It may have been an all-too familiar sight for rivals at Maryborough today when reinsman Chris Alford and his two-year-old trotter produced an eye-catching win.
Sleepee kicked off the Vicbred Super Series Aldebaran Park trotting heats at Maryborough on Monday with a romp from seventh at the bend to first at the line, with Alison and Chris Alford’s red-and-white silks making it impossible to avoid comparisons to last year's two-year-old Victorian trotter of the year Wobelee.
Winner of the Redwood Classic at this track a little under 12 months ago, Wobelee’s owner-breeder Colin Murphy also bred Sleepee, who he has since leased to Alison and her mum, Vicki Woodhouse.
Making her debut Sleepee was backed into $2.50 favourite for today’s opening heat and, after a quiet run at the back of the field, hit the line to win by a half-neck from Michael Hughes’ entrant Gatesys Alley.
“It was a very big surprise,” Chris Alford told Trots Vision post-race. “She’s been trotting OK at the trials without showing a lot, but she sprinted home really well today, which will keep the wife and the mother-in-law very happy.”
Expectations for the big filly, who is by Dejarmbro out of Safely Safely, were kept low-key despite the impressive win.
“Hopefully she’s just a nice little racehorse and can pick up some prizemoney along the way,” Alford said.
The remaining Aldebaran Park fillies' heat was won by Mario Magri’s polemarker and race favourite Georgias Pride, who beat Empire Stallions Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic winner Fear The Yankee by a half-head.
“She’s a lovely filly,” Georgias Pride’s reinsman John Caldow told Trots Vision post-race. “A natural two-year-old, she’s great to drive.”
Today’s leading performers will advance to the VSS trotting finals at Tabcorp Park Melton on Friday July 6, as will the victors of today’s colts and geldings heats.
The first of those was claimed by Anton Golino’s Always Ready in Nathan Jack’s hands, having sat in in the breeze for the last lap and won by 6.8m from Zarem.
It sets up a ripping final, with David Jack’s Home Grown Platinum winner Moreton Bay looming large having advanced to four wins from seven starts with today’s comfortable victory by 15.4m over Dream Mastar in the last heat.
“Wide draw and I was quite happy with him,” Jack told Trots Vision. “He’s a big fella and he probably should be a better horse next year. He’s going on ability, not the manners yet that will come with it.”
The Aledbaran Park Vicbred Super Series trotting heats continue tomorrow night at Bendigo when the three-year-olds step out, with the four-year-olds to follow at Geelong on Thursday.
Michael Howard