Mint Ends Decades Long Wait for Lightning Win

Ares Racing chief John Horan ended an almost 30 year wait to win the  Equus Townsville Lightning with Russian Mint’s brilliant victory at Cluden Park on Saturday.

Horan has desperately wanted to win the race ever since Our Civic Hope – the “boy from the bush” galloper - went down a photo in the big race in 1997.

Russian Mint, ridden a treat by apprentice Leah Martin, gave Horan and his partners a huge thrill with his 21/2 length victory in the Ladies Day feature.

“This means a lot I can tell you,” Horan said.

“Thirty years ago we thought we’d won the race but a horse called Sad came back and beat him that day.

“Our Civic Hope was racing in Brisbane and we thought we’d bring him up and win this race so today we’ve finally won it.

 “This horse is really special to me because I gave a share in him to my son Trey for his 18th birthday and won of my best mates did the same with his son last year.

“Leah just said he got to the lead so easily that she only had to give him a couple of slaps and nothing more. 

“Leah rode Blazerro for us to win on Mackay Cup day, and she’s an up and coming rider who I can totally recommend.

Our Civic Hope was raced by a group of friends from the Burdekin and trained by John Zielkie, and after a sensational 2yo debut win in Townsville took Brisbane by storm with two wins including the Listed Meynink Stakes.

Our Civic Hope’s following became so big that Radio TAB made Lee Kernaghan’s ‘Boys From the Bush” as the horse’s unofficial anthem.

The son of Civic Hope lost his form for a time but late won more races in Brisbane and returned to Townsville in 1997 for a crack at the Lightning in which he was denied by inches by the good sprinter Sad.

Horan said Russian Mint, which is one a team of Ares horses trained by Lindsay Hatch, could return south and be targeted at a metro race.

“Lindsay just rang me and said ‘John put that horse away we’re taking him straight to the city’,”: Horan said.

““I’ll have a talk to him about that because I’d love to take him up for the Cairns Lightning.”

Cairns trainer Scott Cooper struck a blow for the battlers when “cheap buy” Lucky Leni landed a shock win at 30-1 in the $50,000 Chrysalis Medispa Belle Of The Burdekin (1400m).

Lucky Leni, coming off defeats at Laura and Cairns, produced a sustained gallop to edge clear of Brave Agenda to win by 11/2 lengths and give jockey Wanderson D’Avila the second leg of a winning double.

Cooper said he would no target the Belle Of The Daintree in Cairns.

“I gave her a hope. We picked her up for $4500. There were excuses at her past starts. Should have won at Laura two back and Wanderson has won on her before and knows her,” Cooper said.

“It’s nice to win a feature at the carnival, especially at the start of the new season.

“I’ll be back next week with The Honey Badger for the Guineas and I expect him to run well.”

In-form galloper Beau Rain will go into next Saturday’s Ladbrokes Townsville Cup at his peak after a strong win over John Joseph and Acclimatise in the Ladbrokes Open Hcp (1609m).

His trainer Bill Kenning said the five-year-old had pulled up well and would have a light week with beach work.

Beau Rain will go into the Cup having never raced beyond 1600m.

“He pulled up well and I won’t have to do too much with him this week. If he’s ever going to run it he’ll run it next week,” Kenning said.

“The trip is the only doubt.

“If the race is run right and he gets the trip he’s got to be a chance but it will be a lot stronger field than what he met yesterday.

“We’d just like a nice draw so he can get a run just off them three pairs back or so.”

Meanwhile, dual license holder Graham Kliese landed his first winner as a trainer at Cluden on Saturday when Smart Mission scored the toughest of wins in the MM Electrical 0-55 Hcp (1609m) with Jason Taylor in the saddle.

Kliese and wife Belynda were thrilled with the win and plan to back up with Smart Mission in the Guineas next Saturday.

“He’s got the back up after a tough run today but he’s a good doer and it was always our intention to go here and then the Guineas,” Kliese said.

“I’m just happy I’ve got him and that we could get a win for the owners. 

“And I’m pretty stoked to get that first winner. I know we haven’t had a lot of runners but I was a bit frustrated getting there.

“They all went well today. This bloke, Molongle Surprise (4th in Lightning) went super and Trapassi was very good running third.”