Racenet Discovery Stakes Showdown
BERNIE Hewitt can’t stand the thought of having two key TAB Eureka contenders standing at home in their stalls while the $2.1 million race is run.
So, the hugely successful Bathurst horseman is exploring all avenues to get one or both of Royal Cruiser and Our Goat into the world’s richest harness race at Menangle on September 6.
That means running them both in Saturday night’s strong and fascinating Racenet Discovery Stakes (2300m) at Menangle, a race restricted to prominent TAB Eureka contenders without a slot.
“I’m surprised and even disappointed that at least one of them hasn’t already landed a slot,” Hewitt said.
“I don’t know what more they can do. Their form during the Brisbane carnival was fantastic and in genuine free-for-all class.
“Royal Cruiser is the one who I’m struggling to understand hasn’t been picked up. Two starts back he was only 0.9sec outside Leap To Fame’s Albion Park track record winning a free-for-all by a big space and he just missed last time from behind the leader.
“I’ve tried to freshen them a little since coming home, but they’re raring to go and it looks like it’ll come down to this race if one or both have any chance of getting in now.”
Hewitt has booked his nephew, in-form driver Brad Hewitt, to drive Royal Cruiser, who will be favourite from gate six in the Racenet Discovery Stakes. He will drive Our Goat himself from gate nine.
“Brad’s excited to get the drive,” Hewitt said. “When I called him, he said he was stunned the horse wasn’t already in the TAB Eureka.
“His work at home this week was amazing. The best he’s ever worked. He’s as good as I can have him going into this race.
“I’ll drive Our Goat and it’ll be a bit harder for him from out wide, but he’s good enough to win a race like this if things went his way as he showed some terrific Brisbane runs.”
The much-improved Nathan Turnbull-trained Glitter Aint Gold add further to the strong Bathurst flavour in the Racenet Discovery Stakes.
His driver, teenage sensation Jett Turnbull, is adamant the four-year-old should be in the TAB Eureka.
The wildcards of the Saturday night’s race, and potentially the last couple of remaining slots in the TAB Eureka, are the two four-year-old mares Bella Danza and Looks Like Diamonds, who will start from gates one and two.
Remembering, Encipher was a four-year-old mare when she stormed home to upset Leap To Fame in the inaugural 2023 TAB Eureka.
