FIRST INTER DOMINION HEAT at YORK RACEWAY – Saturday June 27
Ten of Britain and Ireland’s top pacers front up at York on Saturday for a history making mile and a half heat of the Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championships .
After two heats at York and at Dublin’s Portmarnock track (both half mile circuits), the leading point scorer will be invited to Perth Australia and contest the Inter Dominion series to be raced over four nights from November 27 to December 13.
The ten pacers to contest the UK/Ireland series are:
ASTOUNDING – A Scottish winner of 24 races who is a speedy customer but would need to draw well to have an impact.
BRYWINSMAGICPOTION – The winner of 17 races and to be driven by Alan Haythornthwaite who represented UK in Australia’s World Driving Championships in 1999, this fellow finished last season in great fashion and will be improved by four luckless runs this term. The English representative, he is one of the top chances.
MEADOWBRANCH JOSH – Welsh owned and trained and a flyer from the gate, he’s the winner of 23 races and has been an early season standout. The current form horse, he’ll be hard to run down in the sprint heat but unless he settles, may be a query over the longer trips.
SAUNDERS MACH 3 – Another from Wales, he won eight of nine last season, will be improved by his first up Wolverhampton run a fortnight ago and looms as a major contender.
WELLFIELD OFFICIAL – A third Welsh representative, he’s a lightly raced and will be improved by three luckless runs this term.
MEADOWBRANCH DEMON – From Ireland as are the subsequent runners, he’s a nine year old who’s prepped for this with three runs from impossible back marks. Keep this fellow safe!
MEADOWBRANCH DJ – Owned by Meadowbranch Stud and to be handled by top driver John Richardson, this fellow is a multiple FFA winner who’s been set for the series and will be improved by recent racing.
MEADOWBRANCH ROMEO – A stablemate of Meadowbranch DJ, he won last season’s Famous Musselburgh Pace from a back mark. Another who’s been racing from long handicaps, he will be cherry ripe for his return to the front.
RHYDS DESTINY – Now with British trainer Sally Teeboon, this winner of over 25 races including last season’s All-Ireland Classic prepared for this with a disappointing recent effort at Wolverhampton. Expect big improvement.
SEPIA SANDS – At five and the youngest horse in the series, he’s a multiple classic winner who beat Meadowbranch DJ, Demon and Romeo in fast time at Portmarnock when resuming. He has to meet them at level marks this time but is well capable of beating all of them.
Subsequent heats of the series are at Portmarnock over a mile on Sunday July 26, York on Saturday August 1 (mile and a quarter), with the big finale over a mile and a half at the huge Vincent Delaney weekend on Sunday August 9.
From Bill Hutchison.
