeat his heroics from Leeton on New Years Day and was beaten at the quarter after being forced to sit outside the leader while Gentlemens Crossing hit the line solidly after sitting in the one-one throughout.
The biggest upset of the night was when Ima Happy Girl was beaten in the final event as a $1.70 favourite. The three year old filly drew the inside of the second row but Jack Painting managed to get her off the inside early before steaming around the field and taking up the lead role. The burn took its toll on her and she was beaten down the back straight when the Greg Cattell trained Arwoc Flier raced to the lead. Ima Happy Girl managed to cling on for third but the early work obviously was what brought her undone.
If you are looking to back a winner out of the meeting at a TAB track soon, don't be surprised to see Stylish Storm back in the winners list. She was beaten in a slow 2:05.7 and while Perfect Jenna was able to sprint past her after getting the run behind the leader, Stylish Storm will win a C0 very soon.
I am looking forward to the Parkes Carnival Of Cup meeting next week and good luck to the Junee club too. Both will host meetings on Australia Day. Catch you next week.

Karloo Mick was simply outstanding last Monday at Ashburton. I had a chat with Greg Bennett at Harold Park on Friday and he is of the opinion that there is improvement in the old gelding and that should be a very scary thought for the New Zealanders. Robbie Holmes decided to miss the Flying Stakes with Kiwi Ingenuity and competed in the last event. While she was never out of second gear in her easy win it is very hard to compare her victory to that of the Dubbo Destroyer.

After the win Barry Lew asked Greg Bennett to make the decision on whether the horse would compete at Kaikoura or the Cup Day trial and Bennett opted for the later. I would have thought the right decision has been made. Kaikoura is a very flat track and with the big field and a handicap it would make it very tough to make up ground in the final lap. The best option would be for a nice hit out during the week that Barry can control and then have him primed and ready to go on the second Tuesday of November.

His win at Ashburton last week also proved something to a few of his doubters. He can sprint with the best! Changeover dashed up the sprint lane inside Karloo Mick and while it looked as though he was going to sprint straight past him, Karloo Mick rallied and went with the reining New Zealand Cup winner. If the directors of the New South Wales Harness Racing Club didn't see that race then they should get a copy of it and watch it. If I was picking a Miracle Mile field currently he would be the fourth or fifth horse into the field.

A couple of the big guns in New South Wales had their colours lowered by Johnny El Gringo on Friday night in the Brian Hancock Cup. I think the majority of people thought that Lombo Pocket Watch would lead comfortably and Cant Bluff Me would have to do plenty of work to win the event but when the grey bullet failed to fire from the gate and Twelve Paces led it changed everything. Lombo Pocket Watch has never been a death horse and was always going to struggle when they went so slow early and with Cant Bluff Me sitting on his back, most punters would have assumed that he was going to be the winner.

Johnny El Gringo galloped early in the race and lost probably ten to fifteen metres but made his way to the pegs and waited for his chance to make a run. Jimmy Douglass waited for as long as he could to make his run on Cant Bluff Me and I can't help but think if Jimmy had pulled out early it may have been a different result.

When Cant Bluff Me made his move it allowed Johnny El Gringo to move off the pegs and when he forced Make Me Smile out wide on the home turn Anthony Bucca's horse had a clear run to the line and proved too fast for Cant Bluff Me and Twelve Paces.

Should that put Johnny El Gringo straight into the Miracle Mile? The simple answer is no. The Brian Hancock Cup was run at a farcical early speed and was basically a sprint home. I don't want to take anything away from Johnny El Gringo and he is certainly in the Miracle Mile mix but he will need to do it all again to grab an invite. Due to Johnny El Gringo's leg problems I would be very surprised if Bucca was keen to go from the Cordina Sprint into the Miracle Mile nine days later, so the best option for the horse may be a shot at the Newcastle Mile. If he could perform again at the same level then he would prove to many that he deserves a spot.

What about the beaten brigade? Cant Bluff Me's connections are considering a possible trip to Melbourne next week for the Legends Mile. He definitely will need to win a big race between now and the Miracle Mile to gain a start. His second behind Blacks A Fake in the Queensland Pacing Championship was very good but Friday night's defeat did damage his chances. Lombo Pocket Watch looks to have his mind on other things.

He didn't want to get involved in the early speed battle on Friday night and wasn't in the best of moods after the event either. Paul Fitzpatrick believes a gear change may do the trick but I think Mick Lombardo has a tough decision to make in the next 48 hours. Iron Hudge was having his first run back for a while and was ok without being brilliant but he does seem to improve with racing and has also been nominated for the Legends Mile.

On another topic Ashlee Siejka continued her winning run with another double at Harold Park on Friday night. She drove a winner for Paul Fitzpatrick when Saucy Legend won and also Intoxicated for the Russo stable.

She drove three winners at Bathurst during the week, two winners at Penrith and two at Harold Park. The best formula to back winners at the moment is to having something on all of Ashlee's drives.

Saucy Legend was very impressive and he had plenty left when he defeated Gotashotaway on Friday night. I think he is probably the best of the Fitzpatrick's horses at the moment and he is being aimed towards the Bohemia Crystal Free For All before being turned out for the Inter Dominion. If Paul wants a horse in the Miracle Mile maybe he should consider throwing the horse into the deep end and let him have a shot at the Newcastle Mile? Make Me Smile was not at his best again on Friday but I have no doubt we will see some big improvement when he draws to lead in a race, but in his current form he is a long way down the Miracle Mile pecking order. Catch you next week.

MICK TO TRIAL AND MISS KAIKOURA
Karloo Mick will not have another start before competing in the New Zealand Cup on November 10th after winning the Ashburton Flying Stakes on Monday. The "Dubbo Destroyer" enjoyed a quiet Tuesday after defeating a strong field that included Cup hopefuls Changeover and Mr Feelgood and trainer Barry Lew will now turn his attention towards fine tuning the nine year old for the biggest race of his career.

"Before we competed at Ashburton I still hadn't made my mind up in what direction we would head towards the cup" Lew said.

"I didn't know whether to go to Kaikoura or start in the Cup Day trial a week before the main event and I basically wanted to leave it up to Greg (Bennett driver). We spoke about it on Monday and Greg seemed to think that he would be best suited in the Cup Day trial. Kaikoura is a big track, it is very flat and there are going to be a lot of horses in the race."

Karloo Mick's Gr.2 victory on Monday was explosive with the gelding coming from behind the leader running 26.4 seconds for his final quarter. While the win didn't surprise Lew the final 400 metres was a shock.

"They went 26 and a bit for the final quarter and Mick has never gone that in his life."

"Greg said if the horse had been right up on his game he wouldn't have let Bondy cross him and he would have held the front. Greg had a lot of trouble getting him down into the sprint lane when they turned for home because it was the first time he had used it and it was the first time that he has really come inside other horses."

The speed Karloo Mick showed in the concluding stages may have surprised a number of people and Lew is still waiting to hear from the New South Wales Harness Racing Club before deciding what to do with the horse after the New Zealand Cup.

Lew has the option to stay and race 72 hours later in the New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington or he can fly directly home and prepare for the Miracle Mile if invited.

"We'd certainly love to come home for a shot at the Miracle Mile straight after the New Zealand Cup, that is our main aim. If we could hear from someone that he was a good chance in making the Miracle Mile field then we would bring him straight home and not worry about the FFA."

"However it's very hard to ignore a $250,000 race, kiss it goodbye and then find out you didn't get a start in the mile, so at the moment I think we are going to have to play it by ear."

Lew couldn't be happier with the way the son of Panorama has pulled up but believes there is still a lot of work to be done in the next fortnight.

"He had Tuesday off. It's pouring rain over here in New Zealand and it is very cold. Mick ate up well and had a drink so it will be time to get into him and make him work on Wednesday."

DOWN UNDER TO SNEAK OVER TO SYDNEY
Boom Western Australian pacer Sneakyn Down Under is set to target next month's Miracle Mile at Menangle according to trainer Darren Duffy. While Duffy isn't keen to make too many plans before this Friday night's Mount Eden Sprint at Gloucester Park, he intends to head east if the horse continues to perform well.

"We have to get through Friday night and the Mount Eden Sprint first" Duffy said.

"We'll see how he pulls up from there and then we will see if he gets an invite. We are pretty keen to head across to Sydney but I would need to tie up a number of loose ends before I head over."

Duffy is negotiating with a current employee and is hoping that he will stay with him until after he returns from Sydney.

"The best bloke I have working for me is leaving and I'm trying to string him out another month but I am not sure whether he is going to hang around or not and it would make it a lot easier on me if he did."

Sneakyn Down Under would have been invited to last year's Miracle Mile but he suffered a hoof problem in the weeks leading up to the event forcing the directors of the New South Wales Harness Racing Club to reconsider issuing the West Australian speedster an invite.

However the extra twelve months racing at home may have been a blessing in disguise with Duffy amazed at the horse's improvement in the past year.

"I think he is better than he was 12 months ago. He definitely has matured a lot."
"He can settle in his races now where before he wouldn't. He seems to settle back in the field now and even outside the leader he is pretty calm but he can fire up when he gets to the front. We had deafeners in him but they didn't seem to make much difference so we took them off again."

Duffy is hoping regular driver and multiple premiership winner Chris Lewis will make the trip to Sydney should Sneakyn Down Under start in the Miracle Mile.

"Chris Lewis has sort of indicated to me that if we head across that he would come too. Last year if we had made the field he had said he wasn't going to come but there is still a bit of water to go under the bridge between now and then so we will have a better chat about it later."

Sneakyn Down Under broke the Gloucester Park 1730 metre track record two starts ago rating 1:54.6 and has in fact won his last three. The son of Badlands Hanover has drawn barrier six on Friday night in the $50,000 Western Australian feature.