Having rested their hooves for a winter spell some of the harness racing big boys are back in town.
While Perth Inter Dominion favourites Lennytheshark and Hectorjayjay were due to trial at Shepparton tonight, the focus will quickly turn to Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night for the showdown between Keystone Del and Glenferrie Typhoon and the return of Restrepo.
The latter, winner of the 2015 PETstock Ballarat Cup, hasn’t raced since February last year, but trainer Emma Stewart was glowing about his prospects.
“He fractured his knee in work, so had to have a year off to heal that up,” Stewart told RSN 927. “So we gave him a year at stud and he’s come back and fingers crossed he is all holding together.
“He’s always been my favourite since the first day we’ve had him, so just to have him back at the races is terrific.”
Restrepo will run into Ohoka Punter and Messini among others in the VHRSC Classic, but Stewart remains optimistic about his chances.
“I think he’s trialling well and he’s working terrific, so we expect him to run a pretty good race,” she said. “He’s such a great racehorse and such a good workhorse at home, he always does his work, whenever he bounces back he’s pretty much ready to go.
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t run a really forward race. I expect him to be winning, he has the class factor in this race.”
Among those in his path is Messini from Brent Lilley’s stable, the Preux Chevalier Free For All winner at last start whose camp still has visions of the NZ Trotting Cup.
“Our intentions are to take him over (to New Zealand), we will give him a run Saturday night and then the Swan Hill Pacing Cup the following Saturday,” Lilley said.
“All going well … we will head over the following week to New Zealand. He just has to (put in) a really good race. At that level it’s hard, you can’t win all the time, but I’m sure he’s come on again since his win two or three weeks ago. He is going to be right in amongst it Saturday night and if he continues to go the way I think he is going he will definitely be heading over to New Zealand.”
It will be a big night for Lilley, who will also prepare Keystone Del for the True Roman Trotters Free For All, first up like his leading Australian rival Glenferrie Typhoon.
“(Keystone Del) seems really well,” Lilley told RSN 927. “He had a nice, solid trial on Sunday morning at Maryborough. He is fairly forward for his first-up run this week.
“He’s had a nice, slow prep and he had a lovely trial on Sunday morning, so whatever he does Saturday night he is going to be better for the run. He is pretty ready and class will take him a long way.”
As is Glenferrie Typhoon, said trainer Andy Gath, whose camp is excited by the prospect of their terrific trotter returning minus the bladder stone.
“After the Great Southern Star he had a bladder stone which he had removed. He had three months off, but we have been quite happy with him," Gath said.
“A couple of times (last season) he probably went a little bit rough toward the finish of the race when he was probably feeling (the bladder stone), and was getting a little bit cranky towards the end of his preparation because every time he would run it would move from side to side.
“Obviously he is going to be more comfortable with it out of him now and he seems a lot happier at home. He went really good last time in and if he can improve with it out who knows what he can do.”
There are many obvious question marks hanging over both after such a lengthy spell, but both think there hope is ready.
“It’s a long time off the races,” Gath said. “The main danger, Keystone Del, he is in the same boat. He is first up as well, they’ve had one trial each, probably both are where we want to be at this stage.
“(Glenferrie Typhoon) is forward enough to win the race in our opinion. He’ll devise benefit from this run, but he is forward enough to be a chance.”
Michael Howard (HRV Media/Communications Co-Ordinator)