Menangle horseman Peter Walsh has experienced some tremendous highs in the sport of harness racing.
As the trainer of horses like Seelster Sam, Late Bid, Atitagain and Kentuckiana, winning feature races became almost monotonous during the late 1990s for the talented mentor.
Fast forward to 2015 and Walsh is looking to win his first Group One race since returning from the USA when Delightful Lana competes in Saturday night’s Victoria Oaks at Tabcorp Park Melton.
“Delightful Lana was flying when I was given her to train after the New South Wales Oaks,” Walsh said. “She has only had the one run for me since she joined my stable and that was in the heat of the Victoria Oaks.
“I had planned on taking her to Bathurst for the heats of the Gold Bracelet, but the day the nominations closed she had a temperature of more than 40 degrees, so I had no choice but to scratch her.”
Walsh confirmed other members of his stable also contracted the virus.
“The rest of the horses that caught it all went off their food, but this filly didn’t…she just kept on eating the whole way through,” Walsh explained “She is a tremendous eater and I think that helped her recover as quickly as she had.
“I trialled her at Menangle on March 31 and I wasn’t expecting too much of her, but she did a good job to finish third.
“Any punters who followed the horses out of that trial would have had a good weekend because the first three all won races last weekend.”
After winning at Tabcorp Park Menangle yesterday with handy trotter Chevals Racer, Walsh headed to Victoria to put the finishing touches on Delightful Lana’s Oaks campaign.
“I brought my two seven-year-old daughters down with me so they could catch up with their sisters.” Walsh said. “Travelling with the kids is always an interesting experience.
“I gave Delightful Lana a hit out this morning and I couldn’t be happier.”
Delightful Lana’s main danger shapes as Makes Every Scents, a filly Walsh has a soft spot for given of her breeding.
“I trained Makes Every Scents’ mother Scent to win a New South Wales Oaks, so there is an interesting connection there for sure,” Walsh said. “The barrier draw has made it harder to work out, but I think my filly has a very good chance.”
-
HRNSW Media