By Peter Wharton
Lizzie Shelby, a four-year-old mare named after a character in the popular British television series Peaky Blinders, is the horse to beat in the $25,000 Kevin and Kay Seymour Emerging Stars Pacing Series Final (1800 metres) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.
Carrying additional prizemoney contributed by the Seymour Group, a key sponsor of South Australian harness racing, the Emerging Stars Series was initiated to increase the population of locally bred or trained three-year-old and older pacers.
Five heats were conducted at Globe Derby Park and Port Pirie earlier this month with the winners being Imposter Boy, Places You Don’t, Fly The Banner, Most Unlikely and Ubetonred.
Lizzie Shelby, a member of Peter Bain’s Gawler River team and raced by the Aaron Bain Racing and Summit Bloodstock groups, won three races on end before finishing a close second in the opening heat behind Fly The Banner. She has since won effortlessly at Globe Derby Park.
However, the New Zealand bred daughter of Art Major must overcome a back row draw and a smart field over the sprint trip to claim the thick end of the $25,000 winner’s purse.
The logical dangers are the three-year-olds Sea Salt, a winner of two of her three starts, and Imposter Boy, who is aiming for his fifth straight success.
Well known Roseworthy horseman Toby Ryan has qualified three for the Final including the heat winners Places You Don’t and Ubetonred.
The Emerging Stars Pacing Final is race 5 on the 10-event card and is scheduled for 7.35pm (Aust. Central Time).
