Mark had been in two minds about running OSCAR BONAVENA in a quick backup from Tuesday on Friday.Oscar made up his mind for him.
“He’s come through it really good ” said Mark of the star trotter’s huge Dominion effort ” You have to go again on that”
He doesn’t want to spend too much time reflecting on being held up at a vital stage of the Dominion but confirms what many watching would know.
“If he had got a clear run earlier I think he could have won.But there was just no way out until it was all over”
It was when Mark congratulated winning driver Peter McMullen, that the latter said he had learned a lesson from Oscar Bonavena in the the Inter Dominion Final earlier this year.
“Oscar was back in the field and Gus was behind him in that (Mark was not driving at the meeting). He was waiting for Oscar to go and they both got going too late. He said he wasn’t going to come over here and make that mistake again and it was the winning of the race”
Once again Gus was on Oscar’s back for the first half of the race but he acclerated wide from the 1100 and that was when Mark got into trouble.
“I was pulling out to go too and I suppose most times the horse behind will follow you into it. Pete went past ,the horse in front of me was going nowhere and then the one that got up outside me (Father Time,driven by former stable horseman Tim Williams ) was only going well enough to hold its place.
Akuta in Jewels Winning Form. Looking for it Again
While it was an honourable third placing (the Australian favourite Jilliby Ballerini also looked desperately unlucky held up by compatriot Arcee Phoenix) the Dominion Handicap seems to be something of a jinx for Mark.
It took him 17 years to produce a winner (I Can Doosit) when he was winning other Group Ones by the truckload and it was another 13 years before Oscar’s superbly driven win two years ago.Last year,placed to the superstar Just Believe,Mark gave himself a critique for the drive and put Blair up in the Free for All which Oscar won. So it is atonement again on Friday in probably the best Trotting FFA field in some years.
Around the rest of the meeting Mark describes the draws as “Mixed”. Most would probably say disastrous and at least challenging.
Of the four in the Sires Stakes Filly Final the two leading chances WAT NEXT and ALECTO have drawn alongside each other on the inside of the 2nd line behind Indulge Me who has not been electric early but may be here and War Cry, who is harder to assess having a series of wide gates and starting mishaps but at least will be going hard out of a nice gate. SHEZSOFAST is worst off at 15.The best drawn of the team,RIVER is probably the least favoured of the squadron.
Oscar Bonavena is 2nd from outside in the Trotting FFA:RUBIRA is one on the second line in the $500,000 Velocity Slot race with Marketplace at 2 and Greased Lightning at 4-outside MIDNIGHT MIKI who has perhaps a better opportunity coming up later in the month but will give a sight.
And if that’s not enough AKUTA is drawn the outside in the Pacing Free for All after a mystery run in the Cup.
“I don’t know quite what to make of it” Mark said
“He had to go early to get a sit but when he got that and Republican Party stayed in front I thought I had to be top three at least.But he didn’t respond in the straight like I had hoped. I was confident he was ready for the race and he seems to have come through it ok. I will certainly be hoping for better on Friday.”
CHASE A DREAM another disappointment on Tuesday, will race again next week and Mark is prepared to cut him some slack.
“I expected better on his work but he has not had a lot of racing and he used to improve with that ”
Mark has two outside trotting drives that will be most competitive-son Michael’s Mystic Max,off 30m on Friday but strong on Tuesday after a superb Mark drive; and Midnight Diamond the Ross Houghton-trained up and coming trotter who has to overcome the preferential draw but should be too good earlier in the day.