5/7/11
Racing Loses a Legend..
It is with great sadness that I bring the news to you of the passing of one of the founders and long time contributors to Mt Barker Turf Club's website.
While the details are not yet fully available, Geoff disappeared about a week ago and has been uncontactable since. He has most recently been contributing towards our country and provincial meeting previews and had been missing for a week. He was found in his bed and had peacefully passed away.
Geoff of course has been a passionate racing man for many years and was the founder of Grass Roots Racing WA just over two years ago. His focus turned to racing at the grass roots level, country and provincial racing were his forte.
A Bunbury boy and a real Dockers fan, Geoff travelled hundreds of kilometres on a weekly basis to attend meetings far and wide, interviewing trainers, writing previews and taking snaps which could all be found on his website, updated daily with great detail.
A long time contributor to the MBTC website, Geoff had just returned to the fold, writing weekly previews for Northam, Pinjarra and Kalgoorlie for Perth Turf Talk, Perth Racing and his own website www.grassrootsracingwa.com .
Geoff was a through and through "grass roots" racing man and he will be sorely missed by the industry as a whole. His words will no longer grace the world wide web and his photos will no longer warm the hearts of onwers, trainers and strappers alike.
Thankyou Geoff for helping set up the MBTC website - your input, your photography, your insight and your articles will be sadly missed.
Rest in peace friend.
While the details are not yet fully available, Geoff disappeared about a week ago and has been uncontactable since. He has most recently been contributing towards our country and provincial meeting previews and had been missing for a week. He was found in his bed and had peacefully passed away.
Geoff of course has been a passionate racing man for many years and was the founder of Grass Roots Racing WA just over two years ago. His focus turned to racing at the grass roots level, country and provincial racing were his forte.
A Bunbury boy and a real Dockers fan, Geoff travelled hundreds of kilometres on a weekly basis to attend meetings far and wide, interviewing trainers, writing previews and taking snaps which could all be found on his website, updated daily with great detail.
A long time contributor to the MBTC website, Geoff had just returned to the fold, writing weekly previews for Northam, Pinjarra and Kalgoorlie for Perth Turf Talk, Perth Racing and his own website www.grassrootsracingwa.com .
Geoff was a through and through "grass roots" racing man and he will be sorely missed by the industry as a whole. His words will no longer grace the world wide web and his photos will no longer warm the hearts of onwers, trainers and strappers alike.
Thankyou Geoff for helping set up the MBTC website - your input, your photography, your insight and your articles will be sadly missed.
Rest in peace friend.
MT BARKER PREVIEW - THURSDAY 17/2
By Geoff Whittle
The Mt Barker Turf Club's eight event programme set down for Thursday should be run in cool conditions with an expected top of 21 degrees. A Good 3 track is expected & the rail with be in true position with race one timed to jump at 1.07pm.
WA's premiership leading jockey William Pike will make a rare visit to Mt Barker and teams up with his old master Jack Cockell for several mounts along with Gerry Hughes' runners who are often ridden by Pike's injured partner Jessica Valas.
Pike, a Mt Barker Cup winning rider on Lindsey Smith's Exchequer in 2006 has his best chance to land a winner with Hughes' Titcherman who will contest an open Amerillup Handicap (1300 metres), race six.
Now a nine-year-old, Titcherman is still racing with plenty of zest and finished a close second to Thursday's strong opponent Star Buck at Albany last start at a shorter 1200 metres.
Star Buck a winner of four races on end at Frost Park last season goes up 1.5 kilograms on last run to a formidable 61 kilos while third placegetter to him at Albany The Tax Man (Shaun Meeres) stays on 55kgs for being beaten three-parts of a length.
The Tax Man has won for times on the track also and gets his chance for another win but bottom weight Collayshell, Star Buck, Titcherman and 2010 Mt Barker Cup winner Timely Reign all have genuine claims. Jolanta Star is capable of bouncing back to form but is on the "watch" list at present.
Another interesting clash on the card is race five, the 1200 metre Boyacup Angus Stud Handicap where three-time track winner Trimconnection will match motors with Kevin Anderson's talented former Victorian Letdegoodtimesroll, Fiery Fox who is unbeaten in two runs at the venue and veteran Storm Closure who finished close-up in Certain Magic's race at Albany on January 27.
Trimconnection has not been out of the money at her last five starts and included has been wins at each of the Great Southern tracks for trainer Angela Smith and regular rider Peter Black. She is again blessed with a good barrier draw (3) and will be hard to beat in the first leg of the quaddie.
Dolken Star was granted a race at Narrogin last week after a successful protest from the rider of the third horse against the winner elevated him to the the winner's stall. His run two starts prior at Mt Barker when coming from the rear to take second behind Russian Rouge was a top effort and he can go on with the successful vein in the seventh race for rider Willie Arnold.
Holy Elmis' Nutopia was a clear second ahead of the rest behind Jeneviv at Albany last week and Steve Wolfe's Ancient Spell has trialled well recently winning at Albany on January 27.
Alan Kennedy has a promising selection of rides including Wolfe's Lunar Ice in race one, Peter Western's Megablitz engaged in the fourth and good each way prospect Grandblurr who contests the final event.
Grandblurr can improve on her first up sixth to Jeneviv at Albany last week while last Thursday's Narrogin winner Jake The Musk represents the danger.
TRACK SPECIALIST STAR BUCK STEPS OUT IN RACE 6
PLAYING GOD TO TACKLE
COUNTRY'S BEST
PLAYING GOD SWOOPS ON SATURDAY (DAMIEN WYER PIC)
Playing
God will be tested against the country's best of his age after scoring a
brilliant fresh win in Saturday's $126,100 R.M.Williams Magic Millions
Perth 3yo Trophy (1400m) at Ascot.
Ridden confidently by Steven Parnham, Playing God cruising home to beat Luckygray in a quinella result that was tipped by most.
Saturday's run was the first for the classy three-year-old since he beat the older horses in the Group One Kingston Town Stakes at the same track in early December.
Parnham and the colt's owner Colin Loxton are set to send their stable star east for the Group One Australian Guineas at Flemington in three weeks.
"It was a pretty good win," Parnham said. "He may have been feeling it a bit on the line."
"Steve was able to get him into a perfect position particularly with the conditions favouring the on speed runners."
"He put him right into the race at the corner and he was always going to win the race from that point on."
"Pre-race we thought we might have even been out three deep punching the breeze but it was a good ride from Steve and he was able to get him into a great position to win the race."
"He found a few lengths very quickly coming to the turn and he won as he liked."
"He had a gallop here on the grass on Saturday morning and it was sensational work."
"It's always easy to stay on your home turf - but he's an entire and if you don't have a go at these opportunities you'd probably do yourself an injustice."
"He's done enough in Western Australia to be a nice entire for someone to stand. But if was able to go to and win a race like the Australian Guineas it would take him to another level."
As well as the Australian Guineas, Playing God holds an entry for the Group One Australian Cup - a race in which he would be well suited at weight-for-age.
Parnham said if the colt did perform well in the Guineas there was also an option to head north to Sydney for a possible crack at the AJC Derby.
In winning, the Blackfriars colt sent his earnings soaring past the $700,000 barrier with his sixth win at start number 10.
He's turned out a great money spinner for his connections after being purchased by Neville Parnham for Colin Loxton's Cockatoo Ridge Syndicate for just $27,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
A graduate of Durham Lodge, Playing God is a full brother to the group winner and fellow Parnham trained star God Has Spoken.
Winner: Playing God (Blackfriars-Dolly Will Do)
Race: WATC R.M.Williams Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (1400m)
Sold for: $27,000
Sale: 2009 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
Vendor: Durham Lodge
Buyer: Parnham's Racing Stable
Earnings: $709,403
Ridden confidently by Steven Parnham, Playing God cruising home to beat Luckygray in a quinella result that was tipped by most.
Saturday's run was the first for the classy three-year-old since he beat the older horses in the Group One Kingston Town Stakes at the same track in early December.
Parnham and the colt's owner Colin Loxton are set to send their stable star east for the Group One Australian Guineas at Flemington in three weeks.
"It was a pretty good win," Parnham said. "He may have been feeling it a bit on the line."
"Steve was able to get him into a perfect position particularly with the conditions favouring the on speed runners."
"He put him right into the race at the corner and he was always going to win the race from that point on."
"Pre-race we thought we might have even been out three deep punching the breeze but it was a good ride from Steve and he was able to get him into a great position to win the race."
"He found a few lengths very quickly coming to the turn and he won as he liked."
"He had a gallop here on the grass on Saturday morning and it was sensational work."
"It's always easy to stay on your home turf - but he's an entire and if you don't have a go at these opportunities you'd probably do yourself an injustice."
"He's done enough in Western Australia to be a nice entire for someone to stand. But if was able to go to and win a race like the Australian Guineas it would take him to another level."
As well as the Australian Guineas, Playing God holds an entry for the Group One Australian Cup - a race in which he would be well suited at weight-for-age.
Parnham said if the colt did perform well in the Guineas there was also an option to head north to Sydney for a possible crack at the AJC Derby.
In winning, the Blackfriars colt sent his earnings soaring past the $700,000 barrier with his sixth win at start number 10.
He's turned out a great money spinner for his connections after being purchased by Neville Parnham for Colin Loxton's Cockatoo Ridge Syndicate for just $27,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
A graduate of Durham Lodge, Playing God is a full brother to the group winner and fellow Parnham trained star God Has Spoken.
Winner: Playing God (Blackfriars-Dolly Will Do)
Race: WATC R.M.Williams Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (1400m)
Sold for: $27,000
Sale: 2009 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
Vendor: Durham Lodge
Buyer: Parnham's Racing Stable
Earnings: $709,403
