By Adam Hamilton
TRAINER Geoff Webster’s hopes have been answered.
For the past six weeks he’s been waiting and hoping former Kiwi pacer Franco Ledger would suddenly regain his best form.
And it happened when the eight-year-old unleashed a withering burst from back in the field to win last Friday night’s Preux Chevalier free-for-all (2240m) at Melton.
“Just the other day I was saying how he’s a bit of a different horse to train. I was told he could just go through a phase in winter where he races below his best then suddenly turns it around,” Webster said.
“It was great to see him come out and go that well. It was more like the Franco Ledger I had when he first came across to me almost a year ago.”
The return to form means Webster and connections have some serious thinking to do with Franco Ledger entered for both the NZ Cup and the Perth Inter Dominion series.
One thing that’s clear is Webster’s move to give Anthony Butt the drive on Franco Ledger a few weeks back has been an inspired move.
Franco Ledger was suited when the leaders, headed by his stablemate Flaming Flutter, scorched through a 43.4sec lead time and followed it with a 29.2sec opening quarter of the last mile.
“He loves those genuinely run races, but he still had to finish the race off and it he did it so impressively,” Webster said.
Flaming Flutter pinched a break on the last bend, but the early effort took its toll and he faded late with Five Star Anvil grabbing him then Franco Ledger blasting past them all to win by 4m in a 1min55.2sec mile rate.
“That run will do Flaming Flutter a lot of good too. He fought it out well and keep improving,” Webster said.
Last season’s Hunter Cup winner Arden Rooney poured the pressure on through the middle stages, but for the second time in as many runs this campaign he weakened badly in the run home.
Arden Rooney wilted to finish second-last and some 25m behind the winner.
Granted the 2240m mobile and sitting parked didn’t suit him, but Arden Rooney would need to improve quickly to justify his planned trip to the Kaikoura and NZ Cups.
SUPERSTAR pacer Christen Me is the only Kiwi in the top 10 of first rankings for the Perth Inter Dominion series.
Dual winner Beautide automatically gets top ranking as the defending Inter Dominion champion and Christen Me gets second billing as the reigning Grand Circuit champ.
Surprisingly, you then have to go right down to 12th spot to find the next Kiwi-trained entrant in Barry Purdon’s young star Our Sky Major, who is very unlikely to contest the series.
Next in line is the exciting Mossdale Connor in 14th spot while Jason Rulz is at 16.
Some of the other key rankings are Lennytheshark at three, Philadelphia Man (four) and Flaming Flutter (five).
The top ranked home state entrant is Gary Hall Sr’s My Hard Copy at eight from stablemate Waylade at 10.
NEW Zealand Cup hopeful Mach Beauty made a sound but unspectacular racing return at Menangle last Friday night.
First-up for 13 months due to injury, Shane Tritton’s one-time stable star worked to the front, maintained slick times in the lead and tired late for a fifth in free-for-all at Menangle.
On the upside, the 2300m probably didn’t suit first-up, the time was a blistering 1min55.3sec for 2300m and Mach Beauty was only beaten eight metres.
The race was won in barnstorming style by one of NSW’s most improved pacers Popfromthebeach, who finished powerfully to win by 6.2m for driver Josh Willick.
The jury remains out on former Victoria Cup winner For A Reason, who did some midrace work but also tired late for sixth in the race.
For A Reason has now gone 14 starts without success since his last win at Bathurst on Boxing Day, last year.
Another impressive winner at Menangle was Beautide’s stablemate Pachacuti, who led throughout and found plenty to post a 1min51.8sec mile in the Group 3 final.
“He’s a horse we’ve always felt is not that far behind Beautide on ability, but he’s had his issues. It’s great to have him right back to his best and firing now,” trainer-driver James Rattray said.
THE “Washakie team” have found another serious horse.
If former Kiwi pacer Lord Zin Zan’s first Aussie run is any indication, he’s headed towards the big time … and quickly.
The four-year-old of Bettors Delight crushed a handy field at Menangle last Friday night and smashed the clock in doing so.
Despite drawing wide and doing a stack of work, Lord Zin Zan switched into another gear at the top of the straight and zoomed away to win seemingly without being fully extended by 7.3m.
He ran the mile in 1min51.6sec and dashed home in 55.5 and 27.4sec.
Lord Zin Zan is raced in very similar interest to the mighty Washakie and also trained and driven by John McCarthy.
The entire raced as just Zin Zan in NZ for Geoff Dunn and posted five wins and four placings.
He headed to McCarthy’s stable after a Rangiora win on August 16.
Another former Kiwi to win impressively last Friday was Amanda Turnbull’s Tact Tate at Melton.
The four-year-old looked awesome winning at Shepparton on September 12 then backed-up just six days later to thrash his rivals at Melton.
Tact Tate came from the back row and blew away a handy field by 11m in a 1min54sec mile rate for 1720m.
At a time when the Turnbull and Nathan Jack stable is buzzing, Tact Tate could be the most exciting of the lot.
TRAINER Andy Gath thinks recent stable addition Glenferrie Typhoon has the potential to match it with the best trotters.
“When I heard he was for sale I snapped him up and it didn’t take long to get some owners together. He’s a trotter I’ve always had a lot of time for,” he said.
Glenferrie Typhoon posted his first win in three starts for Gath when he thrashed a handy field at Melton last Friday night.
Despite drawing the back row and coming around the field to sit parked, the six-year-old zoomed away to win by 8.2m without being extended in a solid 2min0.7sec mile rate for 2240m.
He ripped home in a blistering 56.8 and 26.4sec.
“He’s fast, really fast for a trotter,” Gath said. “It was a drop back in grade from his first two runs for me and it was great to see him win so impressively.
“His first two runs were really encouraging and we’re learning more about him each time.”
Glenferrie Typhoon raced 26 times with former trainer Craig Demmler for 11 wins and eight placings. His best run was second in the Breeders Crown 4YO final about 13 months ago.
Another trotter to impress again at Melton was Brent Lilley’s exciting mare Maori Time, who led throughout in a blistering 1min55.9sec mile rate for 1720m in the Maoris Idol free-for-all.
Maori Time has won three of four runs this campaign and run a close second to Keystone Del in track record time at the other run.
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