Trots Centre: Aiken ready to Bring It with US-bound Kiwi

Things may not yet be situation normal on the Victorian circuit but there is still much being learned, including for trainers like David Aiken who have been there, done that many times over.

Aiken takes a team of five to Shepparton tonight, a float haul that will include a two-year-old work in progress and four pacers who make up half of tonight’s open class pacing race.

First emergency Leonidas gained a start owing to Sofala's scratching and will step out against stablemates Roll With It, Ideal Star (pictured) and Bringitonhome in the Your Sold Real Estate Pace, which streams on Trots Vision at 9.16pm.

Bringitonhome will be having its first Australian start, having had 35 starts in New Zealand for Regan Todd, which yielded seven wins, five placings and $60,636 in stakes.

Like Leonidas, he’s been snapped up by New York’s Steven Finklestein of Jesmeral Stable bound for a US career, but because pandemic limitations have delayed their trip across the Pacific he has his Australian debut for Aiken tonight.

“His first two trials I didn’t think were overly impressive, but he trialled a bit better last time and is a nice horse,” Aiken said. “His work has been really good, he seems to have a bit of speed, we will know more after (tonight).”

Doc Wilson will take the reins of Bringitonhome from gate two, with stablemate Roll With It to start on his outside for concession driver Ryan Sanderson.

“If he gets the run he likes he can finish off good,” Aiken said. “I don’t think he is a winning chance, but he is definitely a place chance if he gets it run to suit.”

Aiken himself will take the reins of Ideal Star from inside the back row, with the American Ideal five-year-old having his third start for the stable since being purchased by Todd Stone after 23 starts for Tim Butt that produced seven wins.

In Aiken’s care Ideal Star's two runs have produced a win and a third placing, beaten last start only by Victorian record holder Lochinvar Art and flying stablemate Leonidas.

“He’s got a good record,” Aiken said. “He came up for sale and wasn’t a lot of money so the owner bought him. He’s got really good speed, is a very fast horse. He will definitely be finishing off.”

And as for Leonidas, Aiken is hopeful we will see plenty more of him before his US adventure, adding “I’d be upset if we don’t get to have him for six months”.

“He is only a four-year-old. I felt if he had have been on Lochinvar Art’s helmet he wouldn’t have finished far off him (last week),” he said. “He’d be the best horse in this field, and there are some very good horses.”

There will also be plenty of interest in Aiken’s two-year-old Watchmedazzle, who contests tonight’s Central Tyre Service 2YO Pace.

He said the Hes Watching gelding, whose dam Shoom Shoom is a half to Bamako Mali ($259,309), Redbank Blaze ($230,855) and Prophesy ($132,636), had “been really good manners wise leading up to his first race” on April 16 but things soon went array.

“He overraced really badly, which is out of character for him,” Aiken said. “He was out of control and I think the occasion got to him.

“You’ve got to really look after them for the following week. We would have been real worried if he didn’t do the right thing the following week, but he got through it well.”

In his return bout Watchmedazzle settled well, first on to the pegs and then in the running line, before showing an impressive burst in the straight to win by 4.3 metres for his large group of owners.

“He raced like we thought he would last week. He is no world beater, but he is a really nice horse, got a good turn of foot.”

The hope is for more of the same tonight, but Aiken is wary the talent around him,

He has a high opinion of trainer Isabel Walsh’s Viva La Rock, who “had two good trial wins” before getting really keen on debut. “I’m tipping they let him roll along (tonight) over the 1700.”

He also thinks highly of Cashflow Cassie and noted “there is a fair bit of speed there”, anticipating Josh Aiken will be able to “slot in” on Watchmedazzle.

“Hopefully they go quick early and he can use his pace at the end. It is all about education at the moment.”

TALKING TROTS ON SENTRACK:

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