Luis Alberto sprints to a hat-trick

Talented pacer Luis Alberto chalked up a hat-trick of wins in the most emphatic fashion, claiming the $10,000 Boston Brewery Denmark Cup (2258m) in the process at Harold Reid Paceway on Friday night.

Trained by Debra Lewis, Luis Alberto won in Albany over 2258m and then was a narrow winner at Gloucester Park to ensure he would start a raging favourite in the Albany Harness Racing Club feature race after drawing gate one on the front line.

Driver Jocelyn Young, however, was tested at the start of the Denmark Cup, with $16 chance The Kings Assassin challenging for the lead in the early stages.

Young and Luis Alberto, who jumped a short $1.10 favourite, held firm and didn’t give up the lead in a move that paid dividends as they were able to control the race from that point on.

The five-year-old gelding led throughout and then, down the back straight on the final occasion, began to skip clear, sprinting away from the field to score a slashing 19.7m victory in the end.

It was a perfect drive by Young as they claimed the feature race from Dreadlock Rockstar, and local runner Magestic Prince finished in third place, while The Kings Assassin faded badly on the final lap to run a long last for reinsman Michael Grantham.

Lewis and Young teamed up to also win the Denmark Tavern Pace (2258m) with Vrai Amour, proving too strong at the finish for favourite Machlani.

Leading WA trainer Gary Hall Sr sent one runner to Albany for the final meeting of the season and it was a successful move as red-hot $1.10 favourite Fake News led throughout in the other feature race on the card.

Fake News fired straight to the lead for Grantham and was never seriously challenged, coasting to a 4.3m win in the $10,000 Willoughby Park Winery RWWA Feature Series Westbred Pace (2258m).

Grantham had a big night out on the 10-race card as he teamed with visiting trainer Michael Brennan.

Brennan and Grantham won the first two races with The Embezzler and Antero and then brought up a treble when Sangue Reale won race five before Grantham made it four with his success on the Hall Sr runner.

Disco Under Fire scored a very tough win, his third of the Albany season, in the Neville Drummond Memorial (2242m), while local trainer and driver Bob Poolman and Cheyenne King-Davies combined with Jilliby Jake to also taste victory in race nine, which took three attempts to finally run.