There was no stopping the Inverell Carnival of Cups meeting going ahead last Sunday.
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As the first race was scheduled to be contested, a torrential downpour came the way of the Paceway, looking as if the eight-race program may have been in jeopardy.
Kudos to HRNSW stewards who elected to hold the meeting back for an hour to allow the track to dry out after the rain had diminished and a perfect afternoon of racing evolved with the sun shining.
Moonbi-based Dean Chapple, who had both a training and winning double at the meeting with Apollon and Esspe Supreme, was full of praise for track curator and club president Rod Miller.
"The track was outstanding," Chapple said. "It was unbelievable that they raced after that storm."
The feature race, the $10,000 Tabcorp Carnival of Cups, went the way of Queensland pacer Tell The Linesman who was driven by Nathan Dawson and trained by Darrel Graham.
Dean Chapple was the only NSW competitor to collect a winner's cheque - two in fact - with the Queensland visitors dictating the proceedings. Reinsman Nathan Dawson drove four winners on the program - My Ultimate Romeo in the Best Employment/RSM Club Three-Year-Old Pace, Invite Only in the Kevin & Kay Seymour Mares Pace, and Tell The Linesman took out the $10,000 Tabcorp Carnival of Cups Pace by 41.2m over Is That So from the Dean Chapple stables.
Lola Weidemann also picked up a win with Groovy Miss Annie in the Inverell Vet Clinic/Wade Street Meats Pace while Casey Owen drove Our Major Day to a win in the Blue Gem Contractors Pace for trainer Richard March.
March then had a training double in the final event of the day, the Johnno's Auto and Tyre Service Pace, with Clintal Do driven by Nathan Dawson who achieved his fourth winning drive for the day.
HUNTER Valley pacer Ultimate Art has been retired.
Affectionately known as Thomas around the Michael and Kirsty Formosa stables at Ellalong, Ultimate Art was set to race at Bathurst on Saturday night in the Smooth Satin Cup but Formosa felt the time was right to retire the Group 1 winner.
"He hasn't really been interested in racing so I decided on Wednesday morning to not keep pushing him," he said.
"I never really imagined he would have over 100 starts. For a stallion to have that many starts and not go amiss is a massive effort."
Ultimate Art achieved 117 race starts for 38 wins and 33 placings, including taking out the Armidale Cup back in April 2017 and The Pub Group Gold Nugget at Tamworth back in 2014.
As a two-year-old Ultimate Art collected his Group 1 win in taking out the Bathurst Gold Crown in 2012. That was followed by a Breeders Challenge Final as a four-year-old and a heat of the Inter Dominion in 2015.
Another of Ultimate Art's achievements was when he had eight straight wins at Albion Park back in 2016.
"Each of his wins meant something to us but that first Group 1 win was big for us," Formosa said.
"We didn't really enjoy it as much as we should have at the time though. We were offered $120,000 for him before the race and we knocked it back."
Ultimate Art went on to pocket $621,996 in stakes money after being purchased for $7000.
Ultimate Art, who was raced by Formosa's wife Kirsty, will now spend his days in the paddock with Stud duties.
APRIL 7 is the date set for the next harness meeting in the north-west and it will be back at Armidale for the club's big Carnival of Cups meeting. There are plenty of feature races on the program with the $10,000 Golden Horseshoe to be contested for three-year-old pacers, two $10,000 Menangle Heats, the Kevin & Kay Seymour Pace with a free service to either Mr Feelgood, Hurrikane Kingcole or Gotta Go to the winning owner.
Hot off the press, we can also tell you that thanks to Michael and Kirsty Formosa, there will be a free service to Ultimate Art which will be placed on one of the races on the program.
THE Bathurst Carnival will kick off this Saturday night with the Gold Crown Heats followed by the renowned Bathurst Gold Crown Yearling Sale on Sunday.
