Vicbred Series: Little separates 3YO trotting boys

If the three heats are anything to go by the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Super Series three-year-old trotting boys final is going to be a belter, with tonight’s biggest margin being a miserly 1.1 metres.

Along with first starter Itsarapt and fast-finisher Archleo, All The Muscles heads into his July 5 $100,00 Vicbred Super Series final a winner courtesy of tonight’s victory at Geelong for trainer Patrick Ryan and reinsman David Moran.

The latter “thought I might have just hung on” as judges assessed the photo finish, giving the nod to the Muscles Hill colt out of Fullonluck, who is owned and bred by Sheron Park.

“He’s a big fella, he’s pretty immature in the head really, he’s just that big and gangly that he’ll just get better and better with time,” Moran said. “He’ll probably eventually make a nice open age horse.”

The potential was there to see as All The Muscles comfortably held the front from gate one and seemed to be running away with the race before stalling at the final turn, when 2018 Vicbred Super Series placegetter Dream Mastar and Scruffy Doolan chomped into his advantage and set up a ripping three-way go for the win.

All The Muscles clung on in the heat two photo, which had him a short half-head clear of Scruffy Doolan and and a head clear of Dream Mastar.

“He’s just a funny horse, he seems to do it all so easy, he just gets a bit floaty,” Moran said. “He struggled to get around that last bend a little bit and probably cost him winning by a little bit more.”

In the final he’ll be hoping to go one better than his NSW Trotters Derby second placing to Xebec, a horse he won’t have to worry about after the heat one favourite galloped in the final straight just when a win looked in the offing.

Instead it was Stephen O’Donoghue’s first starter, Itsarapt, who swept past the leaders for reinswoman Rebecca Bartley and owner-breeder Alison Bertwistle to score by 1.1 metres.

“He’s always shown a bit of promise,” Bartley said of the $50 tote winner. “He’s had a couple of trials (but) he’s probably had a rushed preparation to get here really.

“I was a bit worried because they were going so slow, he was getting on the bit a little, but he was really good in the end. He’s shown a lot of speed at home. Probably the slow quarters helped him out too, he’s had a few trials but they haven’t been hard trials. It was a really good blow-out for next week.”

Trainer Barry Beasley also led a happy camp after his Wishing Stone gelding Archleo, who finished fifth in last year’s two-year-old colts and geldings Vicbred Super Series final, climbed over Breeders Crown champ Kyvalley Clichy to win the last of the boys’ heats.

Reinswoman Jackie Barker initially held the favourite out until Kyvalley Clichy’s reinsman Chris Alford sustained a second challenge for the lead.

“I was going to lead if I could, but if Alford wanted to keep pressing forward we didn’t figure there was any point in getting into a war,” Barker told TrotsVision. “It’s a good horse to follow, so I thought it was a good option when he was looking again down the back to just let him go and sit on his back.

“He did a little bit extra work, which probably just made the difference in the finish, because there was not much in it.”

Archleo was breathing down the leader’s back until the sprint lane opened and found an edge in the final 50 metres to register a win by a head, just the second victory for the gelding out of 13-race winning French mare Le Chabanais.

“It was my first drive on him tonight, Mick (Bellman)’s been doing the driving, but he’s just that perfect little racehorse,” Barker said. “He’s got a really big heart and he really puts in all the time, so Barry’s really lucky and he’s done a really good job with him. All the credit goes to him and his team, just for what a good job they’ve done getting him up to these bigger races.

“I can’t wait (for the final). I owe a lot of thanks to Barry because he’s given me some really good opportunities. He gave me a drive last year in a Group 1 Breeders Crown on his other trotter and this time I’ll get to drive Archleo, which is probably a bit better trotter again. I’m really grateful for the opportunities he’s given me.”

The draws for the July 5 trotting and July 6 pacing Group 1 finals will be held at Tabcorp Park Melton this Saturday night as part of Alabar Vicbred Super Series semi-finals night. All barrier draws will be streamed live at www.thetrots.com.au.

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