Trots Centre: Lilley unleashes a God and a King at Kilmore tonight

Brent Lilley will fire up some fresh talent at Kilmore tonight, but both of the top tier trotters will enter their quests with question marks.

Our Kings Landing makes his Australian debut in the OKR 98.3FM Trot, carrying hopes that he’ll become another Kiwi-bred trotter to make it big in Victoria.

And regally-bred two-year-old Aldebaran Zeus, a winner on debut, will step out against open age horses, including aptly named 10-year-old Tip Top Grandpa, in the Kilmore Trackside Trotters Handicap.

“It’s not common in Australia, but back home in New Zealand you see it all the time,” Lilley said of the challenge facing his two-year-old. “He’s a sensible horse, he doesn’t have the ring craft of some of them but ability wise he is as good as any in this field. He is well above average.”

That’s a description that also sits comfortably on the shoulders of Our Kings Landing, whose 13 starts for Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s All Stars Racing produced five victories and almost $75,000 in stakes.

Lilley said he was “pretty inexperienced” but “a quality horse”, and when the opportunity presented to test drive and then purchase him during a Kiwi sales visit he jumped at it.

“I’d always known the horse and watched him,” Lilley said. “It was thought he was better than (eventual Inter Dominion winner) Winterfell last year, but they had trouble getting him going.

“He had a few little issues, prior to buying him, in New Zealand. He just wasn’t trotting as fluidly as they thought he should be.

“We have worked on him and he was pretty good at Kilmore when he trialled, not perfect, but he should go good in the race.”

Now in the ownership of a syndicate Lilley assembled, Our Kings Landing makes his Australian debut amid quality.

“He has come over and been thrown into the deep end with his rating because of his performances back in New Zealand,” Lilley said. “Magicool looks the horse to beat and is a very good horse.

“(Our Kings Landing) is pretty forward, but he will be better for having a race under his belt.

“He probably needs a good six to 12 months at the elite level to get him right up there, but he has the talent to do it. We will be a bit wiser after his first start, he seems fairly fast and a genuine type of horse.”

Lilley also has Our Thunder Buddy, Kyvalley Barney and Cruisin Around in the race and while the former two will go in as outsiders he said the latter should be much improved.

“Cruise pulled up a little off-colour from his first-up run, which was an average run. There wouldn’t be much between (he and Our Kings Landing) at home.”

He will also float three-year-old trotter Split Ear to Kilmore, with the Night Of The Stars gelding to contest the Momentum Gaming 3YO Pace and hopefully improve on his first-up miss-step.

“He was looming into it last week and galloped down the back straight,” Lilley said. “He trialled OK before that and we are hoping for a better run. He is no world beater but should get a win in the future.”

Lilley said Aldebaran Zeus was his best chance of a win.

TALKING TROTS ON SENTRACK:

Hosts Jason Bonnington and Blake Redden have another big line-up for today’s Talking Trots on SENTrack, which runs weekdays from 11am-1pm on 1377AM in Melbourne, 657AM in Perth and 1575AM in Wollongong. 

Today’s guests:

From 11am: Reinsman Josh Duggan

From 11.30am: Trainer Emma Stewart

From 11.40am: Race caller Luke Humphreys

From 11.50am: Trainer-driver Glenn Conroy

From noo: The Friday Form Panel with Cody Winnell

Click here to listen live and for links to download the SEN app.

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