Harness racing driver Anthony Butt bided his time before setting mighty trotter Keystone Del free and the brilliant nine-year-old did as he does best at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight, Saturday the 8th of November.
While stablemate and frontrunner Maori Time was able to set the pace as he pleased out front in the True Roman Trotters Free For All, returning guns Glenferrie Typhoon and Keystone Del sat breeze and three-back-the-outside respectively.
Come the final straight it was all set for a showdown but Glenferrie Typhoon, returning after an eight-month lay-off, faded while Keystone Del swept past for a sixth straight win, with Maori Time 3.2m second and Savannah Jay Jay just a half-neck back in third.
The quinella was a pleasing sight for trainer Brent Lilley, who was rapt to have his famed gelding by Dr Ronerail out of Flipside back on track.
“First up for a while you always think they need the run a little bit, but (Keystone Del’s) done a lot of work so we were confident he’d go good, and he did,” Lilley said.
“It was a perfect first-up run, just driven off the pace and looming up late, and he won it with plenty in hand.”
The race ran to plan for team Lilley, with Gavin Lang steering Maori Time to the front from gate four and holding the lead unchallenged, with Kate Gath happy to sit off the pace in the breeze on second favourite Glenferrie Typhoon.
“Maori Time, she’s always a leader, so we thought that she would lead and bowl along,” Lilley said. “I thought maybe Glenferrie might have put a bit more pressure on her, he was obviously needing the run as well, but it worked out how we sort of thought it would.”
A third quarter of 28.7 and fourth quarter of 28.0 would see Keystone Del in a class of his own, claiming the Group 3 in a 1:57.9 mile rate. He has now won his last six starts in a row.
Keystone Del takes his record to 63 starts for 40 wins 7 seconds and 3 thirds for $1,034,520 in earnings with this win.
“He’s still seems to be going as good as he ever has. For a nine-year-old he hasn’t had a hell of a lot of starts really. I think he’s still got plenty of good wins ahead of him,” Lilley said. “To have a horse like that in the team, it’s a pleasure really. It’s great to have him back on the track and back doing what he does best.”
And Tabcorp Park Melton trots fans are likely to see plenty more of him, with a trip across the ditch to race in New Zealand appearing unlikely.
“The owners (Patrick and Michael Hall) are over tonight. I’ll have a chat with them and see what they want,” Lilley said. “I’m probably happy to keep him at home. There’s a Free For All on the 29th (of October) and the Bill Collins on 12th of November, so that’s probably the plan.”
Michael Howard (HRV Media/Communications Co-Ordinator)