Jolt top match with Manning
Veteran Great Western trainer Peter Manning and five-year-old gelding Christmas Jolt are a perfect match – they just keep on, keeping on.
The pair combined for another victory on Thursday night at Geelong, leading from go to whoa in a $7000 C5-6 pace over 2100 metres, with Kerryn Manning in the sulky.
Christmas Jolt has raced regularly since returning from a short break on Boxing Day 2016 at Ballarat. During this time he has faced the starter on 28 occasions for six wins, five seconds, three thirds and five fourths, earning stakes of about $44,000 for his connections – testimony to the efforts of both horse and trainer.
The son of Village Jolt CA showed Manning and owner Kevin Burns plenty of ability from the beginning, scoring on debut at Geelong in December 2014 before posting another three consecutive victories as a two-year-old.
His dam Christmas Cullen was a pacing-bred, trotting mare, that won eight races for trainer-driver Grant Campbell. She was daughter of Golden Emma – three wins – and grand-daughter of Wolsley Emma – five wins – both of which were trained by Manning for long-time stable supporter Burns. The Geelong victory took Christmas Jolt’s overall career record to 16 wins, 20 minors and a bank of $147,274 – he’s certainly no superstar but the sort of horse every owner loves to have.
Bendigo success
Armstrong-training team Brooke Hansen and Tim O’brien enjoyed a trip to the winners circle at Bendigo on Saturday with their five-year-old mare Social Fireball.
The pacing-bred trotter appreciated a drop in class and courtesy of a magic drive by Chris Alford scored by a half-neck in the $7000 Aldebaran Park T1 Trot over 2150 metres in a mile rate of 2:01.4.
With the front-runners maintaining a solid tempo throughout and Social Fireball settled towards the rear of the nine-horse field, Alford made the right move with 600 metres to go, when he angled his charge down to the pegs and saved enormous ground around the final bend.
Social Fireball finished strongly along the sprintlane to record her sixth victory from 41 starts. Hansen and O’brien have her racing in career best form with three wins from her last seven outings. There’s no reason to suggest she can’t win a few more before the handicapper gets her measure.