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Trainer Andy Gath will await the fast work performance of star trotter Tornado Valley on Thursday before making a decision on whether or not he will take his place in the Group 3 Resimax Scotch Notch Memorial at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Gath has accepted with the son of Skyvalley, but is concerned with a rash that has presented on the nine-year-old and has still not made a final call on whether he will start this weekend.
“He has had quite a bad rash which he missed a couple of fast works (from),” Gath said on Tuesday morning.
“It depends how he works Thursday whether he takes his place in the field or not though.”
First-up from a spell, Tornado Valley won a heat and the final of the Great Southern Star on February 5, but dropped out badly in the concluding stages of the TAB Australian Trotting Grand Prix on February 27.
Gath updated viewers of Trots Vision on Saturday night about the horse’s condition and his plans with the winner of $976,617.
“It seems like he has pulled up very well from his last run. Admittedly he was disappointing the last 100m – he didn’t quite finish off as good as he could,” he said.
“We had the vet go over him and he’s had a few issues with his hocks, so we’ve had them treated.
“We are quite happy that we are going to proceed forward and hopefully we can top that million dollars with him.”
The horse currently sits ninth on the list of all-time prizemoney earners bred in Australia or New Zealand and can edge closer to that seven-figure barrier with victory in the race on Saturday night.
The Tabcorp Park Melton meeting is highlighted by two Group 1 features – the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic finals for the three-year-old fillies and also colts and geldings – and the Group 2 City of Melton Plate.
Meanwhile, a strong line-up has been assembled for the $35,000 Group 3 Moama Bowling Club Echuca Pacing Cup on Friday night.
The field of 10 includes last-start Charlton Pacing Cup winner Like A Wildfire (Emma Stewart), top free-for-all pacer Malcolms Rhythm (David Aiken) and Mildura specialist Bernie Winkle (Julie Douglas).
On Sunday, Kate Gath and Kerryn Manning will represent Victoria in the 2021 Australian Female Drivers Championship in Launceston.
Two drivers from each state will contest a series of heats on a 10-race program with the winners determined on a point-score basis.
Also on Sunday is the $14,500 Greggs Electrical Ouyen Pacing Cup, with fields set to be confirmed tomorrow.
