Our Twentyten wins on Great Southern Star night for Brent Lilley and Rodney Petroff.
TRAINER Brent Lilley was on song at Great Southern Star night at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday with a winning treble.
Headlined by a Group 1 triumph to My Arya (Angus Hall/Belle Galleon) in the Probuild Need for Speed Princess Final, Lilley also enjoyed victory with Our Twentyten (Muscles Yankee/Regal Volo) in the Lowe Electrical Trot and Rosemma (Monarchy/Sun Mist) in the Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed for Speed Silver Series Final.
Reinsman Rodney Petroff drove two of Lilley’s victors – Rosemma at odds of $26.10 and Our Twentyten at $1.20 – with Anthony Butt piloting My Arya ($1.30) over the line.
Butt finished with a winning double after scoring aboard in-form Barefoot Sally (Bacardi Lindy/Strapon) for trainer Danny Ferris in the Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed for Speed Bronze Final. Barefoot Sally won by almost 17 metres and should win many more races.
Father and son duo David and Josh Aiken combined to win the A.G. Coombs Need for Speed Prince Final with Eljaykay Phoenix picking up Group 1 win No.4.
The son of Sundon/Maple Eve Phoenix rated 1:59.9 to narrowly hold off a fast-finishing Illawong Armstrong, the winner overcoming a gate-seven draw.
Mick Blackmore’s run with exciting four-year-old mare Claudys Princess (Bacardi Lindy/All Finesse) continued in the Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed for Speed Gold Series Final.
Claudys Princess proved 2.9m too strong for Duchess Ella in a rate of 1:58.7 from barrier six for champion driver Gavin Lang.
Stent (Dream Vacation/Belle Galleon) won dual Group 1s tonight by taking out the Pryde’s Easifeed Great Southern Star second heat and the $300,000 Final for trainer/driver Colin De Filippi.
Another New Zealander in Kevin Townley-trained Sheemon (Monarchy/Solar Fire) won the other heat with Dexter Dunn producing a peach of a drive to defeat Keystone Del by 3.1m in 1:57.2 from the ace draw at odds of $4.90.
Meanwhile, it was a great night for harness racing in Victoria internationally with a winning double to the Mønster family, father Knud and daughter Michelle from Denmark both winning races.
Knud, who contested the recent World Driving Championships in New South Wales, led from start to finish aboard Nicole Molander-trained Irish Whisper (Sundon/Little Contessa) in the Aluminium Industries Invitation Drivers Trotters Free-for-All, stablemate Lord Liam running second.
Michelle, a rising-star Monte rider, won the Alan Mance Holden Monte aboard Jodi Quinlan-trained Si Capisco (Sundon/Sorry Hall).
Quinlan trifectaed the race with Illawong Moonshine second and Mosquito Spur third.
Michelle’s ride was first-class, the young horsewoman taking the 10-year-old trotter to the lead early before a flawless front-running display, holding off Illawong Moonshine’s challenges for a 13.1-metre win in a mile rate of 2:02.8 over the 1720m trip.
The Mønsters’ success was celebrated abroad, thrusting Victoria’s product on to the world stage with invaluable exposure.
And the off-track entertainment was a high point for the night also at Tabcorp Park with the Star Marquee packed with enthusiastic racegoers enjoying the “girls’ night out” theme, while the band had the crowd rocking on the lawns throughout the evening.
The trots action continues at Tabcorp Park Melton tomorrow with the annual Australasian Premier Trotting Sale.
>> Watch full race replays and get all results from Saturday night's Tabcorp Park Melton trots.
