Last Friday night at Tabcorp Park Melton proved the $5 each-way punter is very much looked after in the trots with winners at odds of $36.10, $65.10, $6.10, $11.20 and $33.10.
If you’d played field into field in Races 1 and 2 – both open races on paper – into One Yankee Hall ($1.20) – considered by most to be night’s “moral” – into Hellovaway ($4.40) and Mistressofillusion ($2.80) – the clear second favourites in Race 4 – in a $50 flexi early quaddie, you would walked away with almost $9000 in your pocket.
The EQ paid $38,431.80 overall and the $50 ticket would have had you on for 22.72 per cent of the dividend.
But of course, how easy is everything in hindsight!?
Josh Aiken took driving honours from the meeting with a winning double.
The first leg for the young reinsman was One Yankee Hall defeating Columbias Deejay in the Pridmore Eelctrics Trot over 2240m in a rate of 2:02.3.
Later on the card Aiken combined with father David, who trains the Avenel team, again with Vics Cheval to win the Alabar Trot over 2240m in a rate of 2:00.5.
Vics Cheval ($3.20) led from the start out of gate two, Aiken expertly guiding him through a jogging 61.4secs first half before taking the sting out of his chasers down the back with a 27.9secs third section.
Vics Cheval had almost 10m to spare on her rivals at the wire after a 29.2secs final split.
Mister Sumna achieved something rare in winning heat three of the Gordon Rothacker Memorial Championship for trainer Dean Braun and reinsman Chris Alford, coming from off the pace to win after a 32.7secs second quarter in a sprint race.
Mister Sumna ($11.20) charged by the opposition late to score by 1.8m over race favourite Under Worked.
“It’s not often the leaders run a 32 quarter around Melton and one wins from back there, but he did get a nice cart-up and swamped them at the finish,” Alford said.
Despite the superb win by Mister Sumna, Barimah from the Tony Peacock stable looks hard to beat in the Rothacker final after his comfortable heat win on Friday night.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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