Danefin surprises Bunbury regional championship heat field

Bunbury Turf Club was one of provincial tracks to host a championship heat, along with Geraldton, Mount Barker and Northam, with the first four finishes in each race progressing to the $100,000 final at Ascot Racecourse this weekend.

Casey bounced Danefin out of the 1216 metre gate quickly and when the pace was on early, he settled in fourth. Kyra Yuill took the favourite Harry Thomas to the front at the 800 metre mark while Casey gathered his mount in for a breather. 

Approaching the bend, Casey was flushed out four wide but kept coming. Most racing pundits would have expected the six-year-old chestnut gelding to tire quickly but Danefin sustained an incredible run to eat into Harry Thomas’s margin, hitting the front in the final few strides to win by a neck. 

Niccatrice and Granlarado finished third and fourth to qualify for Saturday’s race in Perth. 

Sunday’s action also saw jockey Shaun McGruddy return to form with a treble. He started in race two with Scarlet Speedster ($21.30) showing a fast turn of foot to run down a 14 horse field in the straight. 

He then bookended the quadrella, claiming race five by one-and-a-half lengths with an all-the-way win aboard My Laina ($6.00) and race eight with a long-neck win aboard Russian River ($8.00) for Bunbury trainer Bruce Watkins. 

Champion hoop William Pike, fresh off a third place finish in Saturday’s Railway Stakes, won the first of the day with Young Gina ($4.50) for trainers Grant and Alana Williams. 

The money came for Young Gina late and the horse also came late, flying in the final 100 metres to round up the field and salute.

Pike then notched a thumping three length win in race three aboard Perfect Rose ($1.90). The three Parnham brothers Chris, Steven and Brad placed second, third and fourth respectively.  

Brad then got the best of the family in race four with a half-length all-the-way win aboard Saxon Saxoff ($2.40). 

Bunbury jockey Kyra Yuill rounded out the day with an upset in race six, urging Black Lilly ($20.10) to victory by a long neck over short-priced favourite Western Temple. 

Racing returns to Bunbury Turf Club on November 30.