RACE CALLER Craig Easey laughed that Tulhurst Lover got away with murder on Wednesday night at Parkes on the way to her first career win.
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He made the comment as the Nathan Hurst trained and driven mare managed to pinch a pedestrian 33.1 seconds split for the first quarter of the last mile.
“The leader got away with a bit of murder there, it’s very, very slow on this tight track,” Easey said.
“[There’s] No excuse for the lover, Tulhurst Lover.”
As Easey predicted, Hurst did not need to make any excuses for his five-year-old as she went on to make it an all-the-way win in the Harness Racing NSW Rewards Series Heat (2,040 metres).
The easy opening quarter set up what was the first career win in 14 starts for the Rock N Roll Heaven x Tulhurst Kiss mare.
Hurst did use Tulhurst Lover’s ($2.40) gate speed to be the first to find the pegs after going from barrier two, while having favourite Ill Be A Lady ($1.65) go roughly and drop some 12m off the back helped too.
Though Ill Be A Lady then made up ground and settled in the death seat, Hurst still got the chance to back the tempo off and set up his mare for a sprint finish.
Into the final turn she had kicked some 9m clear, going on to win by 10.2m over the favourite as she got home in a 28.6 split.
It handed the Eglinton trainer a double for the evening, Angela Hedges having earlier steered Call Me Missy ($1.50) to victory.
While there was double delight for Hurst, it was double trouble for Dubbo drive Tom Pay.
The youngster, who is well on his way to surpassing last season’s total of nine victories already, missed out on a win at Parkes.
It wasn’t without trying though.
Pay twice had to settle for second when driving a favourite.
In the Parkes Furniture One Pace (1660m) he drove $2.80 chance Gunna Cullect for Bernie Hewitt but he finished second, just a half-head behind the Nathan Turnbull-trained Sniggihdis ($3.60).
Things were even tighter for Pay in the night’s final event, the second heeat of the HRNSW Rewards Series (2040m).
Driving Peggy Sue Shannon ($2) for Peter Bullock, Pay got to the lead and controlled proceedings.
He led into the straight but challenges loomed on the outside.
In a fantastic three-way photo for the win, Peggy Sue Shannon finished behind the Steve Jones-trained Write About Her ($5.50)
