Buckle Up Wes To Make The Grade
Prominent North West Coast trainer Gary Johnson is predicting a bright future for Buckle Up Wes (Collision – Everlong Bale), which blitzed his rivals in the Dowling McCarthy Tyres Juvenile (452 metres) conducted at Tuesday's NWGRC meeting at the Devonport Raceway.
Paying a win dividend of $2, the Ted Medhurst prepared chaser recorded a sizzling fastest time of the day 25.50 in defeating Hellyeah Missile and Ketut by a conservative five lengths and appears highly likely to race his way quickly through the grades.
Buckle Up Wes debuted at Tattersalls Park in Hobart on 2nd May when unplaced behind Action Bolt, but then atoned by winning a 461 metre qualifying trial by five lengths at the same venue on 23rd May in the time of 26.33.
Drawn in the pink box at the Devonport Raceway, he began safely and quickly asserted his superiority, before racing away from the opposition to score impressively.
Johnson applied the early polish to Buckle Up Wes and quickly became aware of the chaser's ability.
“I reasoned that he had plenty of speed and also that he would probably be better suited by Ted's training methods,” he explained.
“With that in mind I did not hesitate to send him down to Mangalore and let the master take control.”
The chaser is raced by Johnson's wife Robyn and Devonport's Sharon Sutton, the daughter of NWGRC chairman Gary Sutton and his wife Cheryl.
He is one of a litter of nine whelped in June 2011, which already includes the good winners Buckle Up Mason, Buckle Up Vurlie and Buckle Up Caza.
Meanwhile the Medhurst kennel enjoyed a highly successful day at the Devonport Raceway on Tuesday, scoring a treble of wins on an eleven event card.
Tadmore Dunoon (Collision – Baretta Betty) put five lengths on his rivals in the Simon's Carpet One Grade 4 (452 metres), recording a time of 25.94 as a well supported $2.20 commodity.
Raced by Tom Astbury, he has now won 24 of 88 lifetime outings while amassing stakes of almost $50,000.
Medhurst was also seen in the winners circle with the highly promising bitch Dream Miss ( Big Daddy Cool – Fantasy Girl), which recorded 25.96 in winning the Tasfreight Grade 4 (452 metres) by a big space, while paying a win dividend of $2.30.
Raced by trainer Debbie Cannan and Ian Sowell, the bitch has now won seven of her nine lifetime outings and is surely headed for bigger and better things.
The Mangalore based Cannan also excelled at Tuesday's meeting, her kennel being represented by three winners as well.
The Shaun Evans owned Rudisha ( Go Wild Teddy – Josette Bale) set the ball rolling with a 26.25 score in the Gerard Guthrie Juvenile (452 metres), paying a win dividend of $4.40.
Then outstanding bitch Emerald Lee (Paddy's Flame – Inbetween Days) recorded her 19th victory in 32 lifetime outings by taking out the Betta Milk Grade 3 (452 metres) in the time of 25.73.
Also raced by Cannan in partnership with Ian Sowell, the bitch defeated a smart field which included speedsters Nooee's Lad and Seagull Boy, while paying $2.10 for the win.
Cannan's Treble came up when Foxy Fours , also owned by Shaun Evans and a litter-mate of Rudisha, was successful in the Seba Sheetmetal Grade 5 (452 metres).
The bitch led throughout to record her fourth victory, in the time of 26.15, while paying a win dividend of $2.20.