29 March 2022 | HRNSW MEDIA | MICHAEL COURT
WHILE it may have been a week to remember, seems the great run is not over yet for leading Menangle Park trainer-driver Rickie Alchin.
Fresh from grabbing two Group One wins at Bathurst on Friday night, Alchin heads for Tabcorp Park Menangle today with yet another of his promising team ready to fire.
Lightly-raced three-year-old filly Tough Love will have just her 12th start today and her first as a three-year-old when she lines up in Race 2, a heat of the Harness Racing NSW Trotters Foundation Series over 1609m.
Tough Love has five wins and six placings from her 11 starts, yet Alchin has an amazing record with her and has won all four times he has been aboard the daughter of French sire Love You.
Even though she is drawn towards the outside of the front line (gate six), Tough Love has still been kept ultra-safe in the betting at $1.33 and will go around as one of the shortest-priced favourites of the day on an eight-race program.
After the excitement of his big Bathurst double, it will be a fairly quiet day for Alchin, who only has one other starter in outsider Meticulous Miss ($21) in Race 5, who is owned by his trusted clients the La Spina family.
They were also the owners of Friday night’s $110,000 Bathurst Gold Crown winner Tardelli, who scored a sensational all-the-way win in the Group One, careering away to beat Naturally Gifted and Petracca in a 1:54.2 mile rate.
“Attitude takes you a long way in this game and this horse definitely has the right one,” said Alchin in accepting the two Gold Crown trophies for training and driving the winner.
“Obviously you need a lot of ability too, and this bloke is just a lovely colt.
“We knew we had a really good chance to win but you never want to get carried away and be over-confident because we knew his rivals had plenty of talent as well.
“This was a really big thrill for us and I am sorry that Rosario [La Spina] could not be here to witness this win because he loves his harness racing so much and is such a terrific client.
“He’s actually an opera singer and he was performing at a concert in Adelaide tonight so obviously couldn’t make it to the track.
“Maybe we can get him here next year and talk him into singing for us as well.”
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