The internationalisation of Victorian harness racing entered a new phase at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday when renowned French reinsman and trainer, Jean-Etienne Dubois, guided the horse he bred and owns to victory.
A winner of famous French race the Prix d’Amerique and Sweden’s Elitloppet, Dubois made his Australian debut driving My Tribeca to victory in Saturday night’s Benstud Standardbreds Trot.
It was the Italian bred five-year-old’s first open-age metropolitan win and she did it with ease, doing plenty of work in the run but still cruising to a 12m win.
“It’s always easy when you get the better horse,” Dubois said post-race. “She was perfect. Pulling a bit hard, but she’s very good, you can’t do much better than that.”
SEE JEAN-ETIENNE DUBOIS' POST-RACE INTERVIEW
Throwing the keys to Dubois also gifted great joy to My Tribeca’s trainer, Anton Golino.
“That was probably, to this day, one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Golino said. “He’s an idol to me. I worked for his father (Jean-Pierre Dubois) and he is probably regarded as the greatest horseman in the world, and Jean-Etienne is about his equal.
"It was more than I could dream of. We’ve become great friends and it was a privilege for me. I really enjoyed it.”
Dubois, now based at Mittagong in New South Wales, said he felt at home on the track.
“It’s always good when you win,” he said. “It’s a nice track. It looks very much like the track we have in Sweden or up in Europe, bit different to our track in France, but it’s a good track.”
Plenty more joy appears in their path, with My Tribeca developing nicely.
“She is just learning to be a better racehorse,” Golino said. “She’s only four by actual breeding age, having been Northern Hemisphere bred, and has only had 13 starts so she is still a baby.
“We know she’s very good, but are still wary about how far we push her. They are racehorses, they have got to race, but we don’t want to over race her.”
The temptation could be great to point My Tribeca towards summer’s headline trots races, including the Pryde’s Easifeed Great Southern Star. With Kiwis Speeding Spur and Monbet ruled out and Keystone Del having challenges this campaign, the Group 1 $300,000 prize is calling.
“There is a window with a few having dropped off, but once you get to that level it’s hard, they are all good horses,” Golino said.
The French connection continues at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight, when the Empire Stallions Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic trotting heats will be broadcast into France.
The greater exposure will continue on Monday nights up until February 13, and then further select nights will follow with 80 races to be broadcast into France in 2017.
WATCH MY TRIBECA'S WIN IN FULL VIEW
Michael Howard (HRV Media/Communications Co-Ordinator)