SLEATER showed he will be a dog to watch in the future thanks to his commanding win on debut at Kennerson Park.
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Sleater ($1.30 favourite) was touted by punters as almost a certainty to win Monday’s Ladbrokes Monthly Medal Heat Two (307 metres).
When he got off to a flying start out of gate two race caller Ron Knight exclaimed “all eyes already on the clock from here”.
And so they should have been, as Sleater bounded away to record a sizzling time of 17.62 seconds.
“He’d trialled really well and his price showed that,” winning trainer Paul Steedman said.
“He’s only a young dog who doesn’t have much experience. Later on down the track he looks like he’s going to be a handy dog.”
Sleater finished just shy of his trial time of 17.58 that he recorded at Bathurst last month.
The El Grand Senor x Topaz Siyan runner will undoubtedly be the centre of extra attention from racegoers next start after winning on Monday by 7.5 lengths.
“Peter Stanford bred him. I bought him as a pup and reared him. Peter and myself helped to break him in,” Steedman said.
“That’s probably been a six month process.
“We’ll keep him sprinting for a while to build him up for the 400’s and see how he goes from there.”
After the opening 50m of Monday’s race it became clear that the rest of the field was going to be fighting it out for minor placings.
Later on down the track he looks like he’s going to be a handy dog.
- Paul Steedman
Sleater had dashed almost five lengths away before the field had reached the turn for home.
Sienna Grand ($16.30) and Mulberry Express were jostling for second place with the bend approaching.
Mulberry Express took a check and slipped back through the field.
The mishap made the runner-up spot Sienna Grand’s to lose.
Keep ‘em Keen ($19) made up some ground when Sienna Grand drifted a touch wide on the turn.
Sienna Grand recovered to secure the runner-up finish 1.5 lengths clear of Keep ‘em Keen.
Meanwhile, Sleater had completed an unblemished run. He’d stuck close to the rail and continued to extend his winning margin all the way until the finish.
Monday’s meeting saw several upsets take place, none bigger than Jacobite Dougie ($49.30) winning the Vic Hotel Stakes (450m).
Jacobite Dougie got across from box eight and led all the way to spring the big upset on Vienna Shacoby ($1.60).
Two other upsets were caused by Cosmic Speedway ($35.80) and See Ya Thursday ($23.70) in the Ladbrokes Monthly Medal Heat Three and Murphys Pre Ed & Rearing Stakes respectively.
