Fisherman Continues To Amaze
Veteran chaser Fisherman (Where's Pedro – Stylish Dotty) continued on his winning way at the Tote Racing Centre on Monday night, when he showed his much younger rivals a clean pair of paws in winning the Tasfreight Invitation (515 metres).
The old fellow found the early lead and was never headed, holding out the dead-heaters Emerald Lee (Paddy's Flame – Inbetween Days) and Lika Whisper (Solve The Puzzle – Silver Legs) in the run to the wire, recording his 35th victory and creeping to within $2,045 of a magical $100,000 purse.
“He really is an old marvel,” his 82-year-old trainer Mark Sutcliffe explained on Tuesday morning.
“He is five and a half years old in June and we were going to retire him, but he continues to race well and loves what he is doing, so we have kept him going.”
Sutcliffe prepares Fisherman for his 83-year-old Launceston mate Bob Grubb, who unfortunately could not make it to the sports to witness the chaser greet the judge.
“Bob and I have been mates for years, but his wife was a bit off colour last night so he stayed at home,” Sutcliffe explained.
The trainer and his wife do a wonderful job and didn't arrive home to their Acton property until 2 AM.
“They swabbed Fisherman after the race which meant that we were an hour later than normal leaving the track – we are taking things a bit easy today,” he explained.
The Sutcliffe kennel was also represented on the night by the promising pup Surf Osti ( Surf Lorian – Maria's Conquest), which ran second in the opening event to the highly rated Ted Medhurst prepared Speed Direct ( Paddy's Flame – Inbetween Days).
A litter-brother to the previously mentioned outstanding bitch Emerald Lee, Speed Direct has now won at his last three outings, is the winner of five of eight starts overall and is shaping up as a star of the future.
The Mangalore based Medhurst is enjoying a remarkable run of success at the moment and was also seen in the winners circle on the night, with Jaguar Pines (Premier Fantasy – Jenylyn Stanley) and Zorro's Legacy (Bombastic Shiraz – Fallen Zorro).
At last week's NWGRC meeting conducted at the Devonport Raceway, the Medhurst kennel was represented by five winners on a ten event programme.
Richmond trainer Steve Hutt invariably has a smart chaser in his kennels and Teardrop Lake (Path To Power – Misty River) is no exception.
The former Victorian bitch made it two in a row in winning the Duke Of Wellington Grade 5 (515 metres) at the Tote Racing Centre meeting and will certainly pay her way in her new environment.
Hutt also won a race at the LGRC meeting with Teardrop Lake's litter-sister Lake Trasimene, which was successful in the Simon's Carpet One Grade 5 (515 metres).
Another trainer to secure a double on the night was Bracknell veteran Maurie Strickland, who boxed Where's Hauky (Where's Pedro – Colleen Jas) and Bubble Gump (Big Daddy Cool – Jasper's Oceania) early in the night.