The Grand Final weekend saw metro trots action kick off on Jet Roofing Kilmore Cup Night on Thursday when Im The Boss returned to the track with a powerful win for David Aiken and Kima Frenning.

The win gives Im The Boss first blood on the $25,000 Trots Country Cups Championship table, while Father Christmas delivered in the McIvor Estate Kilmore Trotters Cup for Brent Lilley and the Candy Man Greg Sugars.

 

Sweet success for Sucralose

It’s taken 48 runs, but the connections of Sucralose have finally enjoyed the sweet taste of success.

Sucralose’s journey personified patience, but the honest daughter of Village Jolt had been keeping her bank balance ticking over with 12 minor placings from her first 47 goes.

Trainer Bec Wardlaw kept the faith and was rewarded in the COGS Pace on Saturday night at Tabcorp Park Melton, the five-year-old pacer lobbing the box seat for Darby McGuigan before success was found along the sprint lane. Sucralose went 2:02.3 for the 2240m event.

Continuing the ‘night of firsts’ theme, Keepthedream won the Hygain Trot for Balmoral trainer Janet Exell to round out the Melton card.

The win was Keepthedream’s first at start No.34 and was also a maiden victory for Exell.

 

Frenning sets the pace

One month into the new season Kima Frenning heads the SBG Accountants Metropolitan Drivers premiership.

Two of the talented driver’s favourite horses, Im The Boss and Wrappers Delight, won their feature races late last week.

Im The Boss won the Jet Roofing Kilmore Cup in style first-up from a spell, wiring his rivals as the Trots Country Cups Championship began, before Wrappers Delight did similar on Saturday night at Tabcorp Park in the VHRSC Pace.

Both these guys will provide headline opportunities for Frenning in coming months.

Frenning has six wins from 14 drives this season, one victory clear of Chris Alford (five wins from 20) and Kate Gath (five wins from 17).

She also has an early five-win buffer over Darby McGuigan on the Alabar Concession Drivers’ Premiership.

Alford piloted four winners at HQ on Saturday night, while McGuigan finished with a winning double.

 

Father Christmas delivers

Brent Lilley had five runners engaged in Thursday night’s McIvor Estate Kilmore Trotters Cup, the first leg of the $10k Maori’s Idol Trotting Championship, and captured the silverware via Father Christmas.

Punters who backed the favourite were jolly as the Candy Man Greg Sugars guided the eight-year-old son of Love You home in first place, slaying his rivals, who were headed by Margaret Ruth in second and the winner’s stablemate Kyvalley Barney in third.

 

Brawler lands knockout blow

It’s good to see The Brooklyn Brawler on track, fighting back from injury to land two wins from two starts this time in.

The now four-year-old from the Phillip Walters camp chalked up his second W for the week on Saturday night at Melton, backing up stylishly from a first-up victory at Bendigo last Tuesday.

 

Vic Cup target

Mach Doro may get his chance to atone for galloping out of contention in the 2017 Victoria Cup in a fortnight.

The Craig Cross-trained seven-year-old missed the kick that year after drawing the pole, but is likely to return to Tabcorp Park Melton for the October 13 Pryde’s EasiFeed Victoria Cup after his win in the Group 3 Les Chant Cup on Saturday night at Menangle.

Driven by Luke McCarthy, Mach Doro saved ground on the pegs and secured an inside run late to defeat Tiger Tara, which led, and Village Witch, which flew down the outside into third place.

Franco Nelson started favourite on Saturday night and parked to finish fourth beaten 3.8m.

Nature Boy gets better with age

As his name would suggest, The Nature Boy is capable of defying his age.

The 10-year-old pacer, named in honour of pro wrestler Ric Flair, is racing as well as ever for trainer David Smith in South Australia.

Like Flair, The Nature Boy – the horse – has still got it despite often giving his combatants nowadays several years.

The Nature Boy, who is by D M Dilinger, went 1:58.2 to beat Ace To Play on Saturday night at Globe Derby for his 20th career triumph.

And given owner Dom Martello’s penchant for Flair, I wonder if he’d be approaching the ownership of this particular pacer for a Victorian campaign!

Meanwhile, the win was the first leg of a Globe Derby double for trainer Smith, who also produced The Dutchman to win the trot with Mick Smith in the sulky.

 

Premier performance

All honours in Friday night’s WA Trotting Media Guild Cup belonged to the winner, Motu Premier.

The Victorian-owned six-year-old son of Bettors Delight parked outside $1.5 shot King Of Swing for the entirety of the 2536m journey and packed too much pepper for the favourite late.

King Of Swing had looked to have shaken off the challenge around the final GP bend, but the shimmy was short-lived as Motu Premier climbed off the canvas to claim the cup.

Motu Premier is raced by Merv and Meg Butterworth.

Typhoon headed for ID18

The 2017 Great Southern Star winner Glenferrie Typhoon is expected to target the Trotting Inter Dominion Championship in Victoria later this year.

Now trained by Matt Scott in Western Australia, Glenferrie Typhoon won the Robbie Dewar Appreciation Trotters Mobile at Gloucester Park on Friday night in comfortable fashion, proving too strong for Lightning Calder.