Harness racing fans, owners, trainers, and drivers all look forward to September. Not only is the new harness racing season underway, but it also marks the start of the Battle of the Claimers at Melton’s Tabcorp Park.
For those of you that are not familiar with the Battle of the Claimers, it is a chance for on the market horses to show off their stuff in a series of qualifying heats. It is also a chance for perspective owners to get a look at these horses in fine form and place a claim on the best of the field. This Friday, September 3, Tabcorp Park is hosting the qualifying heats for those horses with a price tag of $2,000 to $12,000. There will be three heats, each holding a purse worth $8,000, with the field battling it out for a chance to appear in the $20,000 final.
The first of these three heats is race number one on Tabcorp’s racing card for the night. While there will be plenty of handy types featured in race number one, all eyes will definitely be on Anvils Revival. The bay gelding, trained by AA Barber, has been a picture of consistency over recent months. He has eight wins, including three consecutive first place finishes in July and August. He has also racked up seven second place finishes and three in third. Anvils Revival has drawn barrier number five for Friday’s heat.
2010 Battle of the Claimers Field and Barrier Draw: Heat 1 @ 6:43pm:
| No. | Form | Horse | Trainer | Driver | Class | Hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 809s8 | Mister Chequebook NZ (Em1, $3,000) | ML Hutton | Marcia Hutton | C6 M1 | FR- |
| 2 | 21455 | Just Stay N Alive NZ ($4,000) | A Xirihia | Tony Xirihia | C14 M4 | FR1 |
| 3 | 77742 | Our Sand Fly NZ ($4,000) | GF Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C10 M0 | FR2 |
| 4 | 69682 | Farouk ($5,000) | DA Riseley | David Barbetti | C17 M1 | FR3 |
| 5 | 01112 | Anvils Revival NZ ($5,000) | AA Barber | Brian Gath | C26 M5 | FR4 |
| 6 | s4375 | Indi Gloves ($11,000) | MJ Miles | Lisa Miles | C7 M0 | FR5 |
| 7 | 37458 | Lombo Limmo ($12,000) | TE Pullicino | C9 M1 | FR6 | |
| Second Row | ||||||
| 8 | 92118 | Ticket Time ($7,000) | JM Mifsud | Phillip Walters | C15 M0 | SR1 |
| 9 | 69768 | Hot Night In Paris NZ ($9,000) | JD Justice | John Justice | C5 M1 | SR2 |
| 10 | 80274 | Spider Nelson ($12,000) | MG Gath | Matthew Gath | C6 M1 | SR3 |
| 11 | 25466 | Jefferson NZ ($12,000) | MA Laugher | Greg Sugars | C18 M5 | SR4 |
| 12 | 55740 | Palomine NZ ($12,000) | BA Lilley | Gavin Lang | C14 M5 | SR5 |
| 13 | 42341 | Vintage Direct ($12,000) | JA Cavallaro | Tanya Dyer | C14 M0 | SR6 |
Heat number two is probably the most packed with talent, as it will pit six top contenders against one another. This includes two particularly talented geldings. Miami Rocket in barrier seven has the most wins out of all the contenders with four first place finishes in 44 starts last season. He has also taken nine second place and ten third place finishes. Upward Ever Upward is another top contender for the race, though his second row barrier draw could hinder the horse’s chances. Nevertheless, the bay gelding, trained by BK Woodhouse, has three first place finishes in 19 starts. He has also taken two second place and five third place finishes.
While these two horses have been the most successful over the course of last season, there are quite a few stayers that will put up a tough fight. This includes Flying Class, Way Up High, Marching Home, and Awesome Alto.
Big6 Battle of the Claimers Field and Barrier Draw: Heat 2 @ 7:42pm:
| No. | Form | Horse | Trainer | Driver | Class | Hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 809s8 | Mister Chequebook NZ (Em1, $3,000) | ML Hutton | Marcia Hutton | C6 M1 | FR - |
| 2 | 69634 | Class Mate ($3,000) | MJ Watt | Jaimie-Lee King (C) | C22 M2 | FR1 |
| 3 | 38796 | Hitemup ($4,000) | DP Barbetti | David Barbetti | C9 M0 | FR2 |
| 4 | 75697 | The Timely Trader NZ ($8,000) | A Spiteri | Neil McCallum | C10 M1 | FR3 |
| 5 | 30343 | Flying Class NZ ($8,000) | J Borg | Damian Wilson | C6 M1 | FR4 |
| 6 | 73263 | Way Up High ($9,000) | TE Pullicino | Brian Gath | C10 M1 | FR5 |
| 7 | 32122 | Miami Rocket NZ ($11,000) | GF Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C5 M1 | FR6 |
| Second Row | ||||||
| 8 | 10331 | Marching Home NZ ($11,000) | RW Jack | Nathan Jack | C6 M0 | SR1 |
| 9 | 53234 | Awesome Alto ($9,000) | ABJ Dunsmuir | John Caldow | C3 M0 | SR2 |
| 10 | 70774 | Mister Douglas ($12,000) | JD Taylor | Daryl Douglas | C14 M1 | SR3 |
| 11 | s7806 | The Last Dance ($12,000) | GD Hoban | Craig Hoban | C7 M1 | SR4 |
| 12 | 63653 | Just Make Our Deigh NZ ($12,000) | TE Pullicino | Gavin Lang | C7 M1 | SR5 |
| 13 | 3f342 | Upward Ever Upward ($12,000) | BK Woodhouse | Scott Dyer | C12 M1 | SR6 |
Heat 3 will be the final race on the card for the night. Slated to start at 10:14pm, this race will display the talents of five top pacing contenders. Two of those are expected to be particularly impressive. Jay Bee Aitch, trained by JM Mifsud and driven by Rita Burnett, capped off last season with three first place finishes, three second, and five third. Jay Bee Aitch will be sitting in fine position in barrier number three, though will face some stiff competition from Cam Rouge in barrier five. This JE Davies trained gelding has faired well in recent weeks, finishing off the season with a first place finish. It marked his second of the year in eight starts.
Other horses to look out for in Heat 3 include Dhoni, Village in Vesa, and Brulea Charlie. The latter has picked up an impressive four wins in nine starts, but as all three of these horses will be starting from the second row, they will have a challenge ahead of them.
Shire of Melton Battle of the Claimers Field and Barrier Draw: Heat 3 @ 10:14pm:
| No. | Form | Horse | Trainer | Driver | Class | Hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 809s8 | Mister Chequebook NZ (Em1, $3,000) | ML Hutton | Marcia Hutton | C6 M1 | FR - |
| 2 | s0985 | The Urban Legend NZ ($5,000) | A Ziriha | Tony Xiriha | C7 M1 | FR1 |
| 3 | 30331 | Jay Bee Aitch ($6,000) | JM Mifsud | Rita Burnett | C11 M2 | FR2 |
| 4 | 6s088 | Altivo ($7,000) | L Miles | Lisa Miles | C7 M0 | FR3 |
| 5 | 55871 | Cam Rouge ($9,000) | JE Davies | Nathan Jack | C9 M0 | FR4 |
| 6 | 49870 | Dark Duncan NZ ($11,000) | GF Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C10 M1 | FR5 |
| 7 | s6800 | Run Riley Run ($12,000) | CG Lewis | Caleb Lewis | C8 M1 | FR6 |
| Second Row | ||||||
| 8 | 64245 | Blachford ($9,000) | TA Croton | Michael Bellman | C10 M1 | SR1 |
| 9 | 14937 | Dhoni ($10,000) | PW Tonkin | C6 M0 | SR2 | |
| 10 | 36960 | Village In Vesa ($12,000) | MG Gath | Matthew Gath | C8 M2 | SR3 |
| 11 | 22117 | Brulea Charlie ($12,000) | DF Braun | Greg Sugars | C7 M0 | SR4 |
| 12 | 23800 | Black Washout NZ ($12,000) | TE Pullicino | John Caldow | C12 M1 | SR5 |
| 13 | 26007 | Twickenham ($12,000) | R Cartwright | Craig Turnbull | C14 M3 | SR6 |
Check out SportsBet for all of the latest harness racing odds available at Tabcorp Park this Friday night. You will not find better odds anywhere else. Do not forget that Tabcorp will also play host to The Claiming Masters series for horses with a price tag of $10,000 to $50,000. Qualifying rounds will start on September 17, so stay tuned for more information about the upcoming race.
