Unbeaten colt Keayang Ignite has got the green light from stewards and is ready for his crack at Group 1 glory this Saturday.
The Paddy Lee-trained son of Angus Hall bled during his most recent win at Tabcorp Park Melton and was forced to take part in a satisfactory trial before being able to take his place in the Alderbaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic (3YO Trotting Colts and Geldings).
He was sent around before the races at Terang on Sunday and did so with a minimum of fuss.
Lee’s brother Jason believes the horse bled from one nostril because something struck him early in the December 9 race.
“We think that he copped either a rock or a stone or a knock to his nose, but he scoped all clear and the vets passed him all fine,” Lee, who will take the drive on Saturday night, said.
“But with any sort of blood you’ve got to go to the trials. He trialled at Terang on Sunday before the race meeting and he was all clear.
“We scoped him again after that just to make sure everything was okay with the horse and he was no worries.”
Keayang Ignite, who was bought at the 2018 Australasian Premier Trotting Sale by the Lee family, won his first two trips to the races in October by big margins. And he was again impressive when winning at Melton on December 9, which was a heat of this Saturday night’s final.
“He’s going in fit and ready to go,” Lee said. “There’s obviously a couple of nice trotters in it and even though he won the heat, they’re going to be improved a bit. But I’d like to think he’d be a bit more forward from his run as well.”
If successful, Keayang Ignite would become Paddy Lee’s first Group 1 winner in a short training career that has already produced 61 winners from 216 runners.
A field of nine has been assembled for the $50,000 event over the 1720m trip, which will go as race 11 on the 12-race card.
The Group 1 Alderbaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic (3YO Trotting Fillies) is the other feature on the night and has drawn a field of 10 with one emergency.
The Alderbaran Park R C Freestone Trotters Free For All (2240m, NR 80-120) and the Doug Hayes Transport Gold Chalice (2240m, 3YO Fillies) will also be run at Group 3 level in what is a bumper night of racing at Victorian headquarters.
All the action kicks off with the opening race at 4.53pm.
KEAYANG Ignite is one of seven Australasian Premier Trotting Sale graduates who will contest the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic finals.
The $15,000 purchase was from the 2018 crop along with Aldebaran Knox ($90,000), Jade Nien ($15,000), Aldebaran Jethro (passed in), Rules Dont Apply ($20,000) and Builder Bob ($41,000), who will all contest the three-year-old trotting colts and geldings final.
Aldebaran Stevie ($8000) is the only sale graduate in the fillies' final.
The sales catalogue for the 2020 Australasian Premier Trotting Sale, which will be on February 2 at Inglis Sales Complex, has just been released.
Click here to view the sales catalogue.
HRV Trots Media – Tim O'Connor