NEWCASTLE trainer Shane Tritton declared he will be making frequent trips to the new Bathurst Paceway following his gelding Rocky Carrington’s win in yesterday’s Menangle Where Horse Fly Country Series Heat (1,730 metres).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rocky Carrington ($2.40) eased to take the grand opening meeting race as favour-ite by 5.5m metres from Crackerjack Jo ($49.10) who finished a surprise second. Trikala ($10.20) was 2.3m off in third.
The five-year-old led from start to finish to give Tritton a win in his first start at a new stable, taking a trip in NSW after making his start in Victoria. It was his first race after three months away from the track.
“We’ve had him for quite a while, we’ve just trialled him and got him ready. We’re very happy with the run today and he’s only going to get better for the final,” Tritton said. “We’re still working him out, but he’s led and won before, so we had a good draw and he rolled on with nice quarters throughout the whole way and made it hard for anyone to get into the race.”
Tritton believes the longer track and surface have encouraged him to come west more often, a statement the Bathurst Harness Racing Club will be happy to hear.
“The times are good and the track’s good for the horses. We’ll definitely be coming here more often. Maybe not weekly, but every second week because of the travelling, but we’re very happy to come here for the bigger track,” he said.
Out of gate four Rocky Carrington found the lead, with Tactful Lady forced to take the breeze and Trikala content out of gate one to take a seat behind the leader.
Eclipser ruled himself out of the race instantly when he galloped from the inside of the second row.
At the bell those positions had not changed, with Mister Chow sitting one out and one back and Crackerjack Jo was two back on the pegs.
Rocky Carrington called on the rest of the field to make a challenge with a third quarter of 27.7 seconds and got a small break on the field.
Mat Rue peeled Crackerjack Jo out for a run on the straight and had some late pace, but there was no catching the leader.
The mile rate was a 1:55.4, the second best time of the meet at the distance behind the 1:54.6 set by Steve Turnbull’s Cracka Stride in the day’s other Country Series Heat.
“He’s a very lazy, laid back kind of fella, so it’s hard to keep the routine and keep him interested in racing. He’s done a good job for us, though. He was not a bad horse before we got him, so we knew we had a little bit of horse beneath us when we got him,” driver Lauren Panella said.
“He’s a really good front running horse., He’s a very versatile horse and you can do whatever you want with him.”