Smoken vs Sushi, Ballarat Cup

[Maorisidol]

Will b a great contest especially now that Smoken Up is out the back on 2nd row and equally as awkward, Sushi draws outside front row.
That's great because we won't have the norm of maybe Smoken Up leading or even straight to the Death seat, similarly where does Sushi go at barrier rise?
Does he go forward, he may end up in the death himself as I don't believe Melpark Major will hand up to him, he can't really go back I reckon cos Sugars will want to b in front of Smoken as much as possible...
Any thoughts people?

[Danno]

Will b a great contest especially now that Smoken Up is out the back on 2nd row and equally as awkward, Sushi draws outside front row.
That's great because we won't have the norm of maybe Smoken Up leading or even straight to the Death seat, similarly where does Sushi go at barrier rise?
Does he go forward, he may end up in the death himself as I don't believe Melpark Major will hand up to him, he can't really go back I reckon cos Sugars will want to b in front of Smoken as much as possible...
Any thoughts people?

My guess is that the sushi camp wiil not be looking to use a great deal of petrol early, and my second guess is they will not be looking to use tactics to derail those of others, in particular SU.

At his first run at this level, what sort of person would run the risk of burning a super horse like Sushi?? My tip is they look to put him in the race in the latter half and leave him a full head of steam win, lose or draw.

[Messenger]

Only returned to following recently but I know that SU burnt himself and Villagem last year. Am I right in thinking the SU is at his absolute best over shorter distances? And how will Sushi handle the extra 400 at this level? With SU going to the death I can see some possibility of Sushi, Heza or Villagem getting close to him (whichever has the best trail) but SU is an iron horse

[aussiebreno]

Melpark Major asks who are Smoken and Sushi?

[M.John]

You'll find Smoken Up isnt fussed over distance. If anything the further the race the better, will run all day. I also think Sushi will go back, too much at stake going forward because if he gets the front or the death it wont be long until Smoken Up gets up there and for a horse just out of age racing it just wouldnt be the smartest move to go toe to toe with a seasoned grand circuit horse. Anyway I think everyone learned the best way to beat Smoken Up in NZ. With raw speed going past him, if Sushi Sushi goes forward and tries to match toughness with him, it will just play into Smoken Up's corner. Go back come with one run and try and get him on the line and I think Sushi has a chance.

[barney]

Good to read a thread that is Positive but this time about a race that has us all excited, going to a birthday Saturday night and first question was maybe do you have pay tv.

Fpr me i hope Sushi can win Harness need a new horse to publicise the sport.

[mango]

Hi Brian
If they don't have pay tv take a good look at the roofs in the street on the way as someone will have pay for sure and fingers crossed someone at the party know's them.

[Danno]

Hi Brian
If they don't have pay tv take a good look at the roofs in the street on the way as someone will have pay for sure and fingers crossed someone at the party know's them.

Sounds like the voice of experience there Dallas!

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

I think Melpark Major to lead. Hand up to Sushi, who in turn hands up to Smoken Up. Sushi gets last crack at him.
1. Smoken Up
2. Sushi
3. Melpark Major ( Sorry Brenno)
4. Pembrooke Benny

[Maorisidol]

I think Melpark Major to lead. Hand up to Sushi, who in turn hands up to Smoken Up. Sushi gets last crack at him.
1. Smoken Up
2. Sushi
3. Melpark Major ( Sorry Brenno)
4. Pembrooke Benny

NO Sprint Lane at Ballarat!!!

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

NO Sprint Lane at Ballarat!!!
Correct!!!

[Just Saying]

NO Sprint Lane at Ballarat!!!
It's a long straight though and the horse behind the leader can usually get a run.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

It's a long straight though and the horse behind the leader can usually get a run.
Also correct!!!

[Don Corleone]

Sushi Sushi
Smokin Up
Gold Ace
Highveiw Tommy

Looking forward to the race.

[Mitch]

Hi All,

I am a long time reader but new to posting.

I am thinking that Sugars will let Sushi roll off the arm at his own speed and work forward to find the front eventually. I can't see him handing up to Smokin Up, rather he will be happy to let him death seat and try a win it on the home turn. Ballarat has a funny home turn and Smoken Up won't handle it as well as Sushi.

If the speed is hot, which it will be, I'm tipping The Gold Ace to storm home and roll both of them!

[Toohard]

Hi All,

I am a long time reader but new to posting.

I am thinking that Sugars will let Sushi roll off the arm at his own speed and work forward to find the front eventually. I can't see him handing up to Smokin Up, rather he will be happy to let him death seat and try a win it on the home turn. Ballarat has a funny home turn and Smoken Up won't handle it as well as Sushi.

If the speed is hot, which it will be, I'm tipping The Gold Ace to storm home and roll both of them!

Reckon you night be right Mitch. Me and son big fans of both horses and we'll be heading along. He can't wait!! Will be great battle of tactics and worth going long way to see.

[Messenger]

Good to read a thread that is Positive but this time about a race that has us all excited, going to a birthday Saturday night and first question was maybe do you have pay tv.

Fpr me i hope Sushi can win Harness need a new horse to publicise the sport.

Not a problem now Brian - being streamed live

http://portal.rivustv.com/cp_embedded_player.php?content=9719&affiliate=13053&width=640&height=387&mode=&ap=true

[montana]

The draw has made this very interesting , alot of speed drawn inside sushi so its not likely he will get across without doing a power of work. And SU got beat from a bad draw in the cup last year , it certainly is a mouthwatering clash i would have to lean towards Smoken up , he will end up outside the leader at some point and we all know he can win from there. I will have something little each way on Pembrook Benny from the draw.

Smoken Up
Pembrook Benny
Sushi Sushi

[mightymo]

Pembrook Benny could hold the lead if he wanted, but i expect him to hand up to Melpark Major. Sushi will be the first to the breeze and then Smoken up will come round and give him cover.

I have a feeling SU gets rolled tonight

Am also having something on PBenny ew

PS - there is a lovely full sister to PBenny in the NZ yearling sales:):)

[montana]

PS - there is a lovely full sister to PBenny in the NZ yearling sales:):)

i have my eye on that one already !

[remington]

Pembrook Benny could hold the lead if he wanted, but i expect him to hand up to Melpark Major. Sushi will be the first to the breeze and then Smoken up will come round and give him cover.

I have a feeling SU gets rolled tonight

Am also having something on PBenny ew

PS - there is a lovely full sister to PBenny in the NZ yearling sales:):)


Been trying to stay quiet cause i thought Pbenny was a really good bet, but i guess everyone is thinking down the same line. great race cant wait

[Messenger]

The draw has made this very interesting , alot of speed drawn inside sushi so its not likely he will get across without doing a power of work. And SU got beat from a bad draw in the cup last year , it certainly is a mouthwatering clash i would have to lean towards Smoken up , he will end up outside the leader at some point and we all know he can win from there. I will have something little each way on Pembrook Benny from the draw.

Smoken Up
Pembrook Benny
Sushi Sushi

but as you (and I) have said - he was beaten last year here (after getting to death)

[Starship Captain]

They got me again, here I was thinking that we would get to watch live racing.%$·$%·it's like foreplay with out the sex

[Old Frank]

What, they did the same as the Victoria Cup? Absolute bullshit and false advertising.

[Messenger]

You're not wrong - apologies to anyone who stayed at home (instead of heading to a Sky outlet) like me and missed the race because of my 'live streaming' post

[Old Frank]

At odds of 100/1, does that make Highview Tommy Harness Racing's version of 'Dandy Andy'?

All week the 'match race' was billed, but someone forgot to tell 'Tommy' the script!

[aussiebreno]

Got to the club just in time too watch the race - I was originally skeptical of the live streaming. A good 20 people stood around and watched the race, up on the handful who normally take interest so that was a positive.
Sushi Sushi what a good run and done what no 4yo has done since Shaka and CUF - that being more than held their own taking on the grand circuit.

Congrats to Highview Tommy but Sushi Sushi lost no admirers.

[Old Frank]

Huge run, went super.

I hope they don't overtax Sushi as a 4yr old. He's a super horse and should just now go back to his age features for the rest of the season.

They've done a super job managing his races and the horse up to this point, no need to go undoing their work getting too excited and going to well too often.

[ARTOFFICIAL]

Sushi ran his last mile in 1.55.8 and got beaten!!!! Lost no admirers imo.

[Messenger]

I don't know what their other choices were for an open debut but the 400m further than he has raced before ALMOST did not matter. Smoken wanted to turn it up for a second on the bend - has he ever done that before?

[broncobrad]

Totally fixated on the two leaders and loved every moment of the race except that last bit - that bit wasn't in the script. When Sushi sailed away on the bend SU did look like he had had enough but he really stuck on. Harness racing really does have a horse it can hang its hat on, he is the real deal. I won't remember this race for Highview Tommy winning (super effort, stunning finish), but for the night that Sushi Sushi announced himself on the harness racing stage as the next contender. Looking forward to the next few years. Check the size of the crowd these horses dragged out. Positives of this type make for much better headlines instead of those other 'positives.'

[Toohard]

Post #15 (Mitch) got it right (almost)...just had wrong Kiwi storming home at the end!

Smoken Up and Sushi Sushi both awesome efforts.

Reckon Smoken Up doesn't get round that last bend at Ballarat at high speed (same last year too) but he kept giving it everything up the straight. Sat outside Sushi Sushi in a 1.55.8 last mile got beat 4m's and was making ground on him again up the straight.

Sushi was absolutely super! G.Sugars didn't panic when caught wide early. Just let him find the front without over taxing him too much and tried to win it at the exact right time. Got beat a pimple so couldn't have judged it much better than that.

Mark Purdons timing was perfect. As it was in the 2 races he won earlier (well 1 1/2 races anyway).

The big crowd roared when Sushi skipped away but could have heard a pin drop after race...."Flatter than a sh*t carters hat" it was.

Nathan: Was telling son the story of 'Dandy Andy' on the way home. Remarkable similarities hey!!

Great race highlighted by great horses and great drivers.

And well done to Ballarat too. They always put on a great night.

[Messenger]

There is no doubting how gutsy Smoken is but has he been known to swish his tail like that - being an old warrior is there a poss that he might feel the flat bend more so than banked? Sushi was outstanding but I cannot see him being a Smoken - may be too smart ie He will not let them lay the persuader on him. And outstanding also has to be the winner coming around that bend 5w and home in about 27

[Starship Captain]

Re:- Live racing on the web.
Just to clear up my prior complaint, the advertising banner, the quality of the live footage was all spectacular, congratulations to whom ever put that together for the internet.

[montana]

Great race , i must admit Sushi surprised me at his first run this level , 3 wide , ran along with Smoken up on his outside it was a shame he got beat. Congrats to the connections of Highview Tommy though he has been a grand campaigner.

[Harold Parker]

Was that Nat Russ who greeted Purdon after the race, sure looked like it ?

She was giddy ... traitor !!

[peteboss4]

Was that Nat Russ who greeted Purdon after the race, sure looked like it ?

She was giddy ... traitor !!

She's been with Purdon for quite some time.

[Itisi]

Post #15 (Mitch) got it right (almost)...just had wrong Kiwi storming home at the end!

Smoken Up and Sushi Sushi both awesome efforts.

Reckon Smoken Up doesn't get round that last bend at Ballarat at high speed (same last year too) but he kept giving it everything up the straight. Sat outside Sushi Sushi in a 1.55.8 last mile got beat 4m's and was making ground on him again up the straight.

Sushi was absolutely super! G.Sugars didn't panic when caught wide early. Just let him find the front without over taxing him too much and tried to win it at the exact right time. Got beat a pimple so couldn't have judged it much better than that.

Mark Purdons timing was perfect. As it was in the 2 races he won earlier (well 1 1/2 races anyway).

The big crowd roared when Sushi skipped away but could have heard a pin drop after race...."Flatter than a sh*t carters hat" it was.

Nathan: Was telling son the story of 'Dandy Andy' on the way home. Remarkable similarities hey!!

Great race highlighted by great horses and great drivers.

And well done to Ballarat too. They always put on a great night.
Agree with all you said here except the part about G. Sugars I say he got cocky and went to early at the top of the straight, when he only had to hang on for another few metres and he wins. Only my opinion though.

[Harold Parker]

She's been with Purdon for quite some time.

I had no idea. I was MIA for a few years abroad and missed that.

[Old Frank]

Agree with all you said here except the part about G. Sugars I say he got cocky and went to early at the top of the straight, when he only had to hang on for another few metres and he wins. Only my opinion though.



Yes and no and to be frank, easy to say in hindsight.

I think it was a case of Sushi was humming and Smoken Up was dropping off. I think Sugar's just gone, well it's best of both worlds here so let's run.

It's just a shame he got beat, he's run super.

[Don Corleone]

Smokin Up stuck like glue and Sushi signalled he's got what it takes. Highview Tommy did what he's always done when driven for one crack. Good race.

[eliteblood]

Yes and no and to be frank, easy to say in hindsight.

I think it was a case of Sushi was humming and Smoken Up was dropping off. I think Sugar's just gone, well it's best of both worlds here so let's run.

It's just a shame he got beat, he's run super.


Sushi faced a big challenge last night and I had reservations about him being able to win but I thought his run was awesome. The wide draw beat him in the end and it was a shame that his winning sequence came to an end the way that it did. He deserved the win.
I agree with you Nathan. I think Greg going for home when he did was a reaction to Smoken Up suddenly dropping off. It is hard to say for sure but had he held together for another 20 metres he probably would have won.

[Old Frank]

Sushi faced a big challenge last night and I had reservations about him being able to win but I thought his run was awesome. The wide draw beat him in the end and it was a shame that his winning sequence came to an end the way that it did. He deserved the win.
I agree with you Nathan. I think Greg going for home when he did was a reaction to Smoken Up suddenly dropping off. It is hard to say for sure but had he held together for another 20 metres he probably would have won.



If Sushi hangs on and wins by a head or whatever the margin was, we all laud Sugar's a genius for his timing.

As it stands, the horse has gone super, ran 1.55 and change for his flying mile fending off the best horse in this region for the last 12months and been caught unfortunately by a swooper getting last crack.

If anything, the only mistake I thought young Greg did was being a tad indecisive at the start, hence causing him to sit three-wide longer than what he should off. I genuinally thought the cheap lead would be there for him as most drivers would have assumed even if Sushi can't win going from top to tale, he would most certainly take them all the way to the lane. As it stood, he's far better than probably all are thinking and he's a future Grand Circuit performer if we've ever seen one. I'm not saying Greg should have fired off the car, but if he'd had good intent off the arm, I'm most certain anyone getting to the spot before him would have handed up. It's all problematical now though isn't it?

Sushi wins and Greg's in the penthouse, he get's beat though and he's in the basement! Hahahaha...

[Itisi]

No point starting new thread but what did you guys think of the reactors run? Good but not what he was my thoughts.

[montana]

first up in a stand over a distance and sitting parked i thought it was a good effort. the hunter cup is probably not going to be his race but first round inter heat over a mile he should be primed.