Trots Centre: Bec’s big names return to the bright lights

The paparazzi may well be peering through the fence at Shepparton tonight as the red carpet’s rolled out for two pacers with big followings.

Rebecca Bartley and Stephen O’Donoghue will not only use tonight’s meet at their home track to pull the curtain on San Carlo’s return, but the stable will also have the Saturday night lights shine on stunning skewbald Holstein.

“It’s going to be a battle of the favourites on Saturday night,” Bartley told Trots Talk.

Eye-catching Holstein drew great attention when he flashed to victory on debut on April 6 and tonight returns for his fourth start in the Neatline Homes Pace, which streams on Trots Vision at 7.30pm.

“He’s been really good,” Bartley said. “He’s been working really good at home, had a couple of nice trials now. He’s drawn barrier one, which helps, he will be thereabouts again.”

But long-term the stable’s headliner is still San Carlo, the three-time Inter Dominion finalist who hasn’t raced since winning at Mildura on January 24.

On the cusp of his 10^th birthday, Bartley said time would tell if age had wearied the Mach Three gelding.

“He had a little break, we’ve just brought him up nice and slow. He’s got a lot bigger so he’s taking his time,” Bartley said.

“He’s just carrying a bit more weight, which is good – at least we’ve got something to work with and he’s still got a bit of conditioning to do.”

San Carlo’s the widest drawn participant in tonight’s six-horse field for the TAB Long May We Play Pace, which streams on Trots Vision at 9pm.

He’s trialled five times since March 1, including a last trial victory at Shepparton on June 4 when he got home in a 56.7-second last half to beat an eight-horse field, with San Carlo 15 metres clear of second-placed Pirate Bay at the finishing post.

Bartley said being in region-based racing since April 2 had helped the stable be patient with their prized pacer.

“They are still throwing up in the air when the big races are going to be on, so it’s been perfect for us, we haven’t had to rush him up,” she said. “We’ve brought him up at our own pace and now we are sort of getting back to normal he will start picking things up.

“As I said he has got a lot bigger and it’s something we haven’t worked on with him, we’ve just taken our time. I think Saturday we will get a good indication, his work at home has still been pretty good, his trials have been pretty good, so we’re really happy with where he’s at.

“It’s going to take him a couple of runs to get back. We don’t really work him that hard at home, so we’ve used this trial to give him a good hit-out and now he’s ready to take the next step. I think he’s probably about 80 per cent and with a few runs under his belt he should be getting somewhere near his best.”

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