Trots Centre: Pete's Little Jukebox ready to hit a high note

The odd good-natured jibe about his little pocket rocket hasn’t dampened Peter Hall’s enthusiasm for three-year-old Jukebox Jet, who has his third career start in tonight’s Gold Central Victoria 3YO Pace.

Just the second horse that Hall has trained for a race start, it’s a minor miracle that the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding’s ready to ramp up his racing career after a tough start to life.

“I got this bloke through Craig Judd (of Benstud Standardbreds),” Hall said. “I did some work for them and that was essentially the payment.

“I got him when he was 13-and-a-half hands. He had a lung infection when he was born, which stunted his growth. Benstud did a terrific job keeping him alive and in the system.”

The gelding’s pint-size wasn’t lost on others, but with patience came progress.

“He copped a bit of crap from other trainers, but I said we’d be right, we’ll keep improving.”

Hall introduced Jukebox Jet to the race track with starts at Shepparton on April 16 and May 1, with both times the gelding plugging away to finish eighth of eight, when his trainer believed the race day occasion and immaturity got the better of him.

“He wasn’t quite strong enough, but he’s grown a little bit,” he said. “I still look at him, and he’s only 14 hands, but he has strengthened and matured more.”

After a freshen up he’s ready for campaign two and there is greater optimism in the camp.

In a trial at Shepparton on October 13 Jukebox Jet hit the line strongly to catch the eye of form analyst Craig Rail.

In his Trial File column, which is published on thetrots.com.au on Friday mornings, Rail said Jukebox Jet “powered home into third placing” in a “run (that) was extremely eye-catching”.

But Hall is remaining cautious about his three-year-old’s chances from gate six in tonight’s nine-horse race, which streams on Trots Vision at 9.03pm.

“(In the trial) I said to David (Aiken) just to put him on the fence and don’t knock him around,” he said. “He trialled OK again, but I still don’t know.

“(Tonight) he will swing back off the gate and just try and dash home to the line. He looks like having a nice sprint, but it’s not all about (tonight).”

Instead, for Hall, it’s more about the horse and his long-term prospects.

Tonight marks only his 10^th start as a trainer, having previously trained Winkanditsover to seven starts for two wins and two placings, but Hall’s long had a hand in harness racing.

“I’ve been in it since 2001. I finished footy and so delved into it then with a mare, raced her and then bred from her.”

It started with his father Garry’s trotter Maybe Hall and has encompassed breeding and owning Winkanditsover ($114,208) and Flingandwingit ($70,315).

“I have always broken in and pre-trained, but I have my own business and so there’s not a lot of time for more than that.”

Which makes Jukebox Jet a special case, even more so because ownership is shared with his daughters Elivia, Jemma and Alexandra, dad Garry and friends Robbie Whitford, Anthony Hansen and John Lilford.

“He is a family horse, all the girls are in him as are family friends,” Hall said.

“He is a lovely-natured horse and because my daughter, Alexandra, rides them if he doesn’t make it he will become a riding horse.

“I love the training. I really enjoy it. I have help from Graham Lyon and Mark Watson at the Kyabram stables and when you get feedback from them to say that he’s really improved it’s nice to hear.”

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