MENANGLE trainer Jarrod Alchin has had a tough week. It all started last Saturday night when he drove Joyces Desire for his brother Alex in a semi final of the Alabar Breeders Challenge. As the odds-on favourite, the filly only needed to maintain her form to qualify for the Group 1 final but after galloping soon after the start she struggled into second last position.
While Alchin was disappointed he expected his Group 1 winning three year old trotter Bacardi Hurricane would ease the pain in a Breeders Challenge Trotters Prelude on Tuesday afternoon at Menangle. The $1.40 favourite looked well placed but bad manners brought the horse and Alchin undone as they finished nearly 100 metres behind the winner in last place.
“It has been a pretty tough week for the stable, I felt for Alex (brother and trainer of Joyces Desire) because realistically I thought she had a chance of winning the final,” Alchin said.
“Bacardi Hurricane is a bit of a worry because he was playing up as a two year old and that’s why I didn’t start him until he was three. Hopefully I can straighten him out and I’m expecting a better run in the final. The only good news was that my other brother Rickie trained the winner in both of the races I was expected to win.”
Alchin has four runners at Menangle on Saturday night and believes all of them will perform well.
“Ima Mystery Girl is a really nice filly. She will compete in the semi finals of the Breeders Challenge for three year old fillies and Heavens Trend has drawn well in barrier three while we have drawn wide on the track.
“The biggest problem with her at the moment is that she can’t get a draw. I’ll drive her quietly early and hopefully she will be able to run on and qualify for the final. She was trained by Billy Evans at West Wyalong and I actually rang up to try and buy her and while he said she wasn’t for sale he asked me if I would be interested in preparing her for the Breeders Challenge.
“The main aim is the Blue series but I have a really big opinion of her.”
Ascot Encounter will attempt to qualify for the Breeders Challenge final for three year old colts and geldings but has drawn inside of the second row in his semi final.
“The draw is terrible it is the only draw I didn’t want with him. His manners are starting to become a bit of a problem because he is starting to fire up in his races.
“If he relaxes on Saturday night then he will finish the race off very strongly. He has been clocked running his final quarter in 25.1 earlier this season but if he starts pulling then he won’t be able to finish off the race as strongly as he can.”
Sporty Spook has returned to Alchin’s stables after spending most of the season with trainer David Kennedy. The four year old took a little longer to settle in than normal but Alchin is happy with how he is going and expects him to qualify for his Breeders Challenge final.
“In the past he has been a pretty easy going customer but it took him the best part of eight days to relax when he first arrived. I drove him in the NSW Derby and the Breeders Challenge final as a two year old and I think he is a different horse now. Back then he was very speedy but I think he has lost a bit of his high speed but is now tougher than he was.
“Dave (Kennedy) trains his horses to be tough so it doesn’t really surprise me. The Hewitt horses Spare Me Days and Hez A Dude are the two horses to beat in the series.”
Alchin’s other entrant in the four year old entires and geldings semi finals is Got The Scoop. The on pace runner has drawn the front row and Alchin confirmed he will be going forward.
“He will be going forward and I think if he finds the top he will give them something to chase. People will see that he failed in the Carousel but his personal sectionals were really good so I’d expect him to bounce back strongly on Saturday night.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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