Horses hot in winter series

Heath Conners’ Davcon streaks to victory in heat two of the VRC-CRV Winter Championship series at Cranbourne on Sunday. Picture: Stewart Chambers

By Stuart Teather
THE thoroughbreds were out in action on Sunday at Cranbourne Racecourse for the second heat of the 2009 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series.
The racing series consists of heats over 1400-1600m and the Cranbourne leg was the second of six events before the final, a listed race, at Flemington in July.
The Heath Conners-trained Davcon took the honours in the $35,000 race, three lengths clear of Luke Oliver’s Sensational Toy in second.
But Sensational Toy is ahead of the field in the overall standings, having won the opening heat at Bendigo 10 days earlier.
In the $22,500 TAB Sunday Big6 Country Showcase, Bruce and Jean Purcell’s Pablo’s Pick took the honours a length-and-a-half clear of Dawnstorm in second, with Seattle Silence a nose further back.
Local trainer Colin Davies had success in race two, picking up a win with Regal Cugat over 1500m.
The four-year-old mare backed up her third placing at Pakenham a week earlier, behind Deidre Bowman’s Swing Boy.
Baxter trainer Max Hinton also had luck, winning the MiStable Maiden Plate with Charlie’s Queen, ridden by Mark Zahra.
It was a tight finish between Charlie’s Queen and Ken Keys-trained Pliers, but Hinton’s horse got the nose on the line.