One more Melton run for Miles’ mare before Queensland calls

Star Victorian trotting mare Rockinwithattitude will look to add to her stunning interstate record when she tackles a string of Albion Park feature races next month.

Trainher-driver David Miles said “win, lose or draw” in the Saturday night’s Matriarch Trot at Melton, his stable star would be heading north.

“She sold with that fantastic first-up run,” he said. “I don’t know (trotting mares) have ever gone quicker at Melton than they went that night and she came three-wide with no cover and ran a great second.

“With star juveniles like her, you always wonder how they’ll handle the step into open racing at four, but she looks to have stepped-up as we hoped.

“She didn’t have a lot of luck and it was an awesome run in super-fast time.”

Rockinwithattitude was indeed a star juvenile with 26 starts across her two and three-year-old career netting 17 wins – four of them at Group 1 level – five placings and over $330,000 in prize money.

She also boasts a fantastic record “on the road” with five runs between Sydney and Brisbane for four wins and a fourth.

“She’s such a cruisy mare, traveling doesn’t bother,” Miles said.

“She’ll have a month up there. There’s four possible targets, but the biggest is obviously the Great Square. It’s the richest aged-restricted trotting race anywhere in Australia.”

The $150,000 Group 1 Great Square is restricted to three and four-year-old trotters and Rockinwithattitude ran a terrific fourth in as a three-year-old last year before going on to win the Queensland Trotters’ Oaks.

“Her first up there will be the week before (July 6). There’s a good lead-up race called the Stellar Square,” Miles said. “If she goes well in the Great Square, we’d look to run her against the open trotters in the (Group 1) Queensland Trotters’ Cup (July 27).”

As thrilled as Miles was with Rockinwithattitude’s first-up run, he concedes she will need a lot to go right from a horror draw (outside back row, gate 11) on Saturday night.

“You won’t hear me complaining about draws after the good ones we’ve had in so many big races, but it has made it hard this week. I’m sure she’ll still run well after what she did the other  night,” he said.

Miles is also contemplating taking his talented three-year-old pacing filly Look Like Diamonds to Brisbane.

“There’s a few races up there for her, including the Queensland Oaks,” he said. “She ran fourth in the Vicbred final last season and has come back well with three wins from her six starts.

“She’s got a heat and final series over the next couple of weeks which I’ll use to decide if she’s going well enough to take up.”

The Victorian influence on next month’s Queensland’s Constellations will be huge with premier training team Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin planning to take up to 12 of their stables stars north.

Unbeaten three-year-old filly Very Pretty and star four-year-old The Lost Storm continued their preparations with trial wins yesterday (Tuesday).

Glamour stablemates like Ladies In Red, Honolua Bay and The Highlight Reel will also join the team.

While open-class star Mach Dan, emerging trotter Hesallmuscle and Queensland Derby hopeful Bay Of Biscay will sharpen-up with runs at Melton on Saturday night.

Saturday night’s TrotsVision coverage of Melton will incorporate the 2023 Victorian Harness Racing Awards.

Last year’s brilliant equine athletes will be lauded – including the announcement of the Victorian Horse of the Year – along with the state’s premier honours, the Gordon Rothacker Medal, Pearl Kelly Award, Caduceus Club Living Legend and Lang Distinguished Services Award.

·       Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.