The Sportsbet Harrison-Dawson series rounded out the trio of heats at Sandown Park tonight, with the final shaping as just as intriguing as the others.
There was no mucking around in the opening heat as On The Prowl put it all together. He led throughout to defeat Consigliere, with both runners advancing to the final. His 29.18 was the fastest time of the night at that stage and a hot way to kick off.
All eyes were on star sprinter Deadly Avenger in the second heat, sent out favourite after a string of gallant placings in strong company. Sparring led early and made things difficult, but Deadly Avenger drove through underneath him and took control. He powered away to score impressively over Mepunga Zircon.
The third heat was touted as the race of the night and it delivered. Sportsbet Warrnambool Cup winner Dewana Star gave them a bath. He exploded from the boxes, controlled the race throughout and stopped the clock at a flyin’ 29.10, the fastest run of the night. He’s A Pearl grabbed second in a desperately tight finish to qualify by a nostril.
The final heat saw pre-series favourite Off The Chart carry the market’s expectations, but he was only fair to begin and Galento beat him out cleanly. Galento went on with the job in impressive fashion, while Hurricane produced a very strong performance to finish runner-up.
The Group 1 Sportsbet Harrison-Dawson final next Friday night shapes beautifully, with the slower beginners drawing ideally near the rail, while many of the speedier runners landed in the middle and outside boxes.
