Victorian hobby trainer Joe Vassallo hopes Lady Vici is his retirement present.
The Toolern Vale horseman started dabbling in training in the late 1980s while working in the maintenance department of a water company.
Last week, after 46 years in the job and ascending to head of maintenance, Vassallo took his retirement package at the age of 65.
“I’ve always just worked one and two, but now I’ve got more time on my hands and I’ll step-up to four or five horses,” he said.
By far the best horse Vassallo has trained is former star juvenile trotter I Am Pegasus, who won 10 of his first 15 starts, including twice at Group 1 level in the Vicbred 3YO final and the Breed For Speed Gold final.
“He was a terrific young horse,but had a stable accident and was never the same horse afterwards,” Vassallo said.
But Vassallo thinks five-year-old trotting mare Lady Vici, who has won six of her seven starts, could be his best yet.
“She’s only won $27,000 and I Am Pegasus won over $150,000, but he was a bit one dimensional and used his speed to lead,” he said.
“This mare is potentially better. She’s led and also come from back in the field, she’s got more strings to her bow.
“The query some of the drivers who’ve been on her had was whether she had high speed.”
Lady Vici answered that question in stunning style when she returned from more than a year out and won narrowly but brilliantly at Melton on July 27.
She will chase another win in the third race at Melton on Saturday night.
“She’s nothing flash at home, but switches on at the races as she showed first-up,” Vassallo said. “I was pleasantly surprised she could win from how far back she was, but she ran her own last half in 56.3sec, which is amazing for a trotter.”
It hasn’t always been so exciting,
“No, she took a long time to get going in the first place. Anton (Golino, trainer) told me a lot of the French-bred trotters can take plenty of time,” Vassallo said.
“She galloped at her first start, won her next five and then had some soundness issues and took a lot of time to get trotting right again.
“Judging by the first-up win, we’ve got her right again now, but she is a mare you can have your heart in your mouth with at the start. Once she gets going, she’s fine.”
Lady Vici’s slow maturity could be helpful in the long run.
“Anton (Golino) also told me the (progeny of sire) Orlando Vici don’t hit their straps until they are five or older. She’s five now,” Vassallo said.
“I’ll admit I watched the (recent) Inter Dominion final (in Brisbane) and let my might wander a bit to what it might be like to have her in the biggest races, but we’ve got a long way to go yet.
“She’s still eligible for a metropolitan maiden race, so she’ll tell us how far she will go.
“She’s getting through the classes quickly and without gaining much experience. She’s really doing it on raw ability at the moment.”
