Trots Centre: Smo’s little bro ready to roll for Romero

Peter Romero can’t help but reflect on big brother, a winner of almost $2.5 million in stakes, when preparing Scorcha for his second campaign.

The stable star, who steps out in tonight’s Alabar 3YO Pace at Shepparton, is by Courage Under Fire out of Under The Mattress, which makes him a full-brother to Smolda.

Both were bred by Paul Blackshaw, with Smolda retiring with Inter Dominion and Hunter Cup wins amid his 32 victories from 68 starts.

“They’re pretty similar. Scorcha has similar manners, he is pretty switched on,” Romero said. “I prepared Smolda for sales. He was a very smart horse. I always remember with Smolda when I was lunging him, I would give him 10 lunges one way and then the other. Pretty quickly he’d count to 10 and then turn around and do another 10 himself.”

Little brother Scorcha is one of three of Romero’s stable to begin new campaigns tonight, with seven-year-old first starter Scully and five-year-old gelding Saving Major Percy also resuming.

For Scorcha, winner of two of his five starts, tonight is take two for his attack on the forthcoming sires stakes.

“I brought him back in for a little bit and then once (covid) happened I tipped him out for a good spell,” Romero said. “His prep now is to get him in line for Breeders Crown and Vicbred.

“He’s a beautiful horse. I’m just hoping he goes through the grades pretty good.”

The highest rated participant in tonight’s eighth race, which streams on Trots Vision at 9.30pm, Scorcha will start from gate nine, outside David Aiken’s Honolua Bay, who’s believed to be his leading threat.

“(Scorcha) is very green. His first trial was good, his second trial he was a little excited. Hopefully (tonight) he is more settled, because he can get a little dancey behind the gates,” Romero said. “But he is a pretty smart horse, he works pretty good.”

While Scorcha will conclude Romero’s night at Shepparton, the first of his three runners has a very different story.

Scully is a seven-year-old mare having her first start, having had a challenging start to life for owner-breeder Alan Chant, who offered Romero the mare to race about six months ago.

“He called me and said he had a horse who had been broken in as a two-year-old and hurt a leg,” Romero said. “She was turned out, he brought her back in and she did it again.”

Several years passed and the mare was left to recuperate until Chant “rang me because he had sold his property and said would you give her a go?”

“She’s a trier,” Romero said. “She came here, forgot everything she’d known, so we have really gone back to basics.

“She’s got very scarred legs, the poor bugger, but she’s having a go. She’s done a good job to get to where she is. She has had three trials, they’ve gone pretty slow and she was there plugging away.”

Expectations for Scully are subsequently modest for tonight’s Shepparton BMW Maiden Pace, with Romero “just hopeful she gets around safely and shows some improvement”.

He also has Saving Major Percy first up tonight, with the five-year-old gelding, whose dam Life Savings is a half-sister to Smolda and Scorcha, returning in the Saddleworld Shepparton Pace at 8.30pm.

“He’s probably a bit better than his form looks,” Romero said. “He has come through his classes OK as a three-year-old, hit his level and hasn’t taken the next step. He will be one of those horses who pokes around in his class.

“He can work good sometimes, but then tapers off with a bit more work. So fresher he seems to go better. He’ll be punching through first up, get the best position he can and sit and wait.”

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