MASS scenes of celebration broke out across the Tabcorp Park Melton lawn as Mister Hunter produced a stunning final sprint to capture a huge prize for his big band of owners.

On a night when six Group 1s were run and won the APG Vic Gold Bullion final for two-year-old colts and geldings was one to remember for reinsman Jack Laugher, trainer Vince Dicocco and a 17-member strong ownership group, with their Huntsville colt rattling home to improve from last to first.

“It does make it feel that bit ... better doing it for a big group of owners," Laugher told TrotsVision.

"They all probably haven’t had a great deal of horses in their time, but there’s just a bunch of them that own little bits and pieces of him. They were all here tonight and cheering him on – they all got a great thrill out of it and so have I and it’s great for the sport really.”

The win was Laugher’s first Group 1 triumph, outstanding reward for the reinsman who’s been lauded since crossing from Tasmania to build his career.

“It’s always something that you would like to achieve but when I first moved over that probably wasn’t part of the plan,” Laugher said.

“I’m probably just lucky enough to be driving a few nicer horses now. I was lucky to pick up this one for Vince and all the guys that own him at Ballarat last week.

“He put the writing on the wall and he was just too good, it didn’t really matter who drove him tonight. I was lucky enough to get the steer, I am very grateful for that.”

Mister Hunter was a winner of two of his four starts leading in and Laugher showed a very patient hand tonight, happy to wait until approaching the final turn before setting out after the front runners.

The confidence was quickly rewarded, with Mister Hunter entering the turn last and departing it level with the leaders.

From there he quickly scooted clear in the final 200 for a 6.9-metre win from Will He Reign, with Staroftheshow almost 15 metres in arears in third. Harness Racing Victoria’s sectionals clocked the winner in a 27.74-second final quarter, almost a second quicker than any of his rivals.

“Sitting on a helmet he doesn’t feel you’ve got a lot there, but when you pull him out he’s happy to run for you,” Laugher said. "I think going forward he’s going to be a lethal horse with a sit.”

TROTSVISION HIGHLIGHT: ENJOY THE OWNERS' POST-RACE CELEBRATIONS


WELL-EARNED rests await Catch A Wave and Just Hope after the pair produced barnstorming all-the-way performances to dominate tonight’s APG Vic Gold Bullion finals for three-year-olds.

Connections of both said a tilt at Queensland’s lucrative winter carnivals were unlikely for their star pacers, who instead look set to be freshened for Victoria’s rich spring.

Few carry more hype than Andy Gath and Kate Gath’s Catch A Wave and he did no harm to his reputation tonight, recording a ninth win from 10 starts off extraordinary first and third quarters.

The Breeders Crown winner added a second Group 1 by twice pouring on the pressure in 27-second quarters to register a five-metre win ahead of impressive District Attorney despite a comparatively modest run to the line.

“It was good to get the win,” Kate Gath told TrotsVision. “He got a bit keen. We’ve got blocks on him to make sure that he behaves himself at the start, which he’s now doing, so we’ll probably hopefully be able to get those off and I think he will be a lot more relaxed (in the run).”

The start was certainly no problem tonight with Catch A Wave rocketing off the gate to lead easily.

Despite being unchallenged he reeled off the quickest first 200 metres of any horse on the night, covering it in 12.57 seconds, while only Love Ina Chevy in the TAB Young Pedro Free For All had a quicker first 100 metres, with his 6.23 seconds narrowly shading Catch A Wave (6.24).

He raced friskly through a 27.4-second first quarter, balanced up with a 29.2 second and then broke the pack open in the third quarter (27.9 seconds). His slowest quarter was the last but, while District Attorney ran on brilliantly to claim second, was never threatened.

“Tonight he was running that time easily and then when he got out so far in front around the corner he looked to switch off again, which he hadn’t done prior to that,” Gath said.

“He definitely settles without (the blocks), but I don’t know if we’ll score up without them. The fact he’s doing everything right, he has his last three runs and the trial, is really promising. Hopefully he’s getting a little bit more mature in that way.”

He’ll be given time off to build on that, with Gath saying “he will go for a little break”, adding “I don’t think we will target any of the bigger races in Queensland or anything with him yet, probably just set him for the big races later in the season”.

And a similar route looks in the path of Russell Jack-trained Just Hope, who was similarly impressive in dominating the fillies’ version of the APG Gold Bullion three-year-old finals.

The second of two Group 1 wins on the night for Nathan Jack, with the first also bringing up his 2000th career win, Just Hope also shot out of the gates, holding off an initial challenge from Petillante amid a 12.68-second first 200 metres.

Jack was then able to control the race without great pressure, upping the tempo through a 28.5-second third quarter and then clearing out with a 27.6 run to the line.

“She’s the top of the list,” he said. “She only went a second slower than Catch A Wave tonight and did it probably a bit more comfortably than him.

“I do think that she’s a better filly sitting, but against these ones, when you are drawn there, obviously you take the opportunities.”

And she looks set to do that throughout Victoria’s spring and into summer, though Jack did flag that while a Queensland tilt was likely off the table an interstate mission might be on the cards.

“There was talk of Queensland, but I think we will probably give Queensland a miss at this stage,” he said. “The Vic Oaks is here and it’s $150,000 (in October) and then, just in the back of my mind, Perth is $150,000 and not many seem to travel over there. It’s only a week after here.

“So whether we miss (the Victoria Oaks) here and go to Perth and try and miss some of Clayton (Tonkin) and Emma (Stewart's horses), that’s something we have to weigh up. And then you’ve got the Breeders Crown and the (Vicbred Super Series).”

But, before then, a well-earned rest: “definitely the paddock tomorrow”.


A SON of a gun kicked off today’s Group 1 glee with dam La Coocaracha adding another top line performer to the mare’s extraordinary brood.

By stallion Muscle Mass, The Locomotive follows in the footsteps of siblings Dance Craze ($551,780), La Grange ($163,350) and Mataderos ($132,416) in posting a big win for La Coocaracha, herself a 23-time winner.

That regal breeding came to the fore in the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, when reinsman Nathan Jack guided the Wayne Potter-trained colt to a dominant front-running win.

“It’s a big thrill,” Jack told TrotsVision. “Wayne’s been a very loyal supporter of mine for a long time, so it’s always great to win a race like this.”

The Locomotive was second favourite behind Basilica leading in but Jack was able to control the tempo throughout from his gate one draw, parking his lead rival and staying well clear of the many green runners who made early mistakes.

A series of even quarters, including a 29.6-second third quarter, saw The Locomotive clear out by 7.5 metres to claim the crown.

“He’s just a good little racehorse. He’s a real cool little fella, he’s lazy, the occasion doesn’t get to him,” Jack said.

“I’m not saying he’s going to be the best one, but if he trots his last mile in two minutes every time he goes around he’s going to be pretty hard to beat in whatever he goes in, that’s for sure.”


REGAL breeding was also to the fore in the APG Vic Gold Bullion final for two-year-old fillies, with Major Delight winning the $150,000 feature for owner-breeder Peter Lewis.

The Bettors Delight filly is out of Lady Euthenia, making her a little sister of Victoria Cup winner Max Delight ($745,920) and, while very green, it’s taken only until her second start to join big brother as a Group 1 champ.

Driven by Mark Pitt and delivering trainer Emma Stewart a stunning 97th career Group 1 win, Major Delight was in control throughout after sliding to the lead from gate two and then clearing out in a 56.5-second final half.

“This filly has a pretty bright future,” Pitt told TrotsVision. “She was pretty green in front tonight … she’s probably better following a helmet, but the race tonight was (one) for her to be in front.

“It does take it out of a lot of horses if you are rolling. The good ones keep going, bad ones don’t. She was pretty comfortable rolling at that speed, I know she proved a little bit green but she was happy. She’s a lovely bred filly, big filly, and she’s got lots of speed and strength.”


After a stunning 2021 when Plymouth Chubb filled a trophy cabinet, trainer Peter Manning and driver Kerryn Manning picked up where they left off with another eye-catching two-year-old trotter.

Valerie Lane made it three-from-three with a win by a neck in the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic for two-year-old fillies, with Manning controlling the race out in front and kicking home in a 29.2-second quarter to seal the deal.

“She’s certainly got a bit of bottom to her,” Manning told TrotsVision after Valerie Lane responded to Dichotomy’s late challenge to hold on by a neck.

“She probably didn’t go quite as well tonight but still got the job done, which is a credit to her. She’s a lovely filly, it’s nice to see her get a nice race this early and hopefully she can go on with it.”

By Father Patrick out of Valsue, Valerine Lane is owned and bred by Grahame Searle, Sue Marshall, Stephanie Searle and Felicity Searle.


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