READY, steady, wiggle - they might be lyrics to a The Wiggles song but they also are very fitting when it comes to a member of Trent Rue's team.
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After almost three years in the paddock, a gelding known as Wiggle Wiggle Woo returned to the track on Monday and ran an impressive second for the Bathurst trainer.
While the song from which the Million Dollar Cam x Conrod Classic horse got his name from might talk about jumping like a kangaroo, it was more a case of digging in like a mole.
Wiggle Wiggle Woo sat in the trail in the 2,260 metres pace, came off the pegs into the final bend and kept giving - digging deep to the line. He only got beaten by a head.
It was an effort which surprised the trainer-driver.
"My young fella, he named him about three years ago so he would've been three at the time, he was a mad fan of The Wiggles," Rue said.
"They have song and at the end it goes 'Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle woo', he liked that catch phrase.
"He was a little immature horse so I turned him out and since then he's had a few leg issues. We got him back to the races last Monday, first start, no trial and I was really happy with the way he went.
"My plan was to trial him, but with the virus they cancelled trials and with not knowing how long he was going to stand up and how long we were going to race, I threw caution to the wind and threw him into the race.
"I was confident he'd run a decent race, but I was surprised with the way he finished off, especially over the longer distance."
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That second placing came nearly three years after he ran fifth on debut.
Wiggle Wiggle Woo will continue his comeback this Sunday when he lines up in the Ballinger Transport Maiden Pace at the Bathurst Paceway.
It will be over the shorter 1,730 metres trip, but the five-year-old has drawn the tricky barrier 10.
Rue knows it will test his runner and has set his goals for Wiggle Wiggle Woo accordingly.
"He's a beautiful little horse, before that start last week [Monday] he hadn't seen a mobile in three years, he'd only had the one start," he said.
"He's a very nice, very placid horse. He's a little champion, he's not real big, but he's got a good heart.
"Fitness will be on his side this week, the draw doesn't help us, his last week he drew one, this week we are on the second row.
"But I'll just be happy if he gets around, pulls up okay and we get to go the following week."
Wiggle Wiggle Woo's rivals include the Josh Turnbull trained Rockslide who ran a solid second on debut. He came from four back on the pegs to only miss out by a head.
The first race of Sunday's meeting is set for 12.49pm.
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