CHARMER LODGE FEATURE NEWS - JUNE 2007

Courtesy GRAQ website - David Brash 28 June, 2007. WORTH KEEPING BYRON Miller reckons he had a point to prove and did just that at Albion Park on Thursday night with Serena Keeping.  The Hallucinate-Intelligent bitch scored a handy win in a 600m 5th Grade for Miller running 35.61. She won by a length and a half over Four Way Style with a length and three-quarters to Misty Bear in third. Miller paid $11,500 for Serena Keeping after she had won six races including a 30.30 victory at Wentworth Park. “She’s from a very good litter and I bought her for breeding in the future but because she was showing so much potential,” said Miller. He put her straight into a heat of the Flying Amy Puppy Classic at headquarters in May and promptly got a month suspension handed down by stewards for the bitch’s performance. “She pulled up with a sore hock after that race,” said Miller. “I cleared her in a trial and then she ran a really good second over 600m here on Monday night." “I had a point to prove and I think she has done that.” Serena Keeping has now won seven in 21 starts. Miller has six dogs in training in his new Ellengowan property in northern NSW. “I moved there a few months ago because I have more room to rear pups,” he said. “And that’s the future for this bitch.”

CHARMER LODGE FEATURE NEWS - JUNE 2007

Courtesy GRAQ website - David Brash  28 June, 2007. GIRL IN WITHERING FORM RON Ball just wants it to keep ticking over as it is. That’s Witheren’s Girl, the daughter of Placard-Berella Shantal who is sweeping all before her in recent weeks around Albion Park. She did that again on Thursday night when winning a 520m FFA in 30.07. And in a repeat of the previous week’s top grade race, she wore down early leader Buckingham Chuck to win by a half a length with four and a quarter to Qld Cup winner Technoman flashing home for third. Witheren’s Girl has now won six of her past seven starts. Amazingly the bitch paid $18 on the Qld TAB. “It’s all got to do with her confidence,” said Ball. “In her past six or eight starts, she has been able to get to the first turn without any interference at all. “And you can see the result.” Witheren’s Girl, raced by Bill Crooks, has now won 14 races and been placed in 12 of her 41 starts. “I’ll keep her ticking over for the Group 1 race at Albion Park next month,” said Ball. “And when it comes to that race, I just hope she can draw an inside box, and preferably have Buckingham Chuck leading her early,” Ball joked. Ball has also stopped backing up Witheren’s Girl from Monday to Thursday night racing. Ball laments that his bitch suffered from severe interference in a couple of her starts when younger and that resulted in a loss of confidence. But that certainly has been changed now. “You can put it all down to Plan P,” said Ball. “That’s the number of different plans we have put into place for this bitch. "And they're working, as you can see.”

CHARMER LODGE FEATURE NEWS - JUNE 2007

What Might Have Been Courtesy GRANSW website KING's Conquest's (Hallucinate x Super Sophie) owner-trainer Stuart Dickinson was left pondering "what might have been'' after his dog demolished a hot field in Monday night's Triple Crown Lodge Stake at Wentworth Park. King's Conquest covered the 520m in 30.18sec, .01 faster than Run The Risk took to win last Saturday night's Peter Mosman Classic. And there lies the rub. Because King's Conquest was leading when the field almost caught the lure in the later abandoned semi-final of the Classic on June 2. The two finalists from that semi were chosen by ballot and King's Conquest missed a start in Run The Risk's Classic. On Monday King's Conquest carved across from box eight, hampering the entire field and shooting clear at the first turn before coming away for an easy win. After the race, Dickinson's kennel foreman Mick Hooper said: "King's Conquest trialled 22.48 at Richmond when Stu first bought him from Melbourne. "He is getting better with every run. Although the dog is a good railer he begins better from out wide. When he draws inside he hears the lure approaching too clearly and gets too excited. He settles better from outside.'' JEFF COLLERSON

CHARMER LODGE FEATURE NEWS - JUNE 2007

GREEN PAIR TO YOUNG GUNS Courtesy GRAQ website - 4 June, 2007. ROGER Green will head back to Rockhampton to take on a up-coming Young Guns series with exciting youngsters Stone Cold Sober and Hi Ransom. That pair ran the Quinella in a Maiden 1000 at Rockhampton last Thursday night, Stone Cold Sober (Hallucinate-Kalka Kate) winning in a track record 23.27 eclipsing Oops Sorry’s previous mark of 23.29. Hi Ransom (Brett Lee-Hitech Star) was beaten just a length and a quarter after running off on the home turn when looming up to win the race. The Rockhampton Young Guns (407m) series will be run on June 23 and 28. Green had planned to take both young dogs to Grafton for the rich maiden series there, but ran out of time to have them fully educated. “I like to make sure they have sufficient field trials before racing my young dogs,” he said. “The Maiden 1000 was just right for them.” Green already rates both dogs as good at this stage as any dog he has trained, including Melbourne Cup winner Roanokee. He says Stone Cold Sober is easily the best beginner of the pair and both will be seen at their best when they get to 520m. QUEENSLAND owned bitch Miss Hot Gossip (Surf Lorian-Roxy Reason) is likely to start hot favourite for Saturday night’s Group 2 Peter Mosman Classic final at Wentworth Park. Bred and owned by Dave Robartson, Miss Hot Gossip is now trained by Jason Thompson in Victoria and was the recent Group 2 WA Oaks winner. She ran a flying 29.86 when winning her Mosman Classic semi-final last Saturday night by eight and a half lengths. Box draw for the Mosman Classic Final is: 1 Black Gambler 2 Corporate Raida 3 Master Izmir 4 Miss Hot Gossip 5 Ova Here Now 6 Run The Risk 7 Burrel Blaizer 8 Blazing Token Reserves 9 Raglan Street 10 Cool Conquest TWEED Galaxy hopefuls Pedro’s Me Mate and No Excess warmed up for the heats this weekend when fast Prelude winners at the track last weekend. Pedro’s Me Mate (Where’s Pedro-Micky Transton) ran a brilliant 23.27 to win a Prelude by a length over Kingsbrae Di with eight lengths to Chloe Magoo in third. He races out of the Denise Robinson kennel. And Steve Kavanagh’s No Excess (Collision-Late Show Lady) ran 23.31 when winning by four lengths in his Prelude beating Singin The Blues with a half length to Spring Story in third. Victorian galloper Train A Journey trialled brilliantly after the last race at Tweed on Saturday in preparation for the Galaxy.