February 23, 2018
Oakey yards have an excellent strike rate at Nanango, and Gary Maroney’s only lodger Man Overboard looks set to continue his personal contribution this Saturday in the Heritage Nanango Open Handicap.
Although it is a theoretical step up in class for the seven-year-old, his rivals’ Handicap Ratings are similarly below the common marks for open quality.
Bevan Johnson opted to bypass accepting with Fav’s Cowboy, the 85 BM galloper that had been allocated a tidy 65.5 kilograms.
The upshot is that all runners have been lifted from 55 kilograms to the minimum top level of 59.
Man Overboard, with a handy 5: 2-0-1 record at the track, is firing at present
The bay’s last four appearances have yielded provincial wins at Kilcoy and Toowoomba and a second placing at Bell.
Maroney shares the ownership with his stepson Bill Millett, who doubles as the horse’s strapper, while Wayne O’Connell is the regular rider for the unit.
The team took out the Heritage Nanango Mardi Gras Cup with Conhenri in September 2015.
Man Overboard ran sixth in maiden company on the same day.
The South Burnett representatives are Fort Myer and Murranji.
Kumbia’s Scott Pedron puts the polish on the former while the latter is a relative newcomer to Glenn Richardson’s set up.
The ex-New South Wales resident is by I Am Invincible, the sire of the moment.
The bay was far from disgraced when it ran sixth for Dwayne Dunn in a Highway event on a soft Randwick course in April 2016.
Wags who follow Canberra’s politics will smirk when they check Man Overboard’s pedigree: he is by Over from Just Joyce, a Springsteen mare with no New Zealand ancestry.
(Editor’s note: This has to be an omen bet after the events of Friday …)
Marauding (1987 STC Golden Slipper, STC Todman Slipper Trial) is Springsteen’s half brother.
The race is an intriguing lottery.
However All Host, with the weights readjustment at acceptance time, meets the opposition on the best terms.
His jockey Justin Stanley is fit and in form.
In the past month he has won five times in Townsville, thrice at Rockhampton and once at Warwick.
He will need to be superman to complete his engagements on Saturday.
He has been booked for Kakadu Plum and All Host for Bundaberg’s Darryl Gardiner, Canid (Glenn Richardson) and Scrap Copper (Lindsay Hatch) at Nanango.
The query is that he is also shown as the rider for Scrap Copper at the Gold Coast.
Neither horse nor hoop can be in two places at once.
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A Few More Tips
In the Wellcamp Fabrications Maiden (800m), the local hope is First Bid, the lightly raced Siderus four-year-old that Richardson prepares for Barry Green and Barry Goodwill.
He was placed at his only attempt on home turf last December.
Don’t shy away from backing the topweight Enterprise Cupid because Shane Shield is slotted to ride.
Although the Sunshine Coast horseman very rarely sports race day silk, he does go well fresh.
He had been off the scene since August 2013 when he resumed and scored on Fasta Than Light at Gympie on September 26, 2015.
Then a double for trainer Stuart Kendrick at Caloundra on Melbourne Cup day made it three in a row.
His most recent effort was also a winning one, courtesy of a masterly display on Princess Prickle at Esk in May 2016.
Nanango apprentices Hannah English and Hannah Phillips are both in for busy days as is Richardson.
At Lee Park in the Bechly Transport Class B (800m), he also saddles up Past Dark, the Arlington mare that will aim to make it two from two at the track.
Meanwhile, Klammer (Paul Hamblin, 62.5 kg) is to head to Goondiwindi for the six horse Open Handicap (1000m).
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Bits And Bridles
- Last week’s historical photos included an image of an early form of advertising with an unnamed sign-bearer. It was a little teaser. No doubt there were folk who attempted to recall the character’s name. It was Neville “Striker” Halter. He used to walk the streets of Nanango on race morning armed with the vital sandwich board. The van in the background was a tote-betting facility.
- There is a very unusual race scheduled for Gatton’s TAB fixture on Friday, March 9. It is a Special Conditions Handicap over 1400 metres for horses that have started at least four times at non-TAB meetings from March 2, 2017 up to an including March 4, 2018. The prizemoney of $16,000 is the same as the offerings for most of the other events on the day.
- Whilst it is good news for the rural fraternity, it could be interpreted as a means of boosting field sizes at the Country TAB venue. However, other initiatives to find a program place for weaker contenders have been successful. The Class 3 Plates on the Brisbane cards are popular while the Highway series in Sydney and the extra Saturday contest for a lower purse on Melbourne’s run-of-the-mill Saturday affairs have also been well supported.
