29 June 2008
Smoken Up, Earl Of Mot and Good Lookin Girl all produced record-breaking runs at Menangle
Smoken Up is the new Australasian race record holder.
The suspicion that national records were going to tumble at Sunday’s bumper Menangle grand opening extravaganza proved to be correct with the day’s three open class Group 1 events all producing records of some description.
Smoken Up obliterated the Australasian record in winning the Len Smith Mile, Earl Of Mot set a new Australian trotters’ record with his win in the Trotters Mile, while Good Lookin Girl readjusted the Australian mares’ record with her win in the Ladyship Mile.
Smoken Up went 1:51.9 when leading all of the way in the Len Smith Mile. That sliced almost a full second of Pay Me Christian’s 1:52.8 record that was set at Newcastle in 2006.
On the line the $2.10 favourite had a head to spare over Lombo Pocket Watch, who looked the winner when he loomed ominously at the 100m mark, with Atomic Ark a metre and three quarters back in third spot.
Smoken Up’s win completed a dream day for Lance Justice, who just 35 minutes earlier won the $50,000 Special Olympics Trotters Mile with Earl Of Mot.
While unwanted by punters, the $20 chance clipped two-tenths of a second off Knight Pistol’s Australian record with his 1:56.2 win over Will Trapper ($3.50) and Countessa Hest ($88).
After a 28.5-second first section, the middle two quarters were covered in 29.8 and 29.1 before coming home the last 400m in 28.9 seconds.
Earl Of Mot’s win followed Good Lookin Girl’s 1:53.7 win in the $100,000 Ladyship Mile.
Despite doing most of the work outside fellow Queenslander Fleur De Lil, the Natalie Rasmussen-driven star was still able to get home in a 26.9-second final section to secure victory by more than two metres as a $3.40 chance.
That followed a 27.4 opening split and middle quarters of 28.9 and 30.4 seconds.
Fleur De Lil ($3.30 fav) held on claim second prize, a metre clear of Miss Hazel ($26).