He’s been plagued by numerous leg injuries throughout an interrupted career but Ominous Warning looks as if he is finally returning to his two-year-old form, after booking himself a place in the Canola Cup final.
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Four years on since his last hot run of form, Ominous Warning has managed six consecutive wins, the most recent victory being a Canola Cup heat at Eugowra on Sunday afternoon.
He won the race by a comfortable 17.1 metres, after starting as a $1.10 red-hot favourite.
Bathurst trainer Peter Trevor-Jones said the win is a reward for his perseverance with the gelding.
“It was a relief [to get through to the final] but that’ll be a different ball game. It’s a pretty strong field and not such a good draw for me, drawing barrier 10,” he said.
“I’ll leave it up to the driver. We’ll devise something.
“Regardless, I’m tickled pink with him making the final. It’s a reward for our perseverance.
“It’s been a long process and there’s been plenty of difficulties but he’s shown a lot of ability from day one.”
After a ninth place finish at Ballarat, back in August, 2014, when he was under the training of Brendan McCarthy, Ominous Warning didn’t start another race until on April, 2017, at West Wyalong.
He had another set back in April this year, after sustaining an injury after a second-place finish at Goulburn.
Since June this year, Ominous Warning has now won six of his seven starts, those wins coming at Bathurst (four times), Bankstown (one time) and Eugowra (on Sunday).
He started Sunday’s race from barrier one, with John O’Shea in the gig, but didn’t have the best of starts, trailing in the opening periods of the race.
But that all changed when Ominous Warning hit the front straight for the first time.
O’Shea saw the front and pushed the gelding to the lead, one that he never relinquished.
Ominous Warning was rarely challenged during the rest of the race and cruised home, firing out a big warning to his Canola Cup final rivals.
The win capped of the gelding’s 12th career win in just 22 starts, with one second and three thirds.
- READ MORE: Eugowra’s Canola Cup abandoned for 2016
Trevor-Jones said he’s looking forward to the Canola Cup final, describing it as one of the best harness racing carnivals.
“This is why you get into harness racing, to get into this big races,” he said.
“The Canola Cup is a great race, one of the best carnivals outside of the Gold Crown.
“Experiencing it with Beetson in 2012 was a bit of a career highlight, winning it with him.”
The Canola Cup final will be held at the Eugowra Showground on Monday, October 1.