It may be 15 years since Tim Gillespie won a Golden Guitar Final at Tamworth but the Queensland trainer feels confident that his stable runner Majordoit has placed him in the best mix for the chance to take another title back home across the border.
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Majordoit won the third of five heats contested as part of the Tamworth HRC meeting on Sunday evening leading into the Hygain Golden Guitar Final on Thursday night.
Based at Minden, Gillespie won the 2004 Golden Guitar Final with Fire Ant, and was listed as both trainer and driver on that occasion.
On Sunday evening Majordoit has gained a berth in the $25,000 Hygain Golden Guitar (Listed Classic) after he won the Jenny Schott Hygain Northern NSW Representative Golden Guitar Heat 3.
“It’s been a while since the last one (Fire Ant) won but he (Majordoit) is better” stated Gillespie after the win “then again the other runners might be better too - but he is a lovely horse”
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Gillespie will train the horse while Queensland reinsman Pete McMullen to take the drive with Majordoit.
Majordoit commenced from barrier one but McMullen had to be content to race in on the leaders back after Tuesday’s Fella (Kellie Dawson) gained the lead from the two barrier.
Dawson encouraged Tuesday’s Fella, from the Trevor Lambourne stables, to set the pace out in the lead with quarters of 30.8 sec, 31.5 sec, 29.3 sec and 29 seconds.
The final turn into the home straight was the moment Kellie Dawson asked Tuesday’s Fella to increase his pace.
“I thought the leader (Tuesday’s Fella) had got away from me on the bend but this guy knuckled down really good and he had a super run and was able to pin him back” added McMullen after the win of Majordoit.
As the second race favourite at $2.25 Majordoit had a 1.6 metre win over race favourite Tuesday’s Fella ($2.15) and Alabama Ace (Madi Young) 6.6 metres away third, with the mile rate for 1980 metres being 1.59.5.
“He really came alive - it was a super run” McMullen said.
“He knuckled down really well and went to the line exceptionally well.
“I have been down here to Tamworth a few times now and have finally got my first winner - previously I have had no joy”
Fellow Queensland pacer Tell The Linesmen aced his opposition in the Hazells Farm & Fertilizer Services Golden Guitar Heat 1 with an impressive 27.6 metre winning margin.
Trained by Darrel Graham at Fernvale in Queensland and driven by Nathan Dawson, Tell The Linesmen had an all the way win over the 1980 metre race.
“It felt good when we hit the front,” Dawson said.
“We thought if we could find the front, he would be hard to beat, so that was the mission.
“He (Tell The Linesmen) copped a bit of pressure mid race but he still felt strong on the line” added Dawson.
After covering the first quarter in 31.3 seconds, Tell The Linesmen followed with quarters of 30 seconds, 27.9 seconds and the final quarter in 29 seconds.
“I still had a bit left up my sleeve,” Dawson said.
“We did get it pretty easy in the run but those last three sectionals were quite strong”
“Usually he (Tell The Linesmen) doesn’t go until I pull the earplugs out, but he still had them in so I am looking forward to the final.”
Tell The Linesmen went on to win over fellow Queensland pacer Goalkicker (Lola Weidemann) and race favourite I’m Norma Jean (Pete McMullan) a further 3.9 metres away third.
Tell The Linesmen recorded the fastest mile rate of the five heats with a mile rate of 1.56.2.
