Demmler hitches Wagon to Ofortuna, eyes Inter Dom fast-track

Craig Demmler is hoping more than a little good fortune at Bendigo on Saturday night will gift his trotter a golden ticket to this year's Victorian Inter Dominion.

The Parwan trainer's Ofortuna will start in the Haras Des Trotteurs Wagon Apollo Trotters Free For All, the first of eight races - four trotting and four pacing - that give their winners direct entry into ID22, part of a new ranking system revealed earlier this month.

Demmler has always looked at the big picture with smart trotting mare Ofortuna, having been prepared to take on the big assignments without overly taxing the mare in her formative years.

He said he'd learned from the likes of his father, the legendary Ted Demmler, and other greats such as Graeme Johansen and Graeme and Gavin Lang that it was important to look after horses as they graduated through their age categories.

“I’ve wanted to look after her to ensure she can get the most out of her career,” said Demmler, who added it was hard to find horses of the calibre of Ofortuna and therefore important to have them ready physically and mentally when they stepped out in the big time.

He is aiming to see the fruits of this approach this year as he embarks on a campaign that he hopes culminates in getting Ofortuna into the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship, which kicks off at Ballarat on November 26.

Saturday night's Group 3 trot at Bendigo on Saturday night is the five-year-old's first off a six-month spell and just her 24^th career start.

Unraced as a two-year-old, Ofortuna had 12 starts as a three-year-old, with seconds in each of the Group 1 Breeders Crown and Vicbred Super Series finals, and another seven starts at the back end of last season.

Demmler said he was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to train the daughter of Majestic Son.

“I wasn’t a big fan of her when I got here, but she didn’t take too long to win me over," he said.

“She doesn’t show a lot in track work, but always goes up a cog in races.”

She won three of her first five starts and during her second season strung together three wins on end. Demmler said the rating system had also been a factor in keeping her lightly raced.

“You go through your classes quite quickly. You don’t want to be pushing too hard too early.”

However, Demmler says Ofortuna is now at the stage in her career where there is nowhere to hide.

“There’s no easy way of easing her back. You have no choice but to take on assignments of this type, especially when the Inter Dominion is our aim.”

Saturday night she takes on a field of seasoned free-for-allers including 2021 Inter Dominion champion Maori Law, who ran second in the John Slack Memorial at Ballarat, and Nephew Of Sonoko, a winner of four on end before a last-start third in the same Ballarat race.

Demmler has already been given a glimpse of what she is capable of at this level.

She followed up her Vicbred Super Series campaign at the end of last season with a close third to Majestuoso and Sundons Courage in the Group 3 Derby Royale Trotters Free For All at Melton in late January. 

“I thought you bewdy,” said Demmler.

His plan after that was to keep her racing and ease her into top open class company without getting carried away, but a virus that resulted in a below par run two weeks later altered his plans and Ofortuna went to the paddock.

That's now well behind her and Demmler said her racing return was all geared towards having her peak for the Inter Dominion.