Kate Gath wasted no time extinguishing any challenge to her Metropolitan Drivers Premiership title after partnering Sly Terror to victory in the opening event at Melton.
The victory gave Gath a three-win lead over Mark Pitt and that remained the margin between the pair at the end of the final metropolitan meeting of the season.
Sent out a $3 favorite, Sly Terror had little trouble holding the lead from the pole before reeling off a 27.7 last 400 metres to hold off Stir Me Up by a head with Franco Novelist three metres away third.
Sly Terror was on the quick back up after being placed at Geelong four nights earlier.
“I think the run during the week did him well and with a good draw tonight, the track is always fast
for the first couple of races and it’s a decent mile rate,” Gath said.
He said the six-year-old son of Terror To Love travelled kindly in the run.
“Once the death seat horse dropped off a bit down the back he came back to me and was happy to
walk the last part before reaching the 400-metre mark,” she said.
“While he ran pretty solidly the whole way it was nothing too fast to take it out of him.”
A previous two-time winner of the Metropolitan Drivers Premiership, Gath admitted she wasn’t sure
if she could complete the hattrick.
“I never expected to be able to win it again,” Gath said.
“Obviously the two times I won it I was driving a lot of Emma and Clayton’s horses and driving ours
as well so I was driving for the two leading metropolitan stables, so it was a given that I had to win,”
she said.
Gath said this season’s title held extra significance for her.
“This past year I have still driven a few for Emma and Clayton but not a lot, so it’s pretty special
because I never thought that I’d be able to get the job done,” she said.
“I couldn’t have done it without Andy and all the team back home and everyone else who has put
me on.”
Rejuvenated multiple Group 1 winner Max Delight completed back to back wins with a last stride victory in the Benstud Standardbreds Sokyola Pace.
The David Aiken prepared pacer, who was backed in from $15 to $7, settled towards the rear of the field before driver Nathan Jack flushed out Bulletproof Boy for a three wide trail inside the last lap of
the race.
The leader La Captain appeared to have the race in his keeping half way down the home straight however Max Delight emerged from the ruck and produced his trademark sprint to grab victory on
the line.
Max Delight appeared past his best when he went winless for 18 months prior to winning at Wagga a couple of months ago.
The seven-year-old showed he was far from a spent force when he subsequently won the Young Cup at his 100th start three weeks ago.
Aiken admitted the racing gods appeared to conspire against the son of Bettors Delight during the
year.
“It’s been frustrating with a lot of bad draws, we think he’s been going good for a while and I was
driving him for a while, which probably didn’t help, and now Nathan has jumped on him and they’ve
got on really well,” Aiken said.
“We went to Wagga where Nathan had his first drive on him and then he did a good job at Young
and he’s back to his old self.”
Aiken said Max Delight’s form has been better than it appears on paper.
“He’s run a lot of quick halves all year, he’s just had a horror draw even all through the Inter
Dominion here,” he said. “He’s up to about $900,000 and I’d love to get him to the $1m in prizemoney.”
Jack knew he was on a winner with Im Ready Jet before the mobile had released the field in
the Sundons Gift Trotters Free For All.
Sent out a $2.25 favorite, Im Ready Jet sat parked outside the leader Sleepee before striding to the lead approaching the final bend, and with Jack driving confidently, the Anton Golino trained mare proved too strong for her main danger Arcee Phoenix.
Jack conceded he was more than quietly confident of victory prior to the race.
“She hasn’t quite been at her best for a while now but then Anton told me that this is the best he’s had her for a long time, so I knew she’d win tonight especially after the way she warmed up,” Jack
said.
Jack said the Yabby Dam Farms bred mare will be aimed at the Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star in February.
“We just need Just Believe to draw out the back in the final and then we’re a chance but he’s in
great form and going to be hard to beat,” he said.
Jack believes the daughter of Quaker Jet will be at her peak for the Great Southern Star.
“Going forward this mare should just get better and better,” he said.
Im Ready Jet has now won 21 races with a further 22 placings from 57 starts for more than $550,000 in stake earnings.
