Trots Centre: John has good gut feel about Heaven from 11

Hobby trainer John Nissen reckons he’s unlocked the issues behind Heaven In Locksley’s up-and-down form and hopes the recent run of success can extend at least through tonight’s feature event at Tabcorp Park Melton.

The six-year-old gelding put together three “shockers” through September and October which led to Nissen changing the horse’s diet in a bid to stop him “tying up” late in his races.

And it appears to have worked wonders, with the son of Rock N Roll Heaven back in the zone with two wins and a photo finish second from his three starts this preparation.

Tying up is comparable to cramping in humans and is a relatively common issue with standardbred horses.

“Mine all live in paddocks and my paddocks were very good this year – a lot of clover – so we had to change that around and get the oats out of him, get him onto a pellet diet, and it’s just made one heck of a big difference to him,” Nissen said.

“It’s a very complicated one (tying up). It can be too much work and not enough electrolytes, too much protein and sugar and not enough work or a mixture in between. There’s so many different things.

“I believe in his case he was getting worked very hard and the work he was doing at home was sensational, but when it came to a race he was stopping the last couple of hundred metres.

“So by getting the starch and the sugar out of it (his diet) seems to have done the trick for him.”

Heaven In Locksley returned to the races with a brilliant first-up triumph at Cobram on December 10 and was then touched off in a photo finish by Radius at Melton nine days later before his impressive success in a heat of the VHRC Caduceus Metropolitan Pace last weekend. This has earned him a spot on the second line of betting for tonight’s Group 3 final.

Rebecca Bartley will retain the drive of the horse, who will have to come from barrier 11 in the 12-horse field.

“The barrier 11 is probably not the preferred draw, but if he doesn’t do any work early he does come home very well,” said Nissen, who trains a small team in Locksley, near Nagambie.

“I think he’s as good of a chance as anything that’s in it. The other top chances are probably Boots Electric, and he’s drawn six outside a couple of fast beginners, and Puntarno Stride has drawn eight, behind a slower beginner, so it makes it a fairly open race.”

David Miles’ Puntarno Stride won last weekend’s other heat and is an $8.50 chance for the final with the TAB, while Boots Electric, for Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith, is a $2.80 favourite after running second to Heaven In Locksley.

The $30,000 VHRC Caduceus Metropolitan Pace (2240m) is race seven on the eight-event card and is set to run at 9.18pm.

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