Hollywood Strip. Photo by Club Menangle
With the Goulburn Harness Racing Club having started its 2025-2026 season on September 4, the region looks to have a very healthy future in the sport with at least four quality Hewitt-trained juveniles about to embark on the prestigious annual Group One Classic Nutrien Equine NSW Breeders Challenge series.
The first round of heats started at Menangle yesterday, then Bathurst tonight, Wagga, and Newcastle this Friday. Then the second round of heats and semi-finals will be run at Menangle on September 29 and October 11, with the $150,000 Group 1 Finals at Menangle on Saturday October 25.
The four locally-trained talented two-year-olds are the Sam Hewitt-conditioned Ark Sea (Goulburn), the David Hewitt trained duo of Sparkling Sea and Message Bank (both Goulburn), and the Brad Hewitt-trained Hollywood Strip (Goulburn). They all possess the credentials and abilities to play a strong hand in the rich juvenile series.
In 2022 the Brad Hewitt trained Captain’s Knock triumphed in 1:52.9. In fact, that son of Captain Treacherous won the three and four-year-old versions of the race as well. Now five-years-old, Captains Knock, is Goulburn’s last winner of this prestigious Group One event.
Here’s how four of our best local hopes shape up:
Stay Hungry two-year-old filly, Ark Sea, is the best standardbred Goulburn horseman, Sam Hewitt, has trained since he took out his licence in 2015-2016.
“She’s the complete package, and possesses a lot of the X-factor. She has a beautiful gait as well as being strong. Her manners are impeccable; she has no flaws,” Hewitt said.
Ark Sea & Will Rixon (Photo courtesy Bathurst HRC)
Ark Sea and Will Rixon took on the boys at Albion Park on July 12 in the Group One $500,000 Ladbrokes 2yo Protostar, only losing by 2.2 metres to the Emma Stewart-trained Loucasso.
She only had two races prior to that. On debut she easily won the Vale Kevin Wheatley Maiden at Wagga on May 30, and then on June 18 she dealt to her six opponents by a whopping 39.5 metres in a 2yo Pace.
“It will be great to have her back racing against her own sex again. A lot of people doubted her in Queensland, but I always knew the engine she had. She will line up in the first Series of Breeders heats at Bathurst on September 17. Long-term, and all going well, I’d like to see her race in the NSW Oaks, and the Breeders Challenge Series again next year,” Hewitt said.
“Another trip to Queensland is also on the cards, there are a few races that would suit her in the Winter” the 33-year-old added.
Hewitt said he had another couple of very nice two-year-olds – the Hes Watching brown filly, Got My Eye on You (1:53.5) and the unbeaten bay colt by Vincent, Whereswally (1:55.8).
“Got My Eye On You won at Bathurst in June and then on Monday (August 25) she won NSW Blue Heat at Menangle, while ‘Wally’ won on debut at Shepparton on August 12 and Bathurst on the 3 September.”
As for Ark Sea, she was bred by Maureen and Carl Ryman, who own her with Ed Abbey of Crookwell.
Abbey, is a son of the late Terry Abbey of Crookwell who bred a number of good horses carrying Sea in their name. The best was the 1989 What’s Next – Island Dancer chestnut gelding, Red Sea, who despite being plagued by injury throughout his brief career, still won 21 of 24 starts and $98,990 between February 1992 and April 1998.
The Abbey line of horses extends down to the 2019 three-time Listed Classic winner, and son of Well Said – Extreme Sea. He won seven of his 10 starts but hasn’t raced since May last year.
He recorded a best time of 1:50 for the mile, and has banked $202,843 in stakes money. Listed among his best wins were the listed $100,000 Riverina Championships for 4 & 5 year old entires & geldings, and both the $100,000 Regional and State Finals of the TAB Regional Championship Series in 2024.
Trained by David Hewitt, he is considered an exciting prospect. Hewitt also has his younger Lather Up half-sister, Sparkling Sea.
Sparkling Sea & Brad Hewitt (Photo courtesy Bathurst HRC)
“Red Sea and Extreme Sea would have been some of the better young horses I’ve trained, but I’ve got a nice crop of two-year-olds this season. Sparkling Sea and Message Bank are likely to line up in the Breeders Challenge heats in mid-September. After that they will see where they go,” said Hewitt.
“They’re both lightly tried and both sat outside the leader and posted sub 1:54-mile rates on debut. Sparkling Sea (Lather Up – Serene Sea – Somebeachsomewhere) won the Gold Tiara heat at Bathurst on March 19 and then 10 days later was second in the Final.”
“Message Bank (Captain Treacherous – Give Me Twenty – Bettors delight) has also only had two starts, winning the Gold Crown heat at Bathurst on March 21, and then won the Group One Final ($75,000) on March 29,” Hewitt said.
Message Bank & Brad Hewitt (Photo courtesy Bathurst HRC)
“I’m not looking too far ahead with these two – just one race at a time. They haven’t raced for seven months and I want to ease them back into racing. They are definitely the top of the tree out of the eight I’m working,” added the 65-year-old.
The Sweet Lou – Bang Bang Molly brown colt named Hollywood Strip is unbeaten in three startsand showed his freakish ability winning his NSW Breeders Challenge heat at Menangle yesterday, stopping the clock in 1:50.0 and equalling the Australasian two-year-old record in the process.
The Brad Hewitt trained and driven juvenile won in 1:54.1 at Wagga on debut on August 1, and then recorded a scintillating 1:51.2 mile when winning the $20,000 Kearns Shopping Centre Pace at Menangle on August 16.
“He’s a pretty big horse who is pretty big on ability as well. When we saw him at the Sales we didn’t think he would make it as a two-year-old, but he wasn’t big and heavy in the legs, and his joints were athletic. Even though he’s huge he’s a lovely fella to be around.
“We just had to patient with him, and still do. He’s a big casual fella and very exciting, but still pretty green at this stage. Even though he went 1:51 last start he didn’t steer that well and I left the plugs out so he could hear me. He likes to go the other way around at home. I’ll still have to tinker a few things and with time he will lose that green-ness. It’s just about working with him at this stage,” Hewitt said.
