James Herbertson believes Im Bobby can take the next step and contest the feature races in the coming months after the six-year-old chalked up his seventh consecutive win in the Aldebaran Park Trotters Handicap at Melton on Saturday night.
Despite coming off a 30 metre backmark and sitting parked outside the leader Gee Cee Calder, Im Bobby ($1.85 fav) dug deep over the concluding stages to score by a metre and a half from Aldebaran Vera in a new track record mile rate of 1:57.5.
Herbertson said the Eddie Tappe-prepared trotter’s form in recent months should hold him in good stead when contesting the elite races.
“I think so, he has done everything he possibly could have,” Herbertson said.
“He hasn’t got beaten and the way he had been doing it has been exceptional, so as long as it all hasn’t taken its toll on him too much that when he steps up against the proper free-for-allers that he isn’t a bit flat.
“Everything that he has done so far, you couldn’t ask any more.”
While Im Bobby has been in white-hot form, so too has the prodigiously talented Herbertson who brought up his fifth winner of the night.
Earlier in the evening, Herbertson partnered the emerging star of the three-year-old trotting ranks Tracy The Jet to an easy win in the $125,000 Nutrien Equine Classic Race Series final for three-year-old totting fillies.
Sent out a $1.18 favorite, Tracy The Jet worked to the lead mid-race before outclassing her rivals and scoring by 10 metres from Keayang Kurki.
Her mile rate of 1:56.1 eclipsed Sam Nien’s time in winning the Nutrien three-year-old colts and geldings’ final by almost four seconds.
“She’s a very powerful filly and to run the time that she has gone tonight and to still have a bit left in the locker is pretty scary,” Herbertson said.
Herbertson hinted that the Jess Tubbs-trained filly would provide a worthy combatant for star mare Keayang Zahara when they clash in the future.
“I think with what this filly has produced last prep and now this prep that you can put her into a pretty high bracket,” he said.
“She hasn’t got the runs on the board as Keayang Zahara has, but I think there will be some pretty interesting racing coming up in the next 12 months as they both progress and get into that free-for-all class.”
The win provided a Nutrien Equine Classic Race Series double for Tubbs and Herbertson after the talented youngster Howdy Mate ($6) took out the two-year-old colts and geldings’ final half an hour earlier.
Herbertson allowed the son of Elite Stride time to settle back in the field before commencing a three-wide challenge with 600 metres to travel and Howdy Mate reeled in Munny The Munster to score by a metre-and-a-half on the line.
The winner is raced by media identity Brittany Graham along with top United States trainer Nancy Takter and Michelle Crawford, who owns the New York-based nursery Crawford Farms.
Tubbs was delighted Howdy Mate was able to prevail for his connections.
“To win with Herbie in the bike and to have that winner for Nancy, Brittany and Michelle means a lot. I hope some of them were turned in – I’m sure Brittany would have been,” Tubbs said.
Sam Nien provided trainer Darren Pace with the biggest win of his career when he took out the Nutrien three-year-old trotting colts and geldings’ final.
An emotional Pace said the win was “50 years in the making”.
“Words can’t explain it. This means so much to me, and while I am the trainer, if it wasn’t for my boys I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
The Antti Ruokonen-trained filly Jilliby Aura ($6.50) led all the way in the Nutrien final for two-year-old trotting fillies, defeating the $1.55 favorite Afternoon Breeze.
The Yabby Dam Farms impact on the breeding industry is evident with three of the four final winners – Tracy The Jet, Sam Nien and Jilliby Aura – all foaled at the Ballarat-based nursey.
