Veteran New South Wales horseman Neil Day plans to make the most of his interstate raid on Victoria by adding a stay with daughter Amy and grandson Oliver to a long-awaited return to Melton Entertainment Park.
The Goulburn-based trainer-driver has not raced at Victorian harness racing headquarters since August 2021 when he campaigned Magic Bliss through the Breeders Crown Series as a three-year-old.
That horse ran third in a semi-final and third again in the Group 1 decider behind Mark Purdon’s Fly Like An Eagle.
Now, he is plotting a hit-and-run mission with juvenile squaregaiter Adelaide Red, who brings some solid form to Friday night’s $50,000 Australian Pacing Gold Melbourne Graduate Series Final for two-year-old trotters.
She has drawn the pole in a field of five, which includes Aldebaran Jazmine and Kyvalley Riddler from the Brent Lilley stable, Harperseven from the Jayne Davies barn and Tyrone Abela’s first-starter Heavenly Glow.
“She’s been honest this little filly without setting the world on fire, and we thought we’d give her a chance at that race,” Day said.
“Lucky we did because there’s only five in it and she should earn a cheque.”
Adelaide Red is a daughter of Pastor Stephen and has more racetrack experience than her rivals, with five career starts at Menangle including two placings.
Win, lose or draw on Friday night, Day and his wife Vickie will remain in Victoria for some treasured family time.
“I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got our daughter (Amy) down there with Mattie Craven and our first grandson, so it will be good to be down there,” Day, 65, said.
“We are going to travel on from Melton down to Mattie and Amy’s and spend a week or 10 days down there. We will make a little bit of a holiday of it.”
The $50,000 APG Melbourne Graduate Series final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings is the other feature on Friday night’s card, with a field of eight set to do battle over the 1720m trip.
Picture: Club Menangle