Racy week at Cranbourne

By Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE Turf Club hosted two successful meetings in three days last week highlighting the excellent condition of the local racing surface and facilities.
The club stepped in to conduct a transferred metropolitan meeting on Wednesday and backed up with a nine-race program on Friday.
The track was rated dead on both days and the rail was out one metre on Wednesday and four metres from true on Friday.
Wednesday’s card saw doubles to Bangholme trainer Brian Jenkins and champion jockey Damien Oliver, while Cranbourne trainer Matthew Hyland flew the local flag when Top Tier saluted in the last race of the day, paying $14.40 for a win.
Friday’s meeting saw the major prize cheques spread between nine trainers with the only local success being Robbie Laing’s three-year-old Esparanza, ridden to victory by Cranbourne hoop Sam Hyland in the third race.
The feature race on the card, the $15,000 ASSDA Handicap, was taken out by Caulfield trained gelding Chosen Ruler, which was brilliantly ridden by Brad Rawiller and stormed home to snatch a great win.
The other highlight was a riding double to top jockey Craig Newitt in races five and six.
Meanwhile Cranbourne trainer Robbie Laing signalled his intention to be a serious contender for the big prize purses on offer during the Melbourne winter jumps carnival after two of his rising stars saluted at Pakenham on Monday.
Laing’s talented steeplechaser Mazzacano easily won the opening race on the card over 3800 metres with jockey Gavin Bedggood guiding the six-year-old $1.40 favourite to the post first.
The leading horseman made it two wins from two in the next race, when up-and-coming hurdler Hasta Manana cantered in to win the Novice Hurdle over 2800 metres, again at an odds-on quote of $1.90.
Laing said both horses were on their way to bigger and better races providing they remained fit.