Mister Zion isn't far from a racetrack return.
The Taylors Victorian Metropolitan Trainer Of The Year award has been a tight tussle for much of the season.
Fought out by Glenn Douglas and David Aiken last year, it’s been the battle of the former South Australian’s in 2012/13.
And for much of the season, the most recognisable name in the Victorian trots, Lance Justice, has held sway.
But Geoff Webster has always been within striking distance. Every time Justice would pinch a three or four win margin on the Tabcorp Park Melton circuit, Webster would hit back and keep it close.
Coming into the last meeting of the season and that is exactly what it is.
Justice leads Webster by one solitary winner and after joking last week that he always gets pipped at the post, the possibility again looms large.
“I put Bit Of A Babe in thinking if it was a fairly week $20,000 race that I could sneak one up on Lance but unfortunately it didn’t work,” Webster said.
“I just wanted to give Lance a fright; I don’t really think I can roll him, even if I draw level with him, he has a lot more seconds than me so it doesn’t matter, I’ll just have to beat him next year.
“They buggered me up with Mister Zion, they didn’t put a race on this week for him otherwise he would have been there and I might have been a chance.”
Regardless, it’s been a huge year for the Bannockburn horseman in what is undoubtedly his best ever term since moving from his home state in 2006.
And a major part of that success has been Mister Zion who has notched up five city wins including the Group 1 Australasian Trotting Championship.
The pacer turned trotter is back in work too according to Webster.
“He’s back and really well, he trialled lovely yesterday and although he’s a mile away from being at his best I see there is a Free For All next week so he’ll go there,” he said.
“It’s just a matter of giving him a few races to trim him up because he’s pretty big. He’s such an immature trotter, he really doesn’t know what he’s doing still so he just needs plenty of racing and they accommodate for the trotters so well now so I couldn’t be happier.”
This week however, Webster will have his chance to snatch the premiership in a last gasp effort, with runners in four separate races.
Have A Bender is coming off a fast finishing fourth behind Bitobliss in the Minuteman Free For All and although he will have to contend with barrier 12, he has been marked the $3.50 favourite by HRV form expert Jason Bonnington.
“He’s been very consistent and I was quite happy with his run last week. Bitobliss sat on my back and was too quick for me but we were only a length from the winner,” Webster said.
“Realistically I’ve carted him into the race and he’s beaten me by a length and he is a Group 1 horse so I can’t be disappointed.
“He just needs an ounce of luck; the quality probably comes down a bit so if he has a similar run I’d imagine he’d be very hard to beat.”
To get the lowdown on each and every one of Geoff Webster’s runners for the final meeting of the season make sure you visit Good Form on Friday afternoon.
This week punters are in for a very special edition which will include not only Trainer Talk, but also Driver Talk with the state’s leading reinsman Chris Alford.
