David Aiken, pictured here on Karlsruhe, is set for a big weekend at Tabcorp Park.
For leading trainer David Aiken it has been a season of consolidation. Rising through the ranks last term, he has now cemented himself in the upper echelon of metropolitan trainers.
Quality stock isn’t hard to find when you are training well and he will put the polish on a number of Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series contenders on Saturday night at Melton.
One of the highlights of his team has been the form of Real Bonus this season and it was marked by a dominant semi-final win last Friday night.
“We couldn’t ask for a better draw with her. She’s just in the peak of her powers,” Aiken said.
“If she finds the front she will be very hard to beat; it’s just been a terrific season for her, I think there was one blank at Ballarat but apart from that all her runs have been good.”
Her current run may come as a surprise to some but beneath the surface, Aiken always knew he had a promising filly on his hands.
She wasn’t far off the good three-year-old’s in her division last year and with natural improvement she will head into Saturday night’s race as the $1.75 favourite with TAB fixed odds.
“She’s always been big and overgrown and even though she didn’t win many as a three-year-old she wasn’t far off the best,” Aiken said.
“This year particularly with her breeding, she’s really grown into herself and blossomed into a fantastic mare.”
Her main danger according to TAB bookies is Beauty Secret, who has drawn directly to her outside and is steady at $2.60.
The Avenel trainer will also have a pair of two-year-old’s engaged on the first ever Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series weekend and both have shown talent.
Bespoke Artist has drawn the middle of the front row but Aiken won’t be complaining.
“He’s got great gate speed; it’s nearly as good a draw as you get for him. He was probably a little underdone in the heat and he was a lot better last week. I’d expect him to improve again this week,” he said.
“Quick Draft is a really strong finisher and the draw of nine should actually work out okay for her. David and Lisa Miles’ fillies will be very hard to beat but my girl is going to have high speed at the end so I give her a really good chance.
“When we met Mindarie Priddy at Melton, in hindsight Chris (Alford, driver) probably would have taken a sit on her and we might have finished a bit closer. We tried to out tough her but now we know a lot more about her.”
Saturday night will also see the return of one of the stables stars in Jaccka Clive. The Group 2 Shepparton Cup winner and dual Hunter Cup placegetter returns from an uncharacteristic sixth in May.
Aiken has the eight-year-old back and ready for battle however, and at his best he could easily negate his wide draw.
“I’ve been really happy with his trials. I really do expect him to race well, he’s drawn wide over the short trip but he will just keep working forward like he usually does,” he said.
“On his last two trials at Shepparton he should be nearly back to his best.”
