SA Trots - 2024 Southern Cross descends on Globe Derby Park

It all comes down to the Southern Cross and that will certainly be the case when Globe Derby Park hosts six Southern Cross heats for two-year-old pacing colts and fillies and three-year-old pacing colts on Saturday night.

The 2024 Southern Cross will mark the 39th edition of South Australia’s richest and most prestigious age classics with the State’s best youngsters vying for a spot in the rich finals and a chance to lock up Horse of the Year honours.

The first five finishers from the heats will qualify for the $35,000 finals at Globe Derby Park on November 30.

The opening heat of the Cobbitty Equine Farm series for two-year-old fillies has drawn together a field of seven and at least five have a realistic chance of success. Kittykat Cutie and Shirley Not, who quinellaed the Kevin and Kay Seymour Ladyship Stakes on November 9, look the top two picks with the Kindergarten placegetter Torque Intheusa the next best.

The second heat appears a benevolent for the Emma Stewart trained filly Brighton. Though winless at five attempts, the Downbytheseaside miss was a finalist in both the Vicbred Super Series and Breeders Crown. Machete Roulette, a placegetter in the Ladyship and Gawler Sapling, looks the best of the locals.

The first of a pair of heats of the Alabar series for three-year-old colts appears to be a match race between Hezrockinroyalty and Bay Jim Major, the quinella pair from the two-year-old edition of the Southern Cross last season, while No Notthebuttons, the 2023 Southern Cross champion, gets his chance to defend the title from the No. 4 gate in the second heat.

The polemarker Splash Of Paynt, a placegetter in the Golden Nursery and Lordship Stakes, and the Mount Gambier invader Stormy Woods should fight out the first division of the Cobbitty Equine Farm series for two-year-old colts.

Always Dancing, a winner of five of his seven starts including the Sapling Stakes and a heat of the Golden Nursery, will start a short priced favourite in the second heat from the Victorian visitor Zenario.

Racing recently returned to Globe Derby following a rebuild of the main track and construction of a new training track ensuring that Globe Derby Park remains the premier harness racing facility in the state.

The recent refurbishments and the commitment of over $1 million in additional stakemoney are both part of the collaboration between the SA Harness Racing Club and the Seymour Group to boost harness racing in South Australia.

The first of eight races is 6.40pm (Adelaide time).

Story: Peter Wharton