Harness racing will hit the Armidale Paceway on Thursday afternoon and after a training and driving double at last Sunday's Inverell Carnival of Cups meeting trainer Dean Chapple is keen to see some more wins come the way of his Moonbi based stables.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Chapple has six contenders from his own stables engaged at the Armidale meeting, plus two outside drives for Tamworth trainers Tony Missen and Ken Natty.
Last start Inverell winners in Apollon and Esspe Supreme will be backing up at the Armidale meeting for Chapple.
Apollon has scored the eight barrier in the Dillons Concrete and Earthworks Uralla Harness Breeders NSW Bonus Scheme Pace over 1609 metres, while Esspe Supreme will also start from the eight barrier in the Railway Hotel Armidale Pace.
Apollon was the first to score for the stables at the Inverell meeting in taking out the Best Employment/RSM Club Three Year Old Pace.
"He has been going good lately," Chapple said of the seven-year old gelding.
"He has been due for a win for a while."
Apollon commenced from the six barrier off the second row and followed race leader Be On The Sly (Andrew Millard) who commenced from the five barrier.
"In a race everything has to go his (Apollon) way and the way the race was run it suited him," added Chapple, who elected to race up and place pressure on Be On The Sly as the field raced up the back straight on the final occasion of the 2,000m event.
"Being in behind the leader was the place to be."
"He sprinted quick and to his credit he plugged on well"
Once Chapple joined Be On The Sly on the final turn it was a battle to the line.
"I under estimated the leader - it was a fight to the line and my little fella fought to the line and put his head out," he said.
Apollon had a head win over Be On The Sly, with Mammals Rockstar (Len Simon) another 19m away third.
He then presented to the winner's circle in similar fashion with Esspe Supreme.
Esspe Supreme commenced from the six barrier with Chapple guiding the five-year-old gelding to sit in on the back of Jax Tellar (Courtney Sutherland) who was leading the field.
"I always knew the day would come he (Esspe Supreme) would sit up in a race and not over race," he said.
"He raced like a true racehorse - we have been waiting for a while and Sunday was the day."
Esspe Supreme made his run in the back straight on the final occasion but had to race three wide to join Too Good For You (Lola Weidemann) down the home straight.
"It is hard to come wide and get going but he raced up pretty quick," Chapple added.
"Lola stuck with me for a while which I expected her horse to do."
"The Inverell meeting was a good meeting - last year I had a double as well and the winner of the feature race but this year it was a double again and a second in the feature."
Chapple finished second to Queensland pacer Tell The Linesman (Nathan Dawson) in the $10,000 Tabcorp Carnival of Cups Pace with Is That So.
- First race at Armidale on Thursday afternoon is set to go at 1.50pm