08.06.10
Jewels success for Nevele R sires
Harness Jewels Day 2010 was a resounding success for Nevele R Stud and its' stallions with four of the nine Group 1 events taken out by Nevele R sired runners at Cambridge Raceway on June 5.
Likely 4yo Pacing Mare of the Year Beaudiene Bad Babe began the day on the right note in the first on the card, the $200,000 Group 1 Nevele R Stud 4YO Diamond, powering to the lead by the bell then simply leaving her rivals in her wake in the straight to win by two lengths in a smart 1:55.7 mile rate.
It was the southern belle's 21st career win, with the daughter of Badlands Hanover having now amassed $348,226 in stakes earnings.
The beautifully bred Falcon Seelster filly De Lovely then put forward her claim for 3YO Pacing Filly of the Year honours with a dominant performance in the Rebo Restaurant @ Skycity 3YO Diamond, spearing to the lead from barrier one and never looking back, defeating the same two fillies who chased her home a fortnight ago in the NZ Oaks, Lancome and Meredith Maguire.
As in the Oaks, De Lovely set a new national record when winning the $200,000 Group 1 feature, pacing the mile in 1:54 flat - 0.4 seconds faster than Joyfuljoy's previous record.
The Geoff Small trained filly has now won six of her lifetime starts for $283,581 in earnings.
The next Nevele R sired runner to win their Harness Jewels event was the Mark Purdon and Grant Payne trained son of Muscles Yankee, I Can Doosit, who sprinted home the best in the Cambridge - Te Awamutu HRC 4YO Ruby to take a one and a quarter length victory over Dr Hook and Great Getaway in 1:56.7, equalling Leighton Hest's Harness Jewels record for trotters.
Finally NZ's best 4YO male pacer, Tintin In America, rounded the day off in style, dashing through on the passing lane in the $200,000 Skycity Hamilton 4YO Emerald to score a one and a quarter length win over fellow Nevele R sired runners Still Coughin (Live Or Die) and Harley Earl (Artsplace), recording a time of 1:54.1 and becoming just the third horse in the process to win two Harness Jewels events - the others being Nevele R's latest stallion acquisition Changeover and the Phil Williamson trained trotter Springbank Richard.
The win was the McArdle entire's 16th career victory, following on from recent wins in the Group 1 Dawson Harford Messenger Championship and the Group 3 Kumeu Stakes, taking his earnings to a stellar $934,305.
