Chris Alford has Down Under Muscles coming good at the right time
Regally-bred young squaregaiter Down Under Muscles has given the best indication yet that he might just be ready to live up to the hype.
The Chris Alford-trained-and-driven two-year-old, a half-brother to the great A Touch Of Flair, exerted his class edge over a talented field of rivals in a heat of the Australasian Breeders Crown at Ballarat on Monday night.
It qualifies the colt, a result of a Muscles Yankee-Fionas Flair union, for the $158,000 final to be run at Bendigo on "Super Sunday" August 17.
The victory was Down Under Muscles's third from six tries. After winning his first two starts, he was beaten when well-fancied at his next three attempts before returning to the winner's list at Ballarat and Alford couldn't be happier with his timing.
"He's always shown potential but got crook after the Tatlow (June 6) and took a while to get over that," Bolinda-based Alford said. "That's what went wrong in the (Vicbred) Sires, but he's been good since.
"Work wise he's been getting used to everything we've been doing with him, so it's good to see him going well and let's just hope it continues all the way through to the final."
On Monday night's display Down Under Muscles shapes as the horse to beat along with Kiwi qualifier Muscle And Power in the Breeders Crown 2YO Trotters Final.
After beginning safely from the outside of the front row in the 2200-metre mobile event, Alford sooled the colt to the front and from there those who backed him into $1.60 favouritism never had cause for concern.
He turned in a faultless display to score by four metres from Mals Image $6.60) with Forward Press ($4.40) almost 13 metres away in third spot.
"Being drawn out wide helped him last night, it kept him out of trouble early, and he trotted really well throughout and did it pretty easily in the end," Alford said.
Joining Down Under Muscles in the Group 1 final will be Sassy Pinevale, who overcame an outside-back-row barrier draw to score an upset win in the other two-year-old trotters heat.
On the line the Ross Graham-trained-and-driven CR Commando filly, who started at $12, had a head to spare over Redwood Classic minor placegetters Magic Interest ($5.90) and Hanginwiththestars ($5.80).
Monday night's beaten brigade will get one last chance to book a berth in the Breeders Crown final with the repechage round to be run at Bendigo next Tuesday.
