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A recommendation by a friend to purchase the Riverina pacer Likeable Rogue has proven a shrewd piece of advice for trainer Terry French.
Following a first-up win at Melton in September, French made the decision to transfer the lightly-raced five-year-old to the stables of Alex Ashwood, who is the partner of French’s daughter Tayla.
Likeable Rogue has subsequently won five of his six starts since joining the Ashwood muster, repaying French his purchase price of $3000 handsomely.
“Terry told me to take the horse as he thought it had the potential to make it to metropolitan grade,” Ashwood said.
Likeable Rogue will lead Ashwood’s two-pronged attack on the Echuca Pacing Cup at the club’s popular New Year’s Day night meeting.
Accomplished reinsman Jack Laugher, who has piloted Likeable Rogue to his past two wins, will again be in charge of the reins while Ashwood drives stablemate Azor Ahai.
“Jack is two from two on the horse so it’s pretty hard to sack him,” quipped Ashwood.
Ashwood concedes he has been taken aback by the deeds of Likeable Rogue, who had won one of his previous 17 starts prior to joining his stable.
“I didn’t expect him to do what he has done,” he said.
“He has a bit of speed and has got better with each start, and Jack thinks he is a metro class horse.
“He will need the speed to be genuine in the cup from the back row, but he will be running on strongly at the finish if it is.”
Azor Ahai, a half-brother to multiple Group 1-winner Spirit Of St Louis, joined the Ashwood camp from the David Moran stable mid-way through the year.
“We go to Mildura and he thought the horse would be better suited racing up there,” he said.
“Azor Ahai can make his own luck in races which is probably what I’m going to have to do from the outside of the back row.”
Ashwood rates the Danny Thackeray-trained mare Scheming as the horse to beat in the Cup.
Laugher will be hoping to make it a feature double when he takes the sit behind Champagne Charley in the Echuca Trotters Cup.
Champagne Charley has drawn favorably in barrier two and shapes as the horse to beat if he happens to step and find the front.
The Fred Spiteri-trained seven-year-old came off a 30m handicap to outstay his rivals in the Lang Memorial Trotters Final last start at Geelong.
