Narrabri Harness Racing Club president Peter Shepherdson predicts that Clifton trainer and reinswoman Lola Weidemann has been coming to the races in Narrabri for 25 years, and on Easter Monday at the Narrabri Showground, she added another feather to her cap when she drove Misty Creek to victory in the Narrabri Cup.
The 2560-metre Download The Tab App Today, Shop 2390 Narrabri Cup was the sixth race on the seven-race program and included a small field of five.
There were two Weidemann-trained pacers in action, the other of which was the 2019 Narrabri Cup champion, Narrabri-owned Kid Montana.
The nine-year-old gelding is owned by Chris, Peter and Garry Shepherdson, Nathan and Charles Dicks and Neil Drysdale. He was driven by Chris in that race, and the champion pacer came agonisingly close to winning the Narrabri Cup again for the second time.
However, he was forced to settle for second in the Weidemann quinella as the sensational Clifton trainer/driver trainer drove Misty Creek past Chris and Kid Montana just after turning for home with about 120 metres left to run. The four-year-old horse charged past the finish post three metres ahead of the locally-owned pacer to earn the $7020 top prize.
The win was even more special for Weidemann as Misty Creek was bred and is owned by her sister Julie.
The victory was Misty Creek’s 17th in 78 starts after she debuted in April 2021.
The Richard March-trained, Dayl March-driven Our Major Day placed third after running home five metres behind Kid Montana, and the Lloyd Sutton-trained, James Sutton-driven favourite Yarraman Bella finished in fourth spot. Finishing in fifth was the Greg Pay-trained, Toby Pay-driven defending champion Bid For Stardom.
The Narrabri Cup victory was Lola Weidemann’s first since 2017, when Stacey Smith drove Fours Enuf Tas to victory on March 5 of that year. Chris Shepherdson also placed that day as he drove the Kenneth Natty-trained Gotta Feeling to second.
Narrabri Harness Racing Club’s president Peter Shepherdson told The Courier that this year’s Narrabri Cup race was the pick of the bunch on Easter Monday, and he commended Weidemann on her win.
“That race was the highlight of the day,” he said.
“It was nice to see the Weidemanns win too. It was a really good drive there from Lola.
“Without them and the others who travelled that don’t normally come out here, we probably wouldn’t have raced.
“Chris was driving Kid Montana and he got to the lead, and he said when a horse had come down the outside of him and then passed him, he was so pleased that it was Lola.
“She got the double as a trainer there, and the Weidemanns were over the moon.
“Kid Montana did well, but he’s just not quite fit. He’s just a little bit off.
“He had to do a bit of work there at the end of the race, and Lola’s horse hadn’t done any work, just slipped out and away she went.”
Shepherdson said that he and the club’s committee were pleased with the meeting.
“It was an absolutely perfect day, and I don’t think it could’ve got much better,” he said.
“We have a great committee, and there was really good racing.
“There was a really good crowd over there.
“It was probably equal to last year, which I was extremely pleased with.
“We’d run out of the bulk of the food by race five.
“We had great weather on the day, and the rain over the past month or so had really helped the track. It has made it a lot easier to prepare the track, and actually, the showground is an absolute picture. The grass is so green over there at the moment. The caretakers we have over there are magnificent.”
This year’s John Dean Memorial and Santos Cup finals also featured on Narrabri Harness Racing Club’s seven-race 2023 program, and club president Shepherdson labelled them both as quality races.
Weidemann claimed her first win of the day in the 1760-metre Luke McGrath Farrier Service, Richards Steel Supplies John Dean Memorial Final when she drove Astrophilia to victory.
The three-year-old filly started on the inside of the second row behind pole position wearing the number seven saddlecloth.
Two pacers missed the start in that race, one of which was later declared a non-runner, and Astrophilia found herself at the back of the pack of eight that started with good speed.
She was still running eighth with 1200 metres to go, and it was the local pacer and the race’s favourite Moon Rainbow that was in front at that stage.
Moon Rainbow was still on top with one circuit left to run as the Jarred Hetherington-trained mare went in search of a second straight win after she was driven to victory in the John Dean Memorial prelude eight days earlier by Brad Elder. Jemma Coney drove her in the final and the pair looked dominant until they were overtaken by the Scotty-Jon Welsh-trained-and-driven Imsogood with 500 metres left to run.
Imsogood had gone well clear of Moon Rainbow and all other runners as Welsh drove him into the final turn, but Weidemann and her filly began to give chase.
And while Imsogood turned for home on the inside and out in front, Astrophilia found another gear down the final straight and charged home down the outside to a five-and-a-half-metre victory to claim the $5940 top prize.
The Anthony Varga-trained-and-driven Sheza Tigress placed third, about 20 metres back from Imsogood, and Moon Rainbow eventually ran home seventh.
The 2160-metre Santos Cup final was then won by Rolamax as Sam Ison drove the 10-year-old gelding to victory for Neil Kliendienst.
In one of the closest finishes of the day, Rolamax edged out the Richard March-trained, Dayl March-driven Artful Maid by two metres.
Rolamax started the race on the second row from the number eight barrier just eight days after Ison had driven him to victory in his heat at the Narrabri Showground to qualify for the final.
He was one of the fastest starters in the final after jumping well.
The Hetherington-trained, Varga-driven Somethingaboutlexy started best though. She led at the winning post with two circuits left to run, and she was still out in front with just one lap remaining.
The Tom Ison-trained-and-driven favourite Our Aunty Ash was just outside Somethingaboutlexy at the bell, and close behind her was Rolamax.
Somethingaboutlexy and Our Aunty Ash had created separation from the rest of the pack with about 350 metres left to run but they were joined by Artful Maid down the outside going into the final turn.
Rolamax went out even wider than Artful Maid to get a clear run at the line and the Kliendienst-trained gelding overtook the March-driven mare close to the line and won the race to earn the $8100 top prizemoney.
The first race of the day was an even closer finish as the Richard March-trained, Dayl March-driven Perfect Feeling edged out the Andrew Ison-trained, Tom Ison-driven favourite Yellow Taxi by less than half a head in a sublime photo finish to the 1760-metre Max Orman Toyota, Namoi Western Vet Clinic Pace.
Sam Ison earned his first winner of the day in race two as he drove Peter Lew-trained Willies Dollar to victory in the 1760-metre Daisy’s Water Carrier, WTC Earth Moving Pace.
The third race of the day was won by Tom Ison-trained-and-driven pacer Country Major, which prevailed for a second time in Narrabri in as many meetings as he ran home first in the 1760-metre Namoi Hotel and Bottle Shop, Carla Baxter Real Estate, Bell and Johnson Solicitors Pace by 10 metres.
Father and son duo Richard and Dayl March then combined for their second win of the day in race four when Bonnies Cam won the 2160-metre BP Service Station, Gordon Roadways, Kelly Car Sales Pace by three-and-a-half metres.
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