Trots Centre: John hopes patience pays as Jimmy debuts

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing but breeder John Kendall is glad to see Jimmy Hambone will tonight stretch out for the first time in a race, having been the slightly troublesome middle sibling amid a promising breeding line.

By A Rocknroll Dance out of mare Truffieres, the four-year-old gelding is a little half-brother to 12-time winner Flying Wingard (pictured), who’s now racing in the US and on Friday finished third at Hoosier Park in a 1:50.2 mile rate.

_{Picture: Flying Wingard at Albion Park by Dan Castello Race Photography.}

Jimmy Hambone’s also an older half-brother to a promising Captain Treacherous yearling, who Kendall bred and can’t wait to get his hands on.

But, for now at least, the focus is squarely on Jimmy Hambone, who contests tonight’s Hygain Pace at Tabcorp Park Melton, which streams on Trots Vision at 6.27pm.

“He’s taken a great deal of time to get him going,” Kendall said. “(Trainer) Adam (Kelly) has done a great job to get him to the track.

“It’s just a confirmation thing, he has taken a long time to mature and get his confirmation correct.”

But he hasn’t been missed by race caller and form analyst Craig Rail, who marked Jimmy Hambone a $3.20 chance to win on debut, having picked him on top after being impressed by his most recent trial performance.

In his Trial File column that publishes Fridays on thetrots.com.au, Rail remarked the gelding “started his run with 400m remaining and was out three horses wide on the home turn” from where “he finished off nicely and missed by a narrow margin”.

Rail saw enough to predict Jimmy Hambone "should go well first up", but Kendall was a little more circumspect.

“Trials are trials, they can give him a little bit of confidence and it’s nice to see him get to the trials,” he said. “We just hope he puts his best foot forward, gets around safely and hopefully he puts his foot in the till and brings home a cheque.”

He was more enthusiastic when it came to talking about Jimmy Hambone’s unnamed Captain Treacherous little half-brother, saying “I really like the look of him”.

“I am really excited to get my hands on him and break him in as a yearling,” Kendall said. “He has perfect confirmation. He is with Jane Hearn of Dunroamin Standardbreds, and he’s just a standout looking Captain Treacherous type.”

That enthusiasm is a window into what draws Kendall to the sport.

Irish born until his family migrated to Australia “47-and-a-half years ago”, his uncle trained a few trotters back home and “he enjoyed the sport”, which was further entrenched by his partner Karen, a fifth generation harness person.

“I was involved as an owner in galloping horses when I met Karen and a couple were going reasonably well, but I liked to have a bet and couldn’t get knowledge of their form, so my father-in-law (Tasmanian Max Imlach) switched me to harness racing and taught me how to break them in and the psychology of it,” Kendall said.

“I took to it like a duck to water. I found that a great deal more satisfying because you got to know them more. I’ve done the whole gamut – except driving, I’ve only driven at trials – but mostly breeding, owning, training.”

He said it was a “a real passion for the horse” that excited him about breeding.

“I love the beast, have a great deal of respect for the animal,” he said. “I love when you break-in a horse and they begin to come to you, and I love getting a young colt or filly to the races.”

He has 12 under his wing at the moment including four mares, Overthorns, Truffieries, Came Rollin In and Western Debt.

“I always try for three or four (foals) every year, I find I get a good deal of enjoyment in that process,” he said. “I have set up a new farm (at Maude), it has good fencing and I’m looking forward to breeding.”

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