Trots Centre: Pair head East to clean up in south-west

Opportunity has knocked for Rebecca East and she’s making the moments count with her new stable additions.

The Heywood trainer welcomed Pebble Sands into the fold among a couple of fresh South Australian faces, training transfers resulting from the closed borders to combat covid-19 pandemic.

“If South Australia-trained they can’t race in Victoria,” East said. “They have got their Vicbred bonuses they need to get, so they sent them to us.”

In this case, they are owner-breeders Peter and Lesley Medhurst, who have entrusted East with their promising three-year-old Pebble Sands and mare Crown Royale, who both step out at Terang tonight.

“It puts a few more horses in our region, which is a bonus,” East said, and it’s proven a win-win with Pebble Sands briskly rewarding the venture.

“I have always liked the horse and kept on eye on him. I watched him in a couple at Port Pirie when he was a two-year-old in the Southern Cross and said to Jayson (Finnis) ‘I really like this horse’.

“He didn’t do much as a two-year-old, they brought him back as a three-year-old and he did OK. Then he had another spell and came back better this time. He is a lovely little horse and has only kept improving.”

The Somebeachsomewhere three-year-old, who’s out of 22-time winning mare Thorninmyside ($160,667), was an eye-catcher when he placed on debut for East.

“He was a bit unlucky when he was third,” East said. “When Xavier (O’Connor) pulled him out he just wasn’t following the right horse – (Jilliby Scooby Doo) didn’t take him into the race quite as quickly as we thought he might, but he really rattled home.”

Next start, also at Terang, he hustled to the front for O’Connor and when Maxactor loomed likely on his outside Pebble Sands knuckled down for a breakthrough Victorian win, securing the coveted Vicbred bonus.

“He just keeps finding. When they got close to him he found more and he will be hard to beat (tonight) as long as he does everything right,” East said.

“I think he will go forward again and see if he can get the lead and if not he will probably still sit outside and do as good a job.”

A win tonight in the Morsbearings Warrnambool 3YO Pace, which streams on Trots Vision at 6.05pm, would likely have the camp considering a spell before a return for Southern Cross and Vicbred Super Series campaigns.

East considers Pebble Sands the best of her four chances at Terang tonight.

Milliondollar Kiss steps out in the following race, the Silvan Ridge Financial Services Pace, with East having had the two-year-old “from day dot”.

“She will have a couple more starts and then we will tip her out for the Southern Cross,” East said. “She just hasn’t come up as well as we expected since the Allwood, but has had a few niggling issues along the way. It’d be nice if she could run in the first three (tonight).”

Julius Shadow may carry slightly higher hopes when the three-year-old contests the TAB Long May We Play Pace at 7.30pm.

“He’s won a few three-year-olds, so it means he has to race against older company,” East said. “His first start (since the spell) he was unlucky, he hit the mobile and didn’t get away as well as we hoped.

“When he won (next start) he looked really good and then last start he had to do a lot of work to get forward and was harassed a bit in front.

“I’m hoping he won’t be far away, but there are a few nice horses off the back. We will probably sit him in this time, there is a little too much speed on the inside, and then get him to run home.”

And then there’s the second of the Medhurst runners in Crown Royale, who will contest the Terang Co-Op Pace.

“She goes OK, but is no world beater,” East said. “We have mainly got her to get her Vicbred bonus.

“There doesn’t look like there’s a lot of gate speed inside. I would say we have to push forward and maybe hand up. She shouldn’t be far away, but everything will have to go her way to win.”

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