Globe Derby - $60,000 Southern Cross winners

Pressure builds diamonds and such was the case with Mark Billinger’s drive on Rap Artist to take off the $60,000 Sky Racing Southern Cross final (2230m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday night.

A barrier draw of 10 meant Billinger was going to need a top drive with his main opposition Jumping Jolt ($3.30) and Futurist ($4.30) coming from gates two and five off the front row.

However, from the time the starter said go, Rap Artist ($2.20 fav), came away beautifully and Billinger had him one out, two back and ideally placed.

Official Art ($13.80) led from gate four but then handed up to Jumping Jolt with Darren Billinger taking Futurist to sit parked and with 30.0 and 30.2 first quarters, a good tempo was set.

Mark Billinger came wide on Rap Artist going into the back and let him sprint strongly to join the leaders past the 400m mark with a 29.1 third quarter, then dash to the front.

Angela Chapman on Manonthemoon ($113.40) trailed the favourite into the race and made a dash rounding the home turn but Rap Artist was too good and drew clear to win by 9-1/2 metres coming home in 29.3 for a mile rate of 1:58.0.

Such was the ease of the win by the son of Art Major, Billinger was able to wave his whip skyward close to the line to acknowledge his father Val who passed away two weeks earlier.

Chapman was just as pleased to finish second on Manonthemoon with The Big Show ($28.10) also running home well to be 4-1/2 metres away third.

The emotion of the win was obvious when Billinger and his mum Marlene had a prolonged hug prior to the trophy presentation.

Billinger admitted pre-race he had thought the draw was a big obstacle with good horses off the front but as the race developed it provided a perfect run.

“I’ve always said I believed he would be better with a sit and tonight he proved it,” Billinger said.

The win was Billinger’s fourth driving success in the Southern Cross three-year-old colts and geldings series having scored on Pacific Wonder (1991), Law (2000) and Hes A Corka (2003).

For the family of the Billinger family’s foundation broodmare Uncork, it was the third win for the family with Hes A Corka and Come On Frank (2011) being other victors.

The driver also trains Rap Artist, something he did in partnership with his ‘best friend’, his dad Val, and with his passing spoke to part-owner Richard Miller about selling the three-year-old.

“Richard, mum and myself had a good talk last week and decided we would not sell but instead, I will take him to Sydney later in the year for a campaign at Menangle.

“He can go for a break and I will take a holiday then when I get home will get him right and take him to Sydney for a campaign. Because he is the only horse I have in work and I have no other commitments it is possible to go away for a while.

“Let’s see just how he measures up against top opposition.”

Southern Cross Winner! Our Celebrity

Our Celebrity was on her best behavior to score a brilliant win in the $60,000 Sky Racing Southern Cross Two-Year-Old Fillies final (1800m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.

A red hot $1.50 favourite, Our Celebrity, driven by Mark Billinger, overcame an awkward draw of eight to score by 11 metres from Ellen Louise ($5) with Shania Black ($21.50), 1-1/2 metres away third.

Billinger deliberately took the Mach Three filly away from the inside as the gate released and was happy to allow the filly to go around and sit outside the leader Ellen Louise before dashing clear in the home straight.

On July 9, Our Celebrity was not in a good mood, rearing up when there was a false start, then over-racing during her race and fading to finish fourth.

Part-owner-breeder Bruce Cameron said he believed it was a combination of factors that resulted in the filly getting fired up.

“It was a stormy night, raining and there was a false start,” Cameron said. “She can be a bit flighty but just became stirred up and it was all too much.

“Credit to Emma (Stewart) and Clayton (Tonkin) when the filly got home they worked with her and she has been great in her two subsequent runs.

“After that stormy night I thought she might need the paddock, but judging by her wins over the past two weeks, maybe we will still consider heading on to the Breeders Crown. I know Emma and Clayton will make the right call.”

For Cameron, it was his third success in the Two-Year-Old Fillies Southern Cross having been successful with Beauty Secret (2011) and Rocknroll Magic (2015). The trio have all been trained by Emma Stewart.

Southern Cross Winner! Stars of Courage

Hard work by trainer Ray Holberton returned the ultimate reward when Stars Of Courage led throughout to win the $60,000 Sky Channel Southern Cross final (1800m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.

A winner of four of his eight starts, Stars Of Courage (Courage Under Fire), while displaying ability, had a habit of over-racing which didn’t help and stopped his record of being even better.

But the two-year-old got in right on the night, with Stars Of Courage, backed from $3.60 into $2.60 leading throughout for a 10 metre win from arch-rival Emain Macha ($2.10 fav) with Glenrae Hanover ($11.60), 3-1/2 metres away third.

The race had pre-race drama when Nykea Courage, a stablemate of Emain Macha, played up in the score up causing a false start with both Stars Of Courage (gate one) Emain Macha (gate four) both hard up against the mobile and taking some work to pull up.

It was feared the false start might fire up Stars Of Courage in particular but it didn’t eventuate.

Driver Dani Hill was able to get a comfortable lead and set pedestrian first quarters of 32.6 and 32.0 with no rivals challenging.

As a result, Stars Of Courage was able to come home in 28.0 and 27.5 and win easily.

Holberton was a proud trainer and said he always had confidence the horse would be right to win once the barrier draw was announced.

“I knew if he was able to lead he would settle for Dani,” Holberton said.

“We’ve done a lot of work to get him to settle, but once in front I was sure he would be fine.”

The victory was Dani Hill’s second in the two-year-old colts and geldings Southern Cross series having been successful on On The Scotch in 2005.

Stars Of Courage was bred and is owned by brothers Adrian and David Kemp along with David’s wife Julie, sister of the trainer Ray Holberton.

The Kemps hail from Allandale East in the South-East of South Australia.

“We purchased his mother Rigaleto Gold at a sale and she had ability winning a heat of the Southern Cross at her first start,” David Kemp said. “But she suffered an injury and didn’t do a lot of racing.

“Her first foal is a three-year-old which hasn’t raced as we are giving him time.”

David Kemp praised Holberton for his work with the gelding and added the trainer deserved credit for also managing to get four two-year-old fillies into that final.

Emain Macha, a winner of seven of his previous eight starts, was far from disgraced having to sit parked and battling on strongly.

Trainer Greg Scholefield said the two-year-old had done really well in his initial campaign and would now go for a break and he was confident he could make improvement as a three-year-old.

Southern Cross Winner! Rocknroll Magic

“I’m glad she is a filly, I would not like to have her racing against Rap Artist,” said driver Mark Billinger after winning the $60,000 Sky Racing Southern Cross Three-Year-Old Fillies final (2230m) on Rocknroll Magic.

The Emma Stewart-trained Rocknroll Magic ($1 favourite) rolled to the front from gate four and had little more than a trial in scoring a 15-1/2 metre win from Lily Thesinger ($11) with Queen Of Sharkz ($24.30), 11 metres away third.

Billinger kept her comfortable but peeled off quarters of 31.2, 29.7, 28.8 and 28.0 to win untouched and return a mile rate of 1:58.8.

The driver has a good opinion of Rap Artist, which he trains, and won the Three-Year-Old Colts & Geldings Southern Cross final but said Rocknroll Magic was in a class of her own.

“She does it so easy,” Billinger said. “I hardly move to ask to go a bit quicker and she finds another gear.”

Victory meant the filly was able to follow up from taking out the Two-Year-Old fillies final last year at Port Pirie. It was Billinger’s third success in the Three-Year-Old Fillies having won on Saved A Corka (2007) and Lovelist (2015).

Rocknroll Magic was bred and is part-owned by Bruce Cameron who has syndicated the filly to a happy group of owners.

The Rock N Roll Heaven filly is a perfect introduction for his son Henry, 16, as it is his first involvement as an owner, and for a few others in the syndicate including John Penny, Nathan and Geoff Woods and the Magic Sons Group managed by Brenton Thompson.

Cameron said Rocknroll Magic would now be set for the Breeders Crown series in Victoria and he is hoping she can prove her status as one of the best of her age in Australia.

“She’s won 19 of her 26 starts, and her only bad run was at Menangle in the Oaks and she pulled up off colour,” Cameron said.

“She is not a big filly but she is tough and stands up to racing.”

Placegetters Lily Thesinger and Queen of Sharkz both ran well but were not in the same class as the winner.

For the connections of Lily Thesinger, the second place added another $8,338 in stakes following two wins and a second from her previous three starts, after being purchased for just $2500.

by Graham Fischer