Heavy track backed

By Tony White

Wily horseman Bede Murray wasn’t quiet singing in the rain but he couldn’t be happier World Wide will encounter a heavy track in Sunday’s $30,000 Sky Racing Gold Nowra Cup (1600m).

The six-year-old gelding by Murray’s former top galloper Universal Star out of See The Stars, a mare he also trained, is unbeaten on heavy racing surfaces boasting a four from four record.

“He goes all right in the wet,” Murray, fully aware of World Wide’s statistics suggested tongue in cheek. “Yeah the track certainly won’t worry him.”

Murray is chasing his third Nowra Cup success after Crows Before Dawn in 1995 and Kalahari in 1997.

When World Wide was preparing for his current preparation Murray plotted a course towards the Nowra Cup.

Byron Bay: 1. Josh Smith, 2. Peter Shaw, 3. Craig Wallace, 4. Rafer Smith, 5. Ryan Bretts, 6. Jamie Blair, 7. Thomas Homer, 8. Jared Robinson, 9. Jack Dickson, 10. Jascha Saeck, 11. Mitch Loane, 12. George Kitching, 13. Harrison Nuttall, 14. Robert Lynch, 15. James Hawley. Coach: Warren Fisher

V Lismore: 1. Eddie Solomona, 2. Stephen Prosser, 3. Phil Barr, 4. James Bain, 5. Ben Briggs, 6. Dominic Morris, 7. Jonathon Little, 8. Glenn Paisley, 9. Ben Felicioni, 10. Jack Pinchin, 11. Tom Bishop, 12. Mick Munro, 13. Matt Bermingham, 14. Sam Johnston, 15. Nigel Marshall. Coach: Craig Whitby. Referee: Aaron Reid.

 Lennox Head: 1. Curtis Miles, 2. Jamie Tredinnick, 3. Connor Blair, 4. Jeff Wilson, 5. Isaac Foley, 6. Brock Jensen, 7. Harry Bungate, 8. Rob Fish, 9. Sam Fitzgerald, 10. Paul Crozier, 11. James Barnes, 12. Simon Deevy, 13. Ray Buchanan, 14. Brett Horne, 15. Sean Reilly. Coach: Mick Muir. V Bangalow: 1. Dan Hill, 2. Matt Gibson, 3. Neil Moran, 4. Jock Craigie, 5. James Coventry, 6. Isaac Hill, 7. Simon Leighton, 8. Dane Mitchell, 9. Ben Alcock, 10. Ben Farrow, 11. Chris Bleakley, 12. Hemi Mullen, 13. Will Cotterill, 14. Michael Buckley, 15. Will Latham. Coach: Andrew Fraser. Referee: Steve Williamson

Southern Cross University: 1. Mick Connors, 2. Brett Johnston, 3. Keith Morris, 4. Pat Wilton, 5. Craig Dangar, 6. Ben Prozinski, 7. Cameron Pollard, 8. Rhys McNaughton, 9. Sam MacPherson, 10. Luke Neal, 11. Simon Fokes, 12. Clayton Pursche, 13. Clint Lowry, 14. 15. Sam Brown, 15. Andrew Bell. Coach: Colin Pursche v Ballina: 1. Adam Thomas, 2. Aidan Cubis, 3. Nathan Groves, 4. Todd Grono, 5. Aaron Lupton, 6. Chris Long, 7. Soul Tartaro, 8. Liam Preston, 9. Troy Nichols, 10. Grant Knight, 11. Ryan Boardman, 12. Beau Milner, 13. Jamie Coote, 14. Ben Robinson, 15. Kye Spence. Coach: John Dokter. Referee: Karl Lupton

Casino: 1. Blake Birmingham, 2. Tom Farr, 3. Craig Connolly, 4. Nathan Davy, 5. Joel Gosson, 6. Leroy Killiby, 7. Kurt Russell, 8. Greg Killiby, 9. Stephen Murchie, 10. Greg Freeburn, 11. Tyler Horsley, 12. Carl Tahatu, 13. Jye Hancock, 14. Sam Robb, 15. Tyrone Connors. Coach: Joey Mohammed v Grafton: 1. Beau Brotherson, 2. Sean Austin, 3. Luke Deleiuen, 4. Beau Deleiuen, 5. Ben Thomas, 6. Tony Baldwin, 7. Jacob Page, 8. Tom Tanner, 9. Josh Wrigley, 10. Paul Cameron, 11. Riley Durrington, 12. Scott Lloyd, 13. Jake Macrae, 14. Adam Crawley, 15. Kyle Hancock. Coach: Don Darke. Referee: Allan Thomas.

Wollongbar Alstonville – bye

 

Far North Coast Junior Rugby Union

Round 6 – Friday.

At Ballina – 6:00 Lismore U14, 6:55 Lismore U15, 7:50 WAR U16

At Bangalow – 6:00 WAR U12, 6:50 Casino U9

At Brunswick – 6:30 Casino U11

At Casino – 6:30 Lennox Head U16

At Evans Head – 6:30 Kyogle U12

At Grafton – 7:30 Brunswick U15, 8:30 Brunswick U17

At Iluka – 6:30 Ballina U12

At Lennox Head – 6:00 Lismore White U7 Field 2, 6:00 WAR U8, 6:00 WAR U9, 6:40 Casino U8 Field 2, 6:50 WAR U10, 7:35 WAR U11

At Lismore – 6:00 Evans River U7 Field 2, 6:00 Evans River U10, 6:45 Ballina U11, 7:35 Lennox Head U12

At Wollongbar – 5:45 Lennox U13, 6:40 Lennox U14, 7:35 Lennox U15, 8:30 Bangalow U17

At Yamba – 6:30 Lismore U13

It's a knockout?

By Tony White

Casino's Tom Pratt heads into Friday's $25,000 Casino RSM Beef Week Cup (1400m) hoping he can win with a horse he describes as like world champion boxers Jeff Fenech and Danny Green.

Private Express, a Matthew Bennett mount, may be a difficult horse to handle but when it comes to raceday, the five-year-old gelding has a lethal knockout blow.

“He’s a strong-willed animal and takes a fair bit of handling,” Pratt said. “He’s got the same attitude as Jeff Fenech and Danny Green.

“He loves beating other horses. He wants to get out there and get at ‘em. He’s very head strong. He’s got a terrific competitive attitude.”

Private Express’s job has been made easier with Jim Delaney scratching topweight and favourite Universal Belief. Universal Belief won last year’s Beef Week and Casino cups.

“I checked him this morning and he was lame,” Delaney said on Thursday. “He was fine last night.

“He might have got caste in his box, I’m really not sure. It’s a pity because I had him as good as I could get him.”

Private Express was runner-up to Universal Belief in the Casino Cup (1400m).

“It’s bad luck for Jim (Delaney) but hopefully Private Express can go one better,” Pratt said

Private Express, by Private Agenda out of Tolinta, was bred by veteran Coraki local, Keith Whitehead. Whitehead races the gelding with friends, John and Irene Clarke.