Gawler River harness racing horseman Peter Bain has two runners in Friday night's Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series (2YO Fillies) second heat at Mildura.
Both make the trek north-east and across the border in ripping form, Hilltop Sophia a last-start winner, who has never been unplaced, and Hilltop Rose a victor of three out of four career starts – her only undoing coming against her stablemate last time out in the Golden Nursery Final at Globe Derby.
Bain, whose son Aaron drives Hilltop Rose from barrier three, said both fillies had impressed so far and he was looking forward to seeing how they stacked up against the Victorians.
“This will be a good gauge,” he said.
“There are some really nice horses in that group tomorrow. We respect all our rivals.”
Hilltop Sophia is by Rocknroll Hanover out of San Sophia, bred by Glenferrie Farm Pty Ltd and purchased privately.
“We bought a little Bettors Delight colt out of San Sophia at the sales in 2013 and when I saw this filly on the list of horses for sale at the end of the year, we wanted to purchase her because we knew how well-natured our little horse was,” Bain said.
Bain said Hilltop Sophia had shown herself to be “a natural racehorse” from day one.
“In fact when we sent her to Michael Norman to be broken in he asked if she’d already been broken in,” he said.
Hilltop Rose, by Rocknroll Hanover out of Carnival Rose, was bred by Bain and is an “altogether different horse” to her stablemate.
“We raced her mother, Carnival Rose, who my son Aaron actually drove to win his first race on at Kapunda (in 2009),” Bain said.
“This was her second foal and only her first foal to make it to the races and she’s a dead ringer of her mother.”
Bain said he initially thought Hilltop Rose would make a “late two-year-old or three-year-old” but then one day the penny dropped and she has been flying ever since.
“Everything fell into place one day, I took her to the trials and she’s kept improving ever since then.”
Bain has trained 91 winners during his career and admits making a Vicbred Super Series final would be a great achievement.
“I’d just like to make it to the semi-finals so I can have that on my resume and I can say I was there,” he said.
Others to feature in tomorrow’s 2YO fillies heat are South Merbein filly Flojos Gold, who is one-from-one at Globe Derby, Merbein West-trained debutant Aspersion from the Danny Weinert stable, Brent Lilley’s impressive Sportswriter youngster Island Five Star, Kevin Brough’s daughter of Tintin In America Just Wantano and John Morris-trained Ridethewildside.
Later on the program at Mildura the Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series 3YO Colts and Geldings Third Heat will be contested at 5.49pm.
Rebecca East-trained Hez The One has drawn the pole, with locally trained Murranji Track from the Irymple stables of Colin Rogers in gate two.
Glenferrie Bunter – who won the Mildura Guineas by 42.9m three starts back – is in gate five, while Brent Lilley-trained Streamliner has barrier eight.
Also in the field are Scout Hall Road, Starwyn Jasper, Our Guy, Shadow Spar and Itmademyday.
Cody Winnell