By ‘Pegs’
A HIGHLIGHT of Kilmore Racing Club’s turf meeting on Thursday was the winning treble for the father/son training duo of Mark and Levi Kavanagh.
The Flemington-based combination bookended the eight-race card with race favourites Stateswoman, $1.80, and Lounge Bar Rubi, $2.70, respectively.
The former was ridden by Craig Newitt with Joe Bowditch completing a double, taking out the last after riding the Kavanagh-trained Superstock, $5.50, to victory in the Barry Plant Mitchell Shire Maiden Plate over 1450 metres earlier on the program.
The Kavanaghs nearly made it four winners for the program with Whispering Lady, $2.80, only going down by a half-head in the KVL Drilling and Civil Maiden Plate over 1600 metres to the impressive Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Unusual Pearl, $7.50.
Four favourites were successful on the program with the Timothy Grace-trained Family Zone, $61, blowing out favourite punters in the second race.
The next turf meeting at bet365 Kilmore will be on Thursday, April 13.
Seymour resume
Seymour Racing Club will host its first race meeting since November 11 last year on April 14.
Successful jumpouts were carried out on March 22, with Racing Victoria stewards giving the tick of approval.
The Bar Landy Restaurant will be available for dining, however bookings are essential.
Call Seymour Racing Club on 5799 1681 for bookings or for further enquiries.
Black type again
The Liam Howley-trained Virtuous Circle, $19, enhanced his stud value even further with a second placing in the group on $2.13M ATC Derby over 2400 metres.
The Almanzor colt, starting from the outside barrier in the 18-horse field, was never on the track on a testing surface, just failing to catch the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding Major Beel by three quarters of a length.
The Kyneton-based colt was ridden by international hoop, now Sydney-based, Brett Prebble.
The New Zealand-bred Virtuous Circle earnt $380,000 – $20,000 more than his purchase price – for his second placing, giving Howley his biggest pay cheque since training in his own right.
The colt, raced by Howley’s family along with Andrew Williams and Bevan Smith Bloodstock, has now earnt $677,700 from his two wins and three minor placings from only nine starts.
Hoofnote: So impressed with the colt in his early preparation, Howley paid out $225,000 for his full brother at the Gold Coast yearling sale last year.
