Superstar trotter Keystone Del will call Victoria home from next month.
The trainer of Keystone Del, Nicole Molander, is looking forward to relocating to Victoria full-time from December 20.
Molander told RSN’s Gait Speed yesterday the opportunities to race in Victoria – Australia’s trotting capital and home of the Great Southern Star – were too enticing to pass up.
“Part of the reason is for the opportunities he’s got down there. He’ll be racing down there most of the time so that will really benefit him,” she said.
Molander and her husband Dean, who currently call Wilton, New South Wales, home, will bring a nine-horse team to Victoria, basing themselves 30 minutes from Melton at Riddells Creek.
“We’ll chug away around the nine-to-10 mark and look at (eventually) getting up to maybe 15,” Molander said.
“We’re moving to a really well setup property so we have room to expand.”
Molander, who will line up Keystone Del on Friday night in the Group 3 Derby Royale Trotters Free for All at Tabcorp Park Melton, said the overall opportunities in Victoria suited her team better.
“The programming and racing opportunities in Victoria suit us better. We love our trotters and Victoria obviously caters for them a lot more than New South Wales,” she said.
“Obviously Keystone Del will be suited by being there where most of the big trotting races are run and I’ve got a couple of others who can make their way through the grades in the Victorian system as well.”
Another leading trainer in James Rattray said yesterday he would bring his entire team to Victoria to campaign over the summer months from a Melton base.
“I’m going to bring the whole team down to Victoria. We’ll have about six to eight in work,” Rattray said.
When asked if he would consider a move to Victoria full-time, the former Tasmanian said: “We’ll just see how we go over summer. We’ll play it by ear.”
Beautide will contest the Bendigo and Ballarat Cups before targeting the rich Summer of Glory jewels the Hunter Cup and Victoria Cup in the New Year.
