Trainer Allan McDonough has a message for the remaining slot owners yet to lock away a runner for Australia’s richest two-year-old race the $500,000 Group 1 Protostar at Albion Park on July 11.
“Make sure they watch my filly (Ideal Frankie) at Melton on Saturday,” he said.
McDonough, the long serving stable foreman for the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable, always trains a few horses himself as well.
Just not many as good as Ideal Frankie, who has won her first two starts by an aggregate of 68.7 metres.
McDonough will be in Brisbane looking after Tonkin and Stewart’s three of a possible 10 Protostar runners and would love to add one of his own.
“Comeandsee is favourite in the betting markets and even though they don’t work together at home, Clayton (Tonkin) says my filly is as good as her,” McDonough said.
Ideal Frankie will be unbackable odds to add another win and land her first feature race in Saturday night’s $100,000 Australian Gold 2YO fillies’ final at Melton.
That’s because she trounced the same field in a prelude of the race at Kilmore on June 18 by a staggering 46.9m.
“And ‘Pitty’ (driver Mark Pitt) said she was still jogging on the line,” McDonough said.
“I’d love a Protostar slot. I’m sure she’d be a live shot in it.
“As well as her race form. She’s run against some really nice two-year-olds at the trials. She ran third to Smack Bang Bart at her first trial when we just wanted to give her an easy time and the winner then went on and won the Wagga (Nutrien) final and already has a slot in the Protostar.”
McDonough knows what it takes to win the race as he was caretaker for Stewart and Tonkin’s Loucasso when he led throughout to win last year.
Although best known for his invaluable role with Stewart and Tonkin, McDonough has trained 336 winners in his own right, including the Group 1 Tasmanian Derby in 2008 with Im Mark Anthony.
The only confirmed Protostar slot runners so far are Cardigan Jem (Team Zav), Jacwill Kid (Soho Standardbreds), Smack Bang Bart (Benstud) and Comeandsee (Ballarat Trotting Club/Durham Park).
Don Hunter is sure to run in the Kingstead Lodge slot, while Mark Carey is expected to take Kahula in his Hampton Farms slot.
KerryAnn Turner’s unbeaten filly Birdsong, winner of the Group 1 Gold Tiara final, is believed to be the front-runner for the Roseland Racing slot.
That would leave just N40 Racing and Inter Dominion-winning owner Diane Reilly as the “available” slots.
Another Protostar X-Factor is Havtimemajor, who scorched a 53.9sec last half winning by 43.1m on debut for top trainer Chantal Turpin at Albion Park on Tuesday.
Pitt, who drove Loucasso to win last year’s Protostar, is expected to win both Australian Gold finals on Saturday night.
The Stewart and Tonkin-trained Cardigan Sniper cruised to victory in the colts and geldings prelude from the pole, and landed the same gun draw again.
PHOTO: Claire Weston Photography
