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Long spruiked as a special talent by her stable, Im Ready Jet left no doubters with a stunning performance at Kilmore tonight when she toughed it out from the breeze and left Australia’s leading trotters in her wake.
Part of an outstanding night in the sulky by young reinsman Jack Laugher, who produced a metropolitan treble, Im Ready Jet revealed she had few peers in romping to victory in the Garrards Maori’s Idol Trotters Free For All.
“I wasn’t expecting that type of performance from her tonight, although her two runs back have been pretty remarkable, so it wasn’t entirely a massive surprise, but the way she did it she sort of stunned me a little bit,” Laugher told Trots Vision.
By Quaker Jet out of Im Ready Set, the Yabby Dam Farms bred and owned mare has long been the darling of trainer Anton Golino, who’s readily said she’s “one of the best horses I’ve had”.
It’s no small praise following on from the likes of Dance Craze, but Laugher said she was clearly emerging as a squaregaiting force.
“She’s probably got bigger and better races on the horizon provided she stays sound and everything goes well, but to do something like that and beat a quality field – some of the best trotters in Australia were going around tonight – she’s definitely got a bright future and more things to come,” he said.
“You have to be versatile like that to be a good horse, I’ve only had the opportunity to drive her at the races three times and every time she’s come out she’s done something I didn’t really think was possible.
“Even though she’s only run second her first two starts I just thought the sectionals she was reeling off were out of this world. She’s tough, she’s done it in the breeze tonight, and she’s fast, she can real off those quick quarters. She’s going to definitely be a pretty good horse going forward.”
Golino has already flagged bold plans for the four-year-old, including a potential US assault.
Tonight Im Ready Jet won by three metres from Aldebaran Crescent, who belied her lofty odds with a super run on the back of leader Always Ready, with Cover Of Darkness motoring on well to finish third in his most stern test to date.
The win was a third on the trot for Laugher, who previously won the Hylands My Lightning Blue Free For All for Basil Dooley and then the John Joffa @ Donalds Winners FB Pace for Julie Douglas.
It’s a continuation of an outstanding season that’s not only seen him take a stranglehold on the Concession Drivers Premiership, but also sit second on the Metropolitan Drivers Premiership behind only reigning winner Kate Gath.