Streitkid does name proud
PROMINENT harness racing owners Barry Cooper and Jamie Cockshutt have enjoyed plenty of success over the years but in Hobart last night they celebrated a win that probably meant more to them than most.
Streitkid made the most of a pole position draw (gate one) and with ace reinsman Ricky Duggan in the sulky the gelded son of American Ideal led and gave his rivals a pacing lesson.
The three-year-old’s dam is Ima Blissful Belle, that was arguably one of the best pacers owned by Cockshutt and Cooper, went amiss early in her career and was retired to stud.
“We tried to get the mare in foal five times and failed and I was about to give up but my business partner Barry Cooper convinced me to give the mare one more try and this horse is the result,” Cockshutt said.
“The mare foaled down at Sue Streit’s Elderslie Horse Care property and it was Sue who had to bottle feed this horse when the mare rejected him so it was Sue’s late night vigils that helped keep him alive.
“We will be forever grateful to Sue (Streit) so we decided to try and have her surname in the colt’s name.
“We originally tried to secure Streitwise but that was rejected, but we got Streitkid.”
Streitkid ($3 into $2.80) began brilliantly to lead while the favourite Kaliska Leis ($2.60) faced the breeze with the other well-backed conveyance Flying Wingard ($5) was taken back to last from an outside front-row draw.
Duggan ensured a reasonable tempo but with his charge able to sneak a couple of cheap quarters the gelding had plenty in reserve when called on.
Streitkid gave his rivals the slip at the top of the home straight and he went on to win by more than 10m from Hot Shot Bonnie with Flying Wingard flashing home from last to grab third. SHADOW Storm became the first horse to win using a sprint lane that came into effect on the Hobart track two weeks ago.
It was only a matter of time before it happened but it prob- ably would have had a greater effect had the winner been one of the favourites.
Hobart was the first track in Australia to introduce a sprint lane in the late 1990s when racing was held on the old Royal Showground track and it almost led to a boycott when most drivers and trainers objected to its introduction.
The pressure applied by participants was so great it led to the sprint lane’s demise but a few years later every major track in Australia was installing a sprint lane or passing lane as they were then known.