Anton Golino’s daring to dream that ultimate success tonight could also lay the foundation for the experience of a lifetime.

The Yabby Dam Farms trainer’s prepared two for tonight’s What The Hlll Great Southern Star heats, Always Ready and brilliant mare Im Ready Jet, with the latter to start heat two from gate one, directly inside her lead rival Majestuoso.

“I haven’t made any secret about how hugely I think of her,” Golino said. “I’ve been fortunate to have some nice horses and she’s right up there with the best of them.

“She’s great for the farm, we bred her, she’s by a stallion we stand in Quaker Jet and is a real product of what we want to achieve, so it’s very satisfying.”

He captured the Great Southern Star, Australia’s premier trotting prize, with Dance Craze in 2019, which brought “a feeling of massive relief”.

Much is on the line again for Golino and Yabby Dam Farms owner Pat Driscoll, who’s drawn on rich international bloodlines, particularly French, to revolutionise Australian trotting.

Im Ready Jet looks well placed to reward that investment tonight, having won her two starts this season in the Group 1 Aldebaran Park Maori Mile, when she “hit the line really good”, and the Group 2 E B Cochran Trotters Cup, when she “was super”.

“(The Great Southern Star) is always going to be a hard series, it doesn’t matter where you draw, it’s never easy,” Golino said. “It’s the 20 best trotters in Australia, they can all run fast when you get to this level.”

She’ll race her heat at 8.03pm followed by the $300,000 Group 1 final at 10.32pm, a brisk turnaround that Golino doesn’t “think will bother her, she’s a mentally tough horse”.

It’s a format made famous by Sweden’s Elitloppet and the US’s Little Brown Jug, and the stable’s optimistic a bold performance could be a pathway to Im Ready Jet gaining an invitation to the world stage.

“It’s our dream, it’s everyone’s dream, to have these horses get to that level of competitiveness overseas,” Golino said.

The prospect would also thrill another Australian trotting trailblazer, Duncan McPherson, principal of Aldebaran Park and a driving force behind the Great Southern Star’s return last year to a heats into final format.

The series is also part of the rich Aurora Australis, which McPherson said was “lucrative enough to encourage international participants in the future to come race in Australia”.

McPherson’s been at the forefront of building a broodmare base from the US and Sweden and, along with Australasian studs, raising the local talent level with international bloodlines.

That includes Aldebaran Revani, a New Jersey purchase who will step from gate seven in tonight’s second Great Southern Star heat.

“She has lots of gate speed, she just wanted a front row draw, so now it’s possible,” he said. “She’s got to go forward. She’s bred to run, that’s what she did in America. The main thing is she’s there, she’s in it and there is global interest.”

And, McPherson said, “the world is watching”.

Tune into Racing.com’s Channel 78 (Ch 68 regionally) on Saturday night for a special television event as the Del-Re National A.G. Hunter Cup broadcast is beamed into households throughout Australia. The free-to-air broadcast will be hosted by Michael Felgate, who is joined by an all-star cast including seven-time A.G. Hunter Cup winning driver Anthony Butt, Dan Mielicki, Jason Bonnington, Rob Auber and Nikkita Ross. All the action from 6pm.

READ MORE:

TAB Summer of Glory: The experts' $200 game plans

Your Great Southern Star runners chasing glory tonight

Lock in for the thrills of the Great Southern Star finals draw

Brownless Rules again with talented squaregaiter

Amazing plunge on Hunter Cup hope changes market

> Guerin: Hunter Cup night to reach new audience on Racing.com

They're coming from everywhere in search of Mercury80 glory

Burning Questions: Nathan joins the crew for SOG double-header

Aiken aiming at elusive features with trio of stable stars

The changing face of Victoria's brilliant Hunter Cup

 

 

TUNE IN at TABCORP PARK MELTON on Friday night 

First Race: 6.32pm Last Race: 11pm
Racecaller: Dan Mielicki.

TUNE IN at TABCORP PARK MELTON on Saturday night 

First Race: 6.05pm Last Race: 10.55pm
Racecaller: Dan Mielicki.
TrotsVision: WATCH LIVE
SEN Track: LISTEN LIVE 
RSN 927: LISTEN LIVE

CRAIG RAIL ON TABCORP PARK MELTON Friday

RACE 5: LOGICAL STAFFING SOLUTIONS TROT
EARLY SPEED: 3 (possible leader), 1,4
SELECTIONS: CHUCHULAINN (3), BALTICA (1), NAMOSCAR (2), SCALLYWAG SAM (10)
RATINGS: 3 / 1,2 / 10,11 / 4 / 9
SUGGESTED BET: CHUCHULAINN (3) each-way

JASON BONNINGTON ON TABCORP PARK MELTON Saturday

RACE 3: NESTLE PROFESSIONAL HARVEST GOURMET PACE
EARLY SPEED: 1 (Likely Leader) 2?,3?,6?,7?
SELECTIONS: FYNN FROST (2), FRANCO JOLTO (1), STRUVE (3), SHORTYS MATE (4)
RATINGS: 2 / 1 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 7 / 5
SUGGESTED BET: FYNN FROST (2) to win ($30) and FRANCO JOLTO (1) to win ($10)

For tips and speedmaps for all races visit Good Form at thetrots.com.au

Winner of the Week

KOWHAI BLAZE, by Sweet Lou out of Green Fingers, a winner at Menangle on February 1.
Breed your next winner with Woodlands Stud, supporter of Trots Centre
...

...

The good oil from the Vic trials circuit

BLACKBOOKER: Tabcorp Park Melton, Friday, R3 N5, Always Ready
At Melton on January 24,  ALWAYS READY looked like he was back to his very best with a scintillating front running display, where driver Nathan Jack was swinging against him in the home straight and he was still able to run a final quarter in 27.9 seconds to score by 25m! REPORT and REPLAY
Tabcorp Park Melton, Saturday, R8 N5, Enchanted Stride
At Kilmore on January 18, ENCHANTED STRIDE has finished unplaced at her past six starts but the trial was encouraging as she sprinted quickly in a slick final half of 55.6 seconds so she might be able to show improvement when she next steps out onto the track. REPORT