Trots Centre: Ready to cash in as Dam good trotter returns

Always Ready's route to Group 1 racing runs via Dalvui Raceway tonight, when trainer Anton Golino’s four-year-old hunts a sixth successive victory and attempts to build on a burgeoning reputation.

And though it’s a distant thought at this stage for the lightly-raced Ready Cash entire, whose 13 starts have produced nine wins, reputation matters with the Haras des Trotteurs and Yabby Dam Farms stable optimistic he will one day become a coveted stallion.

“Being a colt and by Ready Cash, the dream is eventually to stand him at stud,” Golino said. “For a son of Ready Cash he is a very intelligent, he’s a beautiful horse to look at, he’s got a good head and confirmation and great pedigree.”

But before any more thought is given to that future he has a lot of racing left to do, beginning with tonight’s Murfett and Whiting Electrical Sales & Services Trotters Handicap.

Starting off 10 metres in the middle-distance standing start, Always Ready’s expected to begin in red figures on the tote, despite being first up since late April.

That campaign served up five unbeaten starts between March 4 and April 25, which followed a tick under two years on the sidelines after Always Ready suffered a "freak injury" when running third as a $1.20 favourite in a $95,000 Group 1.

“Still to this day I can’t explain how he broke a bone in his foot in the Breeders Crown final as a two-year-old," Golino said.

“He had a lot of time off and then came back and won five starts in a row. We gave him a little let up when covid hit, he got to the point where he was a little stuck for opportunities.

“He seems to have come back good. He has had a few trials and I am happy enough with him.”

Tonight he begins a campaign that Golino is hopeful will make amends for his Breeders Crown misfortune when the series is held in November, and can then roll into further good times in December’s Aldebaran Park Vicbred Super Series.

“They are our main targets,” Golino said. “He’s obviously a very good horse, as long as he stays sound. The horse has a lot of ability, he’s very well bred.

“I have a lot of time for him. He’s pretty versatile, has a ton of gate speed, but can also come off the pace. He is a very good gated horse, pretty good manners. I think he can progress to the open ranks, whether it's this time or next time we’ll see.”

And while Golino said we might not see the best of him when first-up tonight, he’s ready to compete.

“He is a little fat, which is probably why I didn’t race him at Melton first up,” he said. “He’s definitely not screwed right down yet, but he is fit enough to start racing.

“I will tell (reinsman) Jason (Lee) just to keep him relaxed, especially in the preliminaries. No race is easy, they are all hard to win.”

Golino’s focus will soon turn to Saturday night when his stable star Dance Craze will attempt to overcome her tricky gate eight draw in the Aldebaran Park Chris Howe Trotters Free For All.

The brilliant mare finished fourth and second in her two starts this campaign and her trainer said he was happy with how she’d come on.

“She needed the (last) run and benefitted a lot from it. She came out of it good and ate up,” he said.

“The draw is not ideal. It will be tricky from there, but I am happy with her. She will need luck and I see Tornado Valley trialled really good today at Melton. He’s the benchmark and when he’s at his best he’s awesome.”

In addition to Saturday night the duo are also likely to lock horns on October 10, night of the $300,000 Pryde’s EasiFeed Victoria Cup.

The headline trotting race will be the $50,000 Aldebaran Park Bill Collins Sprint and Golino confirmed that was Dance Craze’s aim.

He will also have Imsettogo step out on Saturday, with the four-year-old mare having impressed this season, when she’s won eight of 15 starts.

However, Golino said “by her standards she was disappointing” last start, having led at Melton but faded in the final 100 metres to finish fifth.

“I was probably a touch kind to her going into the race,” he said. “She fibrillated the start before at Ballarat. I don’t know why, I have never had one do it before.

“I have found in the past she does better when I do back her up and I do expect she will be better this week. She’s a horse just getting better and better, which is typical of the French breed.”

Imsettogo is being set for November’s Breeders Crown and December’s Aldebaran Park Vicbred Super Series.

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