Geoff Harding's affinity with the Golden Guitar Final has continued as he scored another win in the time-honoured race.
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The Choreographer won the Group 3 Multiquip $30,000 Golden Guitar Final on Sunday at the Tamworth Harness Racing Club Finals race night.
The win by the five year old A Rocknroll Dance-Modern Day gelding secured the third Golden Guitar Final success for Hunter Valley trainer Geoff Harding and the first for Sydney reinsman Robbie Morris.
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Harding has had the most success in the race notching his first win as a reinsman back in 2007 behind Let's Ride The Tide followed in 2015 as trainer of the winner in Strathlachlan Andy - driven by his son Matthew.
Harding had two runners engaged in the final - Rocknlachlan as second race favourite at $3.90 from the nine barrier with Blake Hughes as reinsman and The Choreographer from barrier four - after both pacers won their respective heats leading into the final.
"It is pretty good to win it three times," Harding said of the Golden Guitar titles.
"I thought both horses - The Choreographer and Rocknlachlan - were both good chances."
"The draw helped the big horse (The Choreographer) and Robbie drove him a treat. Blake (Hughes) with the other horse (Rocknlachlan) drove really good as well."
With two runners in the Group 3 feature Harding was watching keenly from the side lines.
"It was hard to watch both horses in the same race but it was easy when Blake ducked up and got outside him (The Choreographer) - it was easy then. It was a good drive from Blake - I was really pleased," Harding said.
Robbie Morris only accepted the drive behind The Choreographer on Thursday after receiving the call up from Harding.
"I was more than happy to come up for the drive," Morris said.
"I wasn't coming until Geoff phoned and I thought it was worth coming up to take the drive because the horse had a really good chance."
Morris had travelled to Tamworth the week prior to take the reins behind Shadow Pass for the Roy Roots Jr stables to win the opening heat of the Golden Guitar series.
"He went super last week winning his heat and Geoff has always got his horses cherry ripe," Morris said.
"The horse came here in super condition - actually both horses were in terrific condition. The barrier draw is probably what won us the race, but that is racing."
Morris was driving to instructions with Harding indicating to take his time when the barriers released with The Choreographer.
"Battle Chimes came out hard with me and both Battle Chimes and the horse I won the heat on last week, Shadow Pass, burned out really quick and Geoff wanted me to nurse the horse out of the gate," Morris said.
"I was a little cautious early and let them go hard up front. I made a good strong plea for the lead down the home straight on the first occasion.
"That is one thing with Geoff's horses - you know you can put them into the race, and you know you are going to be there turning for home, so it is good.
"I was able to dictate the race tempo myself and Geoff said to me that the horse is better off free rolling than sit and sprint. When we rolled to the front as easy as we did, I elected to keep him breezing on good quarters."
Contested over 1980 metres, Morris set quarters of 29.8 seconds in the first quarter; second quarter in 29.9 seconds; third in 28.4 seconds and the final quarter in 25.4 seconds with stablemate Rocknlachlan racing out in the breeze.
Battle Chimes (Josh Gallagher) raced in behind the leader with Fifteen Aces (Nathan Xuereb) holding the one by one.
The Choreographer paid $11 for the win.
"I thought the four main dangers were behind us and I wanted to leave them behind and if they could catch us then good on them," Morris said.
The Choreographer went on for a 2.7-metre win over Battle Chimes and stablemate Rocknlachlan a further metre away third with a mile rate of 1.56.5 - just outside the track record set by The Bus back in 2019.
"It's always good to get back here to Tamworth," Morris, who is more accustomed to racing on Metropolitan tracks, added.
"The crowd and the atmosphere are great. The track is in super condition - it's a credit to the club."
Harding races both The Choreographer and Rocknlachlan with his eldrest son Matthew, who also doubles as the stable reinsman but is currently on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.
