A casual greeting spawned a mateship and then a partnership that is producing some stunning results for a trainer almost lost to the game.
Trainer Vince Vallelonga and owner Arthur Anastasiou will again unite at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night when Stunning Grin continues his Free For All campaign.
Restrepo, Flaming Flutter, Ohoka Punter and Messini will be among those to present quality opposition for Vallelonga’s five-year-old in the VHRSC Classic.
“It’s going to be a terrific race and he has never let us down,” Vallelonga said of Stunning Grin. “He always tries his hardest.”
The Grinfromeartoear gelding was snapped up for $4000 by Anastasiou and has been one of a handful of success stories since they set up camp at Bolinda.
Vallelonga takes up the back story.
“I was working for Lance Justice at the time and met Sam Godino, who bought his own stable complex in Riddells Creek,” he said.
“I then worked for Sam and met Arthur through him. Arthur had been involved in the horses and the dogs, but we got him a horse in Anvils A Coaster, who won about his first seven in a row and he got hooked.
“He then bought another one in Fergus Maccool, who won a few and turned out to be one of his favourites.
“Sam Godino wanted to sell his property and move out of harness racing, and I wasn’t sure whether to move to Mildura or hang around Melbourne.
“Arthur said why don’t we just go and buy our own property, and so we set one up and it has gone from there. We found a property that was just a house, a shed and a farm and built it from scratch. That was four or five years ago and it has taken off from there and we have got new clients involved.
“He’s been terrific support. If it wasn’t for Arthur and a couple of horses who came along I probably would have walked away from the sport myself.”
Anastasiou said he bought the property for his “good mate” so that he could continue his flourishing connection with the trots.
“It is a hobby, and I get a thrill when they win, even if it’s a $3000 race,” Anastasiou said. “I’ve bought a lot of yearlings and are breeding some now. “
Having started in a syndicate for Anvils A Coaster in 2010, Anastasiou now has 31 horses to his name, most who stand at Vallelonga’s stable.
Among that number are Chilled Desire, purchased for $6000 and with stakes of $84,924, three-year-old All Done Up, purchased for $7000 and with $23,978 in winnings, and of course Stunning Grin, the $4000 pick-up who now has $157,588 to his credit and a Group 2 trophy in the closet.
“Nobody wanted him,” Anastasiou said of Stunning Grin. “He looked stunning when we got him as a colt. At the farm he’s probably the favourite horse of everyone, he’s a gentleman. He follows you around with no lead on.
“Vince has done a wonderful job with him. (Stunning Grin)’s fairly lazy at home, but come race day … wow. He thrives on it. He’s gone to the next level. He’ll win another good race.”
It’s an assessment Vallelonga agrees with.
“He’s adapted to the Free For Alls pretty well. He’s progressively gotten better as he has kept racing,” he said. “He is a versatile horse. He doesn’t have to lead to win and he’s capable of being anywhere in the race.”
Stunning Grin will need to continue to ride that wave of momentum if he’s to gain a ticket to the trots big dance in December, the Perth Inter Dominion.
Since his win in the $18,325 Exclusive Homes Pace on August 5 he’s finished outside the top four only once in six starts at Tabcorp Park Melton, but despite three placings ultimate success has evaded him and driver Rodney Petroff.
Sitting at 41 in the Inter Dominion rankings, Stunning Grin will need a boost to join stablemate Major Crocker (ranked 20th) in the top 30.
“We will make the first payment,” Vallelonga said. ”If he keeps performing at Free For All and can win a country cup it might lift him up the rankings. We will probably aim him at the Swan Hill Pacing Cup (on October 15) after Saturday night.”
Anastasiou has little doubt his gelding will get to the west.
“He will be off to the Inter Dominion and if he draws on the front line at Gloucester Park he will take some running down. He’s just a superstar.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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