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.