By Michael Guerin
It is not often the words American diet sound very healthy. But that could see trotting superstar Speeding Spur back in the winner’s circle for the first time in over nine months at Cambridge on Sunday.
To most humans a modern day American diet sounds like a fast track to buying some bigger clothes courtesy of super-sized meals and small vats of soda.
But when it comes to training harness horses, in the US they believe less is more and that is the new plan for Speeding Spur.
The best trotter racing in Australasia now that his arch rival Monbet is sidelined with another injury, Speeding Spur returned from his own setbacks with a huge second to Temporale in the Lyell Creek Stakes at Alexandra Park on Friday.
That showed he is right on target for his first major summer aim, the National Trot at Alexandra Park on December 31 but co-trainer John Dickie says Speeding Spur will now also head to Cambridge for the Flying Mile on Sunday.
“He needs the fitness work to be spot on for the National Trot and he might as well be racing as trialling or doing it at home,” says Dickie. “So that is the way we are going to prepare him this season, less hard work at home but racing him to keep his fitness up.”
That is very much the method of many US harness trainers, who because of the searing mile times there keep their horses fresh between races and let the racing do the bulk of the fitness work. Dickie was thrilled with how the now six-year-old Speeding Spur came through his comeback race, with no signs of the two injuries which have badly affected his career in the last 18 months.
“He gets a lot of vet checks and so far so good and we are optimistic that will remain the case. But being an older horse now he is very big and strong and that is another reason he will race there this Sunday, to keep him going forward.”
Speeding Spur is now the $2 futures favourite for the National Trot, after which Dickie wants to take him back to Victoria to try and win the Great Southern Star for the second time.
Speeding Spur taking on Temporale, Lemond and southerner Bordeaux will be one half of a huge Cambridge highlights package this Sunday as Vincent and Star Galleria are set to clash in the $50,000 Four and Five-Year-Old Futurity. The race doubles as an automatic qualifier for the A$200,000 Chariots Of Fire in Sydney in February, a race for which fellow Kiwi stars Ultimate Machete and Jack’s Legend are also chasing invites via other lead-up races.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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