Mark Pitt captured a large slice of the lucrative feature race spoils on offer at Melton on Saturday night.
Pitt, who steered home four winners at the meeting, partnered with the exciting Allan McDonough-trained filly Ideal Frankie, who outclassed her rivals in the $100,000 Australian Pacing Gold (2YO Fillies) Final.
Sent out a prohibitive $1.04 favorite, Ideal Frankie jogged along in the lead before Pitt released the reins with 600 metres to travel and the daughter of American Ideal quickly made a one act affair of the race.
Ideal Frankie scored untouched by 43 metres from Sweet Success and Grandiosa while reeling off a 55.8 last 800 metres.
The filly is unbeaten in three starts and McDonough immediately outlined plans for a sojourn north to contest the two-year-old slot race, the $500,000 Protostar at Albion Park in a fortnight.
Ideal Frankie is bred to be a star, being a daughter of the multiple Group 1-winning mare Pistol Abbey, and McDonough believes she is living up to her bloodlines.
“She’s definitely the best juvenile horse (I’ve trained),” McDonough said.
“Nine months ago you get this horse and you plan for these races.”
McDonough said Ideal Frankie is named in honour of part-owner John Montesano’s late brother.
“Frank was a great supporter of harness racing and unfortunately he passed away, and with a little bit of his coin that he left over we did what he loved to do and we bought the horse,” he said.
Half an hour later, Pitt completed an Australian Pacing Gold finals double when he joined forces with the Emma Stewart-trained Cardigan Sniper to take out the showdown for two-year-old colts and geldings.
The $1.12 favourite, Cardigan Sniper survived an early spirited battle for the lead when he was almost crossed by Seabreeze Lad, however the public elect was able to kick through and hold the front.
After the race, Pitt conceded the result could have been different had he not been able to hold the lead from the pole.
“It could have been different if I had been crossed and that’s why I got him off the gate as good as I could. It was lucky that I still had my legs there and they couldn’t cross down, and I probably would have ended up three-fence that way.
“I had enough speed, so I kept burrowing through and I think that was the winning move.
“When something comes at him, he will get going. He’s a very lazy and green horse out in front on his own, and near the line he could hear the second horse getting a bit close and I could feel him pick up again.”
Earlier in the night, Pitt combined with his wife Lisa when lightly-raced five-year-old Hes From Heaven returned to the winning list when he led all the way in the Nevele R Stud Free For All.
Hes From Heaven ($2.70 fav) rolled to the lead from his mid front-row draw and the son of Sweet Lou always had the race in his keeping, scoring comfortably by seven metres from Justalittlesip in a mile rate of 1:52.2 over the 1720 metre sprint trip.
The win was Hes From Heaven’s first success for the Pitts since joining their stable in October last year.
Pitt acknowledged the work done behind the scenes by his wife.
“Lisa does a lot of work with this guy as he’s a bit of a hot-headed fellow and she seems to get on really well with him,” he said.
“We just couldn’t find the knack to him for a while, but I think we have sorted out what we need to do and how we need to train him. Let’s hope that he should get a little bit better.”
The Andy Gath-prepared mare Pinnie sent punters home on a sour note when she upset the $1.05 favourite Jilliby Dreamlover in the final event.
Jilliby Dreamlover appeared set for victory when she straightened well clear of her rivals, but Kate Gath and Pinnie refused to concede defeat in giving chase down the home straight.
The sprint-laning Pinnie ($7) grabbed the lead in the shadows of the post to get the verdict by half a head.
“She’s a funny horse in that she comes off the bit, but when she gets a clear run in the straight then she’ll knuckle down and that’s what happened tonight. She kept trying and saw the gap and put in,” Kate said.
