Trots Centre: David keeps Cool while project takes time

Patience is a virtue David Davidson has in spades and, having been rewarded once before, he’s optimistic good things will again come to those who wait.

The owner-breeder’s seven-year-old Hez Coolaz has his second career start in tonight’s Max Bakery & Café Maiden Trot and Davidson’s hopeful the gelding can go one-year better than his mare Lochlee Lass, who was bred in 1986, debuted in 1994 and in May 1995 – at age eight – broke through for the first of five victories.

His latest project, Hez Coolaz, is a part pacing-bred trotter and Davidson said patience was all part of the game.

“I remember Dick Lee telling me you never take a trotter unless they have had three owners and are eight years old,” Davidson said. “The breed has come a long way since then but some take a while.”

Hez Coolaz is out of pacing mare Peps Pride, who Davidson purchased for “her maternal line to (her grand dam) Shez Cool and the Aleppo horses, who came from the same line”.

He pared her with trotting stallion Zooma, sire of Davidson’s most prolific horse Zedalite, who produced 22 wins and 38 placings from 108 starts and almost $250,000 in stakes wins.

“I have bred trotters for close to 50 years and like to mix a bit of pacing bred in to get more speed,” he said. “I’m usually training one or two and breeding one or two and had 80 or 90 winners to keep me interested.

“Because (Hez Coolaz) has pacing breed it has taken quite a while to get him to trot solidly. He has always shown something, a bit of toughness, and so I have always given him a bit more time. My philosophy is if they show you a bit, like in this case strength, they are worth persevering with.

“When I got him nearly ready to run (this time in), because of covid, it was difficult to find others to work him with, so I rang Brent Lilley and he was happy to take him. I said give him two weeks and if Brent thought he was worth mucking around with I would leave him there.”

Three months on and Hez Coolaz has won twice and placed once at trials, though Davidson thought that a little flattering given modest competition, before making his debut at Bendigo on August 5 when he galloped mid-race, recovered and hit the line well to finish sixth.

Breaking gait has been something of tale of the tape for Hez Coolaz to date and the reason why he hasn’t debuted earlier, but Davidson remains optimistic.

In fact, having spoken warmly of Zedalite and the other star of his trots history, 1986 Victoria Trotters Oaks winner Lochlee Nora, Davidson is hopeful he will soon be speaking of Hez Coolaz in a similar vein.

“I’m hoping this bloke might be my third good horse,” he said. “Because of the breeding and he has shown he is tough enough.

“At this stage he is still in education mode. A placing (tonight) would be a bonus, trotting all the way would be a big step forward.”

Hez Coolaz contests race eight on tonight’s nine-race card at Bendigo, which streams at 8.30pm on Trots Vision.

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