TWO years ago when Leeton trainer Col Thomas ventured to Bathurst for the Gold Crown Carnival, he had high hopes for his talented two-year-old Business In Motion.

He arrived in Bathurst with the impressive record of five victories from seven starts and though he went on to win his Gold Crown heat, the decider of the two-year-old colts and geldings feature did not play out as Thomas had hoped.

Business In Motion could only manage seventh in the Group 1, $100,000 final behind Allblack Stride.

Now Thomas is back with another talented two-year-old called Bettermatch and again he carries hopes of a Gold Crown victory.

Like Business In Motion, who won 10 of his 15 starts as a two-year-old, Bettermatch can boast an MIA Breeders Plate victory.

Conducted in Leeton each year, the 2015 edition saw Bettermatch dominate.

Starting as one of the shortest priced favourites in the 60-year history of the race at $1.20, the Kenneth J x Livelymatch colt led from start to finish.

He won by 7.1 metres and clocked a near record 1:58.7 mile rate. When Business In Motion won in 2013, he rated 1:59.2.

Thomas then decided to bypass the Rod Fitzpatrick Memorial series – in which Business In Motion previously placed fourth – instead entering Bettermatch in the Group 3 Sapling Stakes.

Again he won, covering the mile in 1:53.6 to take his record to four wins from as many starts. That victory was the biggest in Thomas’ training career.

While it is hard for Thomas to offer an accurate comparison between the pair of stable stars at this early stage, he already sees one difference in Bettermatch.

“He’s been running better times. He went 55 [1:55.8] in his first start then 53.6 after sitting in the death at Menangle. They are pretty good times,” the trainer said.

“Bettermatch and is certainly doing everything Business In Motion did, but Business In Motion won 10 races at two.

“At this stage he is right up there with Business In Motion. He’s got good speed and a bit of bottom too.”

While Thomas won the Gold Crown consolation in 2006 with a half-brother to Business In Motion called More Business, he is yet to taste major success at the 10-day carnival.

If Bettermatch can bring him that success it would certainly make for a good story – it is a colt he very nearly did not have.

“A mate of mine bred him. We were lucky enough that the mother was in a claiming race in Junee and we put in an offer of $1,500 on her. There were 17 claims put in, but we were lucky enough to get her,” he said.

“He is her second foal. Her first one had a club foot, but he looks like a nice horse.”

Thomas, who has a 50 acre property four kilometres outside of Leeton, then faced losing Bettermatch again.

Offers were made to buy the colt, but owner-breeders Pattie and Robbie Wakeman turned them down.

“They do try to buy them from you if you’ve got one that looks good,” Thomas said.

“You can go to a yearling sale and pay $70,000, $80,000 for a horse and you don’t know if it’s any good or not, so they see something that’s good and they try to buy it.”

But Bettermatch is not for sale and come tomorrow night, Thomas will have his fingers crossed the colt wins his 1,730 metres Gold Crown heat.

His son-in-law Stephen Maguire will be in the gig as Bettermatch goes from barrier four in heat six.

This year’s Group 1 Gold Crown Final will be conducted on March 28.