Metropolitan racing came to Bendigo tonight and the locals gave an almighty flex, dominating the card and delivering a local trainer and his young reinsman their greatest racing thrills.
Trainer Jason McNaulty and reinsman Ryan Sanderson broke through for their first Group 3 wins when Travel Bug snuck up the rails to claim the Aldebaran Park Touch Merchant Trotters Free For All at Lords Raceway.
Paying a handsome $71 with TAB fixed odds, the five-year-old trotting gelding registered the richest win of his career in the just-turned 18-year-old’s hands and Sanderson was duly delighted when speaking to Trots Vision post-race.
“It’s amazing, my first Group 3, it’s always good to win these races and with that horse it’s probably even more special,” Sanderson said. “I’m just really happy.”
He had to earn the honour, having been three back on the pegs but found an opening inside Majestic Courtney (leader’s back) and Aldebaran Crescent (leader) to score by a half-head.
“He travelled really good the whole way and I thought if I could get some clear air he would run home really good,” Sanderson said. “(Travel Bug) was lucky enough to get up the inside of Kate (Gath) and he just really stuck on and didn’t get tired.
“He’s an ultra-consistent horse and been running in those really good races week to week against the really good free-for-allers. Just super proud of him, he just shows up every week and is just an honest horse.”
It would also have been a proud moment for McNaulty, with his ninth training win the richest of his career and making him one of several local trainers to shine at Bendigo.
Chris Svanosio and driver Tayla French combined to win the second and third races on the card when She Will Rock and Brandlo Prince both saluted early in the program.
And then Strathfieldsaye’s Julie and Glenn Douglas kept the good times rolling with Vandanta winning the Haeuslers Echuca Claiming Pace and then their seven-year-old, Toby Ogara, fittingly capped off the night with a win in the last.