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Rain, hail or shine: Mount Eliza Hot Shots kids enjoy a day out at the Australian Open despite the rainy weather. Next gen: Mount Eliza junior, Chloe Krings, gets the honours of tossing the coin for a round two women’s doubles match at the Australian Open. Pictures: Better Tennis
Tennis juniors enjoy ‘memorable day’ By Ben Triandafillou HOT Shots kids from the Mount Eliza Tennis Club had what can only be described as a “memorable day” at the Australian Open on Friday 18 January. As part of the Australian Open’s Kids on Court experience, 10 lucky juniors were given the opportunity to have a hit on show court seven prior
to the round two match-ups as well as gaining ground passes for the day. Unfortunately their on-court experience wasn’t to be with the courts getting hit with rain throughout the morning. But with their bad luck also came good luck as they unexpectedly got the chance to get their faces on live television. The juniors got the chance to be in the background of the ‘Today’ show
as they entered Melbourne Park as well as scoring some free ice creams to add to the occasion. One lucky and eager junior, Chloe Krings, also stayed around court seven for another three hours to get her chance to toss the coin for the women’s doubles match which had been delayed because of the downpour. Even with the weather raining on
their parade, Mount Eliza head coach Steve Foot said the juniors still had a brilliant day at Australian Open. “The kids actually took it pretty well,” Steve Foot said. “They went in there expecting to have a hit but they didn’t get that because it rained but they got the bonus of getting their face on TV which they really wouldn’t have expected heading in there.
“It sort of made it funny in a way but it was definitely an interesting day for everyone.” Along with Steve Foot, Mount Eliza Tennis Club coach Brad Grose helped guide the 10 junior players which included: Xavier Ries, Jaxon Robertson, Chloe Krings, Isabella Hudson, Cooper Hall, Oliver Mayhew-Sharp, Harvey Saville, Lenny Saville, Kasey Whitmore and Charlotte Spizzo.
Marshall tackles Road National Championships
Belwazi goes boom: Jamie Kah rides the Jerome Hunter-trained mare Belwazi to victory in the Listed Kensington Stakes (1000m) at Flemington. Picture: Supplied
Belwazi booms in listed company MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer Jerome Hunter scored his third career stakes victory with speedy sprinter, Belwazi, at Flemington headquarters on Saturday 19 January. On her first attempt up the Flemington straight, the five-year-old mare put pay to her group performed rivals to score a half-length victory in the $140,000 Listed Kensington Stakes (1000m) over equal favourites, Glenall and Champagne Cuddles. Belwazi was a late-nomination for the race but it was a decision that has clearly paid off for trainer Jerome Hunter. “It had been three weeks between runs and I wanted her to go to something else but there just wasn’t anything really available,” Hunter said. “I never even really thought of the stakes races but the late nominations came out and I had a look through who was nominated and I thought that apart from the obvious two horses I didn’t think that the field was all that strong for a listed race. I thought that we can go around for fourth or fifth and I’d be rapt and it’d give her a nice hit out but away she went and that was a pleasant surprise.” Despite the victory coming as a surprise, Hunter has always believed she would eventually head towards this level of racing. “She goes good. I know she goes good, but
it’s just she hasn’t shown it as much as I’d like,” he said. “She’s only been running in restricted races but I’ve always thought she would eventually get pushed into this grade and I knew she’d be an open handicap horse before she retired.” “This prep she’s been a bit hot and cold with her form and she should have won at Moonee Valley two starts ago but I think we got her on the right day. “When she was on Regu-Mate (hormone control) she held her form more consistently but that’s the way it goes now, you deal with the punches and you’ve got to go with that.” The victory also marked the arrival of gun South Australian jockey, Jamie Kah, who made the move to Victoria on Wednesday 16 January. “You see her winning races in Adelaide and you think ‘wow, all these horses just seem to run for her’,” Hunter said. “I knew putting her on she’d be very hungry and trying her hardest to win the race for her to kick off her career in Victoria. “Just watching her replays you can just see how well balanced she is on a racehorse.” Hunter said that Belwazi will now either have a freshen up or head to Caulfield next week for the Listed W.J. Adams Stakes (1000m).
ners to almost immediately slow down as the rear of the bunch bottle-necked around the next corner. “After this I had no legs left and was dropped with a few other guys heading out of the uni back into town, and slowly our group got bigger as we picked up more and more people. “We all rolled good turns to try and hang in the race as long as possible but eventually we were pulled by the commissaire as we started our sixth lap of the course, when we were 10 Giving his all: Mornington Cycling Club member Jack Marshall takes on minutes behind the front of the under-23s Road National Championships. Picture: David Randall. the race.” Marshall said he was By Ben Triandafillou slightly disappointed with MORNINGTON Cycling Club member Jack the result but overall was really happy with the Marshall took on some of the country’s brightest experience that he had gained from competing talent in the 2019 Road National Championships in it. at Ballarat on Friday 5 January. His efforts in the race didn’t go without plenty The Joel Hawkins scholarship holder had been of preparation as Marshall spent several weeks dreaming of riding in the race for the past year getting ready for the nationals. and as a bottom aged under-23 rider, the experi“I was lucky enough to stay up in Bright for a ence of competing at such an elite level had week long training camp after the Tour of Bright always been the goal. with some other Mornington club members, and Marshall missed the cut for the under-19s by focus purely on training in the mountains with just a few months but held his own in the older mates, which I feel really helped me find some age group despite getting caught up in a crash good form at the start of the final training block along with most of the field. before the race,” he said. “My plan was to start at the front of the field “My program for the rest of December conand shuffle back up the climb if necessary, but to sisted of mainly high intensity efforts, and a lot my surprise I didn’t find the climb too crazy and of six minute VO2 efforts to simulate the nationfound myself enjoying the fact that I was fightals climb, which the race tackled 11 times. ing some of the best riders in the country, that I “The week before the race myself and Alex look up to, for wheels and better positioning in Holden, who is also from the club, went up and the bunch,” Jack Marshall said. rode the course in Buninyong for five hours too. “Around the back of the course there was “Being comfortable doing efforts in the same a crash in which most of the field got caught place that the race took place was a lot better up, including myself, and when the guys at the than trying to simulate the climb from home, front realized what had happened they strung and I was also pleased to be able to recon the it out before heading into the University, to try more technical section of the course through and drop as many people that got held up as Federation University.” possible. Now with a whole year ahead of him, Mar“From here the race was carnage and a mad shall said he was looking forward to putting in scramble for wheels which caused me to be too another “great year of training” before targetfar back in the bunch through the uni, meaning I ing the Road National Championships again in was wasting a lot of energy sprinting out of cor2020. Mornington News
29 January 2019
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