HARNESS RACING
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Bathurst trainer Peter Bullock was thanking his lucky stars when he prepared to head off to Parkes on Sunday morning after a night he will hope to forget.
He and Max Hughes were just 25 kilometres from Bathurst on Saturday night after competing at Menangle when they hit black ice and their vehicle went into a wild spin.
Their scary ride came to an abrupt halt when the horse float tipped over after hitting an embankment.
Miraculously Bullock, Hughes and their filly Shannons A Beauty all came out of the wreckage relatively unscathed, although it took some time to release the filly from the tangled float.
But what a difference a day makes because the gods continued looking over them on Sunday afternoon when the stable landed a winning double.
Two perfect drives from underestimated reinsman Michael Munro paved the way to the double with Zenitra Shannon ($6.10) scoring first in the Col Fletcher Ford & Kia Competitive Stakes (1660m).
Munro had the mare travelling one-out and two-back and was content to be following well-fancied runners when all of a sudden there was a traffic jam.
So he was off three and four wide at the 400 metre mark and Zenitra Shannon sprinted very quickly to join the leaders.
At the top of the lane she went right on by and then held a six-metre advantage right down to the line.
Peggyville ($5.80, Steve Dowton) was held up at vital stages and when he got clear they rattled home to run second while $2.10 favourite Pashana (Jason Gaffney) charged forward from the start and she was left hanging on a limb three wide.
Her effort to finish third was very good, despite being almost 12 metres in arrears of the winner.
Bathurst's Nathan Hurst surged further clear of the Turnbull clan in the trainer and driver premierships at Parkes when he landed the prize with Saint Dal Santo ($5.40) in the Mitavite Pace Prelude (2040m).
The four-year-old gelding always appeared to be comfortable racing in the death chair throughout and Hurst allowed the pacemaker to set a moderate pace to aid Saint Dal Santo's chances.
And it was only just enough as he almost got swallowed up near the line when Trump Em Tyce ($9.30, Murray Sullivan) sprouted wings after coming off the pegs on the home turn to get ever so close, missing by just a head.
Claire Elizabeth ($3.10, Steve Dowton) led and finished close up in third, appearing to have every chance.
Possibly the best was left to last when Three Point Turn ($6.10) scored a slashing win in the Exide Batteries/Telescope Tyres Pace (2040m).
Now in the stable of Forbes mentor Jason Gaffney Three Point Turn was rated to perfection in front by in-form reinsman Murray Sullivan.
Sullivan set a speed fast enough to keep his opponents off his back and then he set the gelding alight over the final two hundred metres where he put a gap in them, going on win by 18 metres.
Count Montecristo ($2.50 fav, Tony Higgs) was trying to make ground off the track when Sullivan turned on the speed and he became a little lost for a moment but then got going again to run second while Diesel Shannon ($9.70, Michael Munro) sat behind the leader and took the minor end of the prize.
All in all, it was another entertaining afternoon of racing which is set to continue when the Parkes Harness Racing Club races again on July 26 with Saturday twilight meeting.