Young and McDonald close out dominant Albany season by winning Denmark Cup with the red-hot Chasing Hill

Chasing Hill made it a hat-trick of Albany victories and in the process claimed the $11,000 MCC Constructions Denmark Cup (2265m) on Friday night. At the final meeting of the 2023-24 Albany Harness Racing Club season, the Michael Young-trained pacer won feature race honours. Chasing Hill entered the Denmark Cup on the back of two strong Albany victories and punters jumped about as he was crunched into a $1.07 favourite in the field of eight. Driven by Stuart McDonald, Chasing Hill led from the outset after drawing gate two on the front line and they never looked back. The five-year-old gelding had plenty left in the tank in the concluding stages, holding out the fast-finishing Koolbardi Navajo ($14) by 4.9m on the line while Kolisi ($21) was close behind in third place. Chasing Hill has enjoyed a brilliant Albany campaign with three wins and a second in four starts for Young. That came after two Gloucester Park victories in late December and early January for Chasing Hill. Both Young and McDonald finished the eight-race card with trebles, fittingly as the pair won the trainer and drivers’ premierships respectively. McDonald won the Peter Morrison Memorial (2247m) with the Hayden Reeves-trained Gypsy Dragon. Gypsy Dragon started a $2.70 favourite and led throughout but had to withstand a strong late challenge from Gota Good Warhol ($7.50) to win by 1.3m. McDonald rounded out his treble when successful aboard Pecunious for the Young stable. Pecunious was a raging $1.08 favourite in the Milton Gillingham Memorial Maiden (2265m) and after being roughly away, surged to a 12.8m win over $41 chance Cassini Star. The second leg of Young’s treble came in race seven when three-year-old colt Bay Rock Boy ($7) finished powerfully to beat Del Bocavista Bay ($2.25) by 2.4m on the line with Joseph Suvaljko in the sulky. Veteran Henwood Bay broke through for a deserving victory in race three over 1832m. Trained by Errol Ashcroft and driven by Emily Johnson, Henwood Bay jumped a $2.40 chance and edged out Eye Better ($2.15 favourite) from the Lang Inwood yard by 4.1m. Reeves claimed a double after winning the Denmark Tavern Pace (2265m) with Alexandra Thegreat, who scored a 2.1m victory under the late urgings of reinsman Corey Peterson. Peterson also drove Smokeys Shadow to victory in the Neville Drummond Memorial. Smokeys Shadow, trained by Michael Callegari, won a thrilling finish after getting up in the sprint lane to defeat the red-hot Chillin by 1.2m. Race two on the night was won by $1.34 favourite Storm The Beach, who narrowly beat Speed Force by 1.6m.