Caption: Black Comanche powers to the line for a two-and-a-half-length win in the second heat of the $37,500 Tiggerlong Tonk Group 3 Rising Stars (520m) at Albion Park last night (Thursday night). Photo: Box 1 Photography.
By PAT McLEOD
Black Comanche, the Greg Stella flyer who set tongues wagging with sizzling early career stats, is back in the spotlight with an impressive heat performance on Thursday night at Albion Park, winning through to the final of the $37,500 Tiggerlong Tonk Group 3 Rising Stars (520m).
After relegating series hot shot Hara’s Pandora into second place in their heat, Black Comanche’s final aspirations were boosted when he drew his coveted 8 box for next Thursday night’s final.
In a sensational night of racing at The Creek, there were plenty of highlights across the four Rising Stars heats, which showcased some of the best young talent from across the nation.
Other than Black Comanche’s run, the intriguing plot themes from heats night included – emerging young training team Jemma Daley and Tarquin Neal have litter sisters Hara’s Skye and Hara’s Pandora in the final; Tony Zammit’s highly regraded De Ferran missed the kick and then found plenty of interference to finish fourth to Hara’s Skye and miss the final; Zipping Orlando (John Finn), who has sensational Wentworth Park form, also missed the final, finishing fourth behind John Dart’s Boys Light Up; while outside chances Perfect Tyrant (Ray Burman) $41 last night, Disaster Piece ( George Broadrick) $18, and Tomahawk Hayze (Sandra Hunt) $18 all now have a crack at a Group 3 title.
Daley was rapt with Hara’s Skye’s outing (29.79), the quickest heat of the night and the first time the youngster has raced in over five weeks because of an injury concern.
“I am very happy with that,” said Daley. “Tomahawk Hayze (second) has a brilliant motor, so for her to gather up underneath him, she showed a bit of tenacity and she will take a heap from that run. She has had a slight problem with a sesamoid, which we had X-rayed just to be 100 per cent sure that there was nothing serious. She hasn’t done much galloping except for a couple of runs up the straight. She came here (Albion Park) and had a post-to-post last Thursday and went 23.93. Tonight Tomahawk Hayze wanted to cut her off at the start, but she showed a bit of guts and kicked up on the rails. These girls (Hara’s Skye and Hara’s Pandora) have got a fair bit of heart about them. We are very excited about the final.”
Here’s what the other heat-winning trainers had to say:
Greg Stella (Black Comanche) – winning heat time 29.89: He was unimpeded out in the pink and so yes, that was a lovely run. Surprisingly he got around the red (Hara’s Pandora) in the back straight. He is a fast dog, but he struggles to show that against the good ones. Because of his racing pattern (running wide at the first bend), I go through to the final just with hope rather than confidence with him. From a trainer’s point of view you get the dog to the best you can and hope for luck in the final, which he always needs.”
John Dart (Boys Light Up) – 29.88: He is a good pup and is going well. That is now three from three (track and distance). I will just keep running him through the grades. He just keeps stepping up and I am very happy with the way he is going. Over the last six months we have seen some really handy young dogs coming through. So as far as the final goes … you go in with hope rather than confidence. The Hara dogs and Greg’s (Greg Stella’s Black Comanche) will be hard to beat. It’s a great field.”
Tony Short (Hidden Agenda) – 30.03: “I was very happy with that run. He is a very good young dog, very strong. I like how he shows plenty of strength in the latter stages. If you have a look at his last three races, it is the same every time. He just comes home very well. He certainly likes this track and this distance (six wins, a second and a third from nine outings). There are a lot of good dogs in this final. He is only two and a quarter, so still a young dog. He’s on the way up and is improving his times each week. He is a perfect little dog. As far as the future or his potential goes, we’ll see how he goes in the final and we will go from there.”
Box Draw for next Thursday night’s final of the Group 3 Rising Stars (520m): 1. Hidden Agenda (Tony Short); 2. Tomahawk Hayze (Sandra Hunt); 3. Disaster Piece (George Broadrick); 4. Perfect Tyrant (Ray Burman); 5. Hara’s Skye (Jemma Daley); 6. Boys Light Up (John Dart); 7. Hara’s Pandora (Tarquin Neal); 8. Black Comanche (Greg Stella). Res: 9. Cash Destroyer (Robert Cook); 10. Adulate (Tony Zammit).
