Greats of the sport Peter Manning and Geoff Webster reminded that trotting genius never fades, with the pair clutching Group 1 wins on Aldebaran Park Vicbred Home Grown Classic finals night at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Manning captured his first Group 1 in 11 years and Webster broke through for his first in almost six as gelding Plymouth Chubb and filly Aldebaran Misty won their respective $50,000 two-year-old trotting finals.
Fittingly, it was Kerryn Manning who steered the winner for her dad, the pair’s first father-and-daughter Group 1 win since Leilani Lombo won her Australian Pacing Gold final in 2010. However, despite the drought-breaker, Kerryn told Trots Vision champagne was unlikely to flow.
“We might have a Coke. Strong one, full strength, Dad doesn’t drink anything (else), he likes Coke,” she said. “(Mum Barbara’s) very pleased, it’s Mother’s Day tomorrow, so it’s a good present for her.”
Plymouth Chubb had won three of his four starts for owner-breeders Gary Benson and Steven Hegyi, who pared their mare Pocket Fantasy with Majestic Son to produce the filly.
The dam had already been lucrative, producing both My Skypocket ($131,168) and Edge Hill ($110,161) as well as winning five starts herself. They included Kerryn’s 2132nd career win in 2005, which saw her pass German reinswoman Rita Drees and become the winningest female driver in history.
“I remember driving (grand dam) Kims Fantasy and Pocket Fantasy, it seems like such a long time, and then you see how many foals they’ve had, time flies,” Manning said. “They’ve just been such a good breed.”
And they appear to have produced another ripper in Plymouth Chubb, who overcame breaking gait early in tonight’s 1720-metre trot to mow down the leader and favourite Kyvalley Pierro.
“(Plymouth Chubb) came out quite good and then a gap opened up behind (Chris Alford on Kyvalley Pierro),” Manning said. “Obviously you are going to have a good run (from leader’s back), but if (Kyvalley Pierro) goes slow will he outsprint you?
“I just made my mind up that I’d go there and just as I pulled him down he put in a roughie, so he went off stride. I managed to get him down reasonably fast, but had to make the ground back up and he didn’t steer great after that – he wanted to hang in all the way.”
Off a 31.1s second quarter the job looked well in hand for Alford, but Plymouth Chubb picked up over the last half and stormed home to win by 18 metres.
“I was in a bit of trouble at the 800 and once I got him in the middle of the track by himself he made ground,” Manning said. “I was a bit worried, but the horse is pretty good and goes very well.
“You see him out there and he’s sweating white and he’s still very fat, so he’s got a lot of fitness to go too. There should be good improvement in him. He’s got the big ticker in there. It doesn’t really matter what you look like, but he’s certainly got strength about him that’s for sure.”
A big future also looks to lay in the path of Geoff Webster’s two-year-old filly Aldebaran Misty, who’s been another plum find from the horseman’s partnership with Duncan McPherson’s Aldebaran Park.
Aldebaran Misty's by Skyvalley out of Mason Magic, who’s in turn out of Sumthingaboutmaori ($461,499).
“I’ve had a little connection with Duncan over the last two or three years,” Webster told Trots Vision. “I’ve been going up and picking out a weanling from their paddocks, I picked out Aldebaran Dianna first year, this was the second one that I picked out 18 months ago now. I have another yearling that I’ve done the same thing with. I’ve only got the two or three with Duncan, but it’s a great association.”
That certainly proved the case tonight with Aldebaran Misty leading from gate two and holding sway throughout.
Off of even quarters, the primary challenger looked to be Stingofawasp, who loomed from leader’s back for Mick Bellman and threatened in the straight.
But she was unable to make ground on the leader and, while Andy and Kate Gath’s Thunder Wing hit the line strongly from three back on the pegs to nab second, Webster and Aldebaran Misty were largely unchallenged in winning by 4.5 metres.
“She’s really quirky at home,” Webster said. “She’s a real handful, but when she’s in the kart ... her manners are foolproof, she galloped at her first start, but she panicked when horses got along side her after the start. From the mobile she’s got good manners, good gate speed and is an all-round nice horse.”
Also tonight, Sparkling Success produced his first win since March with an all-the-way victory in the DNR Logistics Vulcan Trotters Free For All for trainer John Meade and driver Jackie Barker.
Sparkling Success gained the ascendancy from the widest front row gate and, while favourite Tornado Valley had a great run in transit from the one-one, Andy Gath’s champion was unable to make ground late and grab the win that would make him the ninth Australasian trotter to become a millionaire.
He would finish third, pocketing $2400 and taking his career winnings to $996,797, with Mick Blackmore’s Jackson Square splitting the pair in running second.
On a night where no trainer nor driver produced a winning double, there were also highlights for trainer Amanda Grieve and stable addition Hezacrocwatcher, who won the Nutrien Equine Country Clubs Championship with reinsman Zac Phillips to make it three from three in Australia for the four-year-old former Kiwi.
There were also big smiles in the Sonny Weaver camp, with the four-year-old crashing the line to win the Del-Re National Food Group Pace for Russell Jack and Leigh Sutton, swooping to another eye-catching win after favourite and leader Honolua Bay failed to fire.
