“I could stand on the side of the track and watch him go round all day.”
The words of Sunny Sanz trainer Kent Rattray.
“His action is super smooth and when he gets going he is poetry in motion.”
The star juvenile (pictured) will make his much-anticipated return from injury in the aptly-named Longford Equine Clinic Pace this evening in Launceston.
“It will be his first run for just on a year after a suspensory injury right in behind his knee, we’ve followed the vet’s advice to the letter, he spent plenty of time in the paddocks of Ringarooma with the cows and we brought him back in January and have eased him slowly into his work,” said Kent.
“There is never a good time for an injury like that but it really couldn’t have come at a worse time last year, he was flying and had won the Keith Stanley Debutante Stakes by 30 metres, cruised home in Hobart, waltzed in at Launceston by 22 metres and then with the Sweepstakes and Dandy Patch just around the corner, bang he was gone.”
The Sportswriter-Soho Summer gelding had an effortless hit-out in a trial three weeks ago in Launceston scoring by 80 metres.
“It was a little difficult to assess the performance of the trial, Johnny (Walters) just let him slide home the last half in 59.3 seconds, I think we were just both happy to see him handle it and pull up like he did, we are certainly looking forward to his return to racing tonight,” said Kent.
“Rod (Ashwood) has Spoilt Sport going well and looks the danger after drawing the one gate while we’ve drawn four after the scratchings so I’m comfortable with that, I’m just pleased to see him back, tonight is the first step in a long journey, the Globe Derby is his mission this season if everything goes to plan.
This evening’s seven-event Launceston Pacing Club card, commencing at 17.05, may be seen via the live stream service at tasracing.com.au.
