A TERANG trotter’s super form will be put to the test on Saturday night when he’s exposed to the Group 1 stars of the sport at Cranbourne.
Super Zeck will be thrust into the limelight in feature race Aldebaran Park The Knight Pistol, a prestigious Group 1 that’s a vital precursor to the March 12 Pryde’s Easifeed Great Southern Star.
Outstanding veteran trotter Keystone Del will square off against in-form Arboe and Glenferrie Typhoon and perennial Group 1 placegetter Kyvalley Blur at Cranbourne, a celebrated shortlist who will give Super Zeck a timely challenge.
“We’ll see how he comes out,” owner and trainer Darren Cole said. “If he’s competitive from his draw and can be a bit closer next time (at the Great Southern Star) I’ll be over the moon.”
Cole took Super Zeck into his Terang stable late in October, when he purchased the horse in a four-member syndicate with his wife Jill, daughter Airlee and friend Dean Saunders.
“It’s my first trotter, so I’ve just been mucking around, doing a few little different things and trying to build his confidence,” Cole said.
Cole has also been putting plenty of work into the six-year-old gelding out of Modern Art and Me Dolli Kit, having run him 13 times since taking ownership and produced six wins and three seconds. That equates for half of Super Zeck’s wins in his 74-race career.
“He’s just getting a shot every two weeks and that seems to have really helped him.”
Those victories include the Barastoc Terang Trotters Cup on February 20 and the North West AG Services 2016 Charlton Trotters Cup on February 28, when Super Zeck led handsomely and careered away from his rivals at the final turn.
Cole is now eager to test Super Zeck against greater competition. It’s ground he covered in January’s APCO Australiasian Trotting Championship, when Super Zeck ran second to New Zealand superstar Monbet in his heat before galloping in the final to run 12th.
“Initially we were very disappointed that he galloped. After (driver) John (Caldow) watched the replay a few times he thought Monbet might have cut in front of us a little bit and (Super Zeck) threw his head up in the air and just got out of rhythm,” Cole said.
“Because the pace was so genuine that night and there was not a lot of racing room he just couldn’t get back into his rhythm. We found an excuse and if you have an excuse it generally makes you feel a bit better.”
The two country cup victories have followed and now it’s time to return to city class and again truly test the gelding.
“We’re in the Knight Pistol Saturday night and if he doesn’t finish too far away and we are happy with him we will probably go on to the Great Southern Star I suppose next week,” Cole said.
“I don’t think we can win it, but if we are fairly competitively we will be over the moon. It is a small field, he’s out of the draw (barrier seven) in the mobile (start), which is a bit of a shame.”
But the attitude is more modest than defeatist.
“If the speed was really, really on and they do lots of work, (Super Zeck) can run a fairly quick last half. If it’s a very genuinely run race he could be swooping home.”
The night will also feature the $100,000 Decron Cranbourne Gold Cup, which includes Ohoka Punter and Yankee Rockstar.
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