Trots Centre: Webster having a debutant ball as 2YOs trot out

Fresh from a dynamic debutant double act Geoff Webster is hoping to repeat the dose at Ballarat tonight.

The Bannockburn trainer’s two-year-old trotters cleared out for an impressive one-two finish at Melton on Monday, when Bromwich and Aldebaran Dianna swept clear to win handsomely.

Tonight two more careers begin for Webster, with his two-year-old pacers Dougs Babe and Tuppence to make their debut at Bray Raceway.

While he’s been encouraged by the trial form of both, he’ll take the reins of Dougs Babe, which carries the name of his late brother Doug Webster, who passed in 2018.

“That’s the reason I’m driving him, that connection with my brother,” Webster said. “He has still got another couple of foals on the ground.”

Dougs Babe is by Western Terror out of Dougs Courage, a South Australian Oaks winner among 23 victories, and has been leased by Webster to the Ballarat and District Trotting Club Standardbred Group.

“I had a Bit Of A Babe with them, so joining the two names and we got Dougs Babe,” Webster said. “It is a nice thing to have that connection between the two.”

The fact he recommended it to the syndicate should be seen as his confidence in the filly’s ability.

“I have always thought a bit of her, which is why I leased her to Ballarat,” he said. “At one stage I thought I may have overrated her, but on her last trial and her work since she is looking like a handy filly. She’s improved really quickly the last three or four weeks.”

She will start from gate one in tonight’s second race – the Ballarat Mazda 2YO Pace – with stablemate Tuppence to launch from gate three.

“He came to me four months ago. He’s actually a little like the filly, he’s just kept improving,” Webster said.

“Both of his trials have been quite good and on his track work there is not a lot a between them. They are handy little horses.”

He expects them to be very competitive tonight, when they will run into three first starters from Emma Stewart’s camp, a Jess Tubbs first starter and Allan McDonough-trained Stylish Joe, who’s placed at his last two starts.

“If you go on their trial performances I expect my two to be pretty competitive, especially the filly, who has drawn the pole and has reasonable gate speed. I expect she will be close to them.”

The pair will likely only be lightly-raced this campaign, with South Australian-bred Tuppence to be directed towards the Southern Cross series and Dougs Babe to Vicbred and Breeders Crown campaigns, which are all in a state of delay owing to the pandemic restrictions.

It’s a similar case for Webster’s trotters Bromwich and Aldebaran Dianna, who as mentioned made impressive debuts at Melton on Monday when they quinellaed the DNR Logistics 2YO Trotters Handicap.

Both have been sent to the paddock following their first-up performances with an eye on sires stakes series, having made pleasing debuts for Webster.

“They have been a work in progress, having had them for 12 month, and until they do it you are never really sure, but that was a bit special,” he said.

“The one I won on (Bromwich) hardly ever trots at home, he gallops every time I work him, but whenever I have taken him to Melton for trials he has raced well and I went there hoping he would do the same again.”

He was initially faultless in finding and holding the lead for Webster, but approaching the last bend began to hang out and reinsman Ryan Duffy, who was driving stablemate Aldebaran Dianna on the leader’s back, took advantage and pushed through to the lead.

“(Ryan) took the gap pretty quickly,” Webster said. “I was a bit surprised.

“It was a funny thing, (Bromwich) normally hangs in at home but all the way he was running up the track, which was unusual.”

Despite giving ground in the running line, Bromwich ran the middle distance race out the better to score by 2.3 metres, with third-placed Surprise To Me a further 25 metres in arears.

“Both have a future,” Webster said.

TALKING TROTS ON SENTRACK:

Hosts Jason Bonnington and Blake Redden have another big line-up for today's Talking Trots on SENTrack, which runs weekdays from 11am-1pm on 1377AM in Melbourne, 657AM in Perth and 1575AM in Wollongong.

From 11am: David Brick

From 11.20am: Danny Mullan

From 11.35am: Allan McDonough

From noon: Wednesday quiz

From 12.20pm: HRV CEO Dayle Brown

Click here to listen live and for links to download the SEN app.