Albion Park's night of punting horrors

IT may have been the greatest night of feature race upsets in Australian harness racing history.

One of Albion Park’s biggest meetings, last night’s Group 1 Sunshine Sprint night, turned into a punting graveyard.

In an extraordinary string of upsets, hot favourites were beaten in feature races at $1.15, $1.33, $1.40 and $1.60.

The cruel blows started in the Group 3 South-East Oaks when glamour Kiwi filly Amore Vita endured a torrid run and could only manage fifth as a $1.60 favourite behind $41 outsider Racy Roxy.

Punters expected to bounce-back in the following race when Australia’s buzz three-year-old Leap To Fame was sent out a $1.40 favourite in the Group 3 South-East Derby, but he did the work outside the leader and finished second to $13 shot Cantfindabettorman.

The shock defeats of Amore Vita and Leap To Fame throw open the big Group 1 double Queensland Oaks and Queensland Derby next Saturday night.

Despite the early upsets, brilliant Victorian four-year-old Beyond Delight was crunched from $1.60 into $1.33 in the Group 3 4YO Championship but tired badly after sitting out the leader and ran last to $17 local shot Sumomentsomewhere.

One of Australia’s best mares, multiple Group 1 winner Maajida, was expected to stop the rot in Group 1 Golden Girl.

But her race turned ugly early when she was headed-off from barrier one and then buried three back on the marker pegs. She never saw daylight.

It was $81 outsider and former Kiwi mare Town Echo who swooped down the outside late to snatch victory for trainer Jack Trainor.

“It was very much a fingers crossed decision to have a crack at the race, but what a result,” Trainor said.

For Trainor, a former Kiwi now based at Menangle, it was just his second Group 1 win as a trainer.

“It’s my sixth as a driver, but only second as a trainer,” he said. “The first was Stylish Memphis in the Ladyship Mile earlier this year.”

There was some reprieve in the Sunshine Sprint itself when $3.60 equal favourite Better Eclipse worked to the front and won impressively for trainer Jess Tubbs and husband/driver Greg Sugars.

Better Eclipse’s win franked the greatness of Ladies In Red and added another Group 1 victory to his triumph in the Chariots Of Fire at Menangle in February.

A week earlier, Better Eclipse did all the work and finished a brave, albeit well beaten, second to Ladies In Red in the Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park.

He will back-up for a third consecutive week in the $300,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake next Saturday night,

“We just love him,” driver Greg Sugars said. “This has been a real team effort. I was up for a week with the horse to start, Jess’ sister Amy has been up this week and now it’s Jess’ turn to stay up for the next week.”

Remarkably, Better Eclipse was having just his 29th start and beat many of the best pacers in the land last night.

“It doesn’t seem that long ago he was winning a Mildura maiden and only just, too,” Sugars said.

“He’s risen to every challenge we’ve given him and not many horses can do that. To have one like him in our stable is pretty special.

“I’m sure he’ll run a great race again next week.”

•  Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.