18 January 2024 | Tim Walker
Trainer David Young is poised for another bumper night this Friday, with runners in two feature races at two different tracks.
The Pinjarra trainer enjoyed a successful Friday night earlier this month when Showpony and Minor Catastrophe won at Gloucester Park and Busselton respectively in the space of two hours.
Young will have star trotter Patched in the Pick Your Race Name At GP Trotters Sprint (1730m), before Minor Catastrophe tackles the Busselton Cup little more than 90 minutes later.
Patched, who won last year’s Trotters Cup, cemented his status as the one to beat in Friday’s feature with gallant win at Pinjarra last Monday week.
Despite the win, Young said there was significant improvement in Patched ahead of Friday’s $30,000 event.
“I don’t think he went as well as he can go last week,” Young told The Trots WA.
“He pulled up a bit big from the run, so I’ve put the work up to him.
“I’ve been able to do a few things at home and have him a step closer to where I want him.”
His hopes of winning the Trotters Sprint were further enhanced when he came up with barrier one on Tuesday.
The gelding has only started from barrier one in a mobile in Western Australia once, which saw him gallop soon after the start and finish fourth.
Young said he was hopeful Patched would fare significantly better from the inside draw this time around.
“I spoke to Alison and Chris Alford earlier on and they said to me if you have him right on the gate and he won’t do anything wrong,” he said.
“They’ve given us a few more pointers and restored our confidence.
“I know it won’t be a cakewalk but If he leads, he should be very hard to beat.
“I know if he does get crossed though, he can get himself out of trouble.”
Patched has built up an imposing record of 14 wins from 30 starts in the state, establishing himself as one of the state’s pre-eminent trotters.
The seven-year-old’s win in last year’s Trotters Cup was an emotional victory for Young and his wife Sian, after their son Brodie passed away a day earlier.
This Friday would have marked Brodie’s first birthday and Young is hoping Patched can provide another uplifting moment.
“We still have our sad moments,” Young said.
“We’ve been very lucky to have the horses and good family support around us.
“We know Brodie will be watching somewhere over us.”
Minor Catastrophe’s is one of four runners to start on the front line in the Busselton Cup, with four rivals on the back line as well.
Young said he was confident the mare was primed for more success on Friday.
“She’s in the zone,” he said.
“Her work was super on Saturday morning and again today.
“She loves the track and I’m confident I’ve got her going close to her best.”
Tim Walker
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
