James Herbertson’s early race decision to remain in the running line paid dividends when Shes Ruby Roo scored an upset win in the Aldebaran Park Need For Speed Princess Final at Melton on Friday night.
Having his first drive on the filly, Herbertson refrained from slotting three back along the pegs and instead opted to stay one wide before subsequently landing in the one out-one back trail while the $1.35 favourite Rockinwithattitude speared to the lead.
Herbertson pulled Shes Ruby Roo ($8.50) out three wide with 500 metres to travel and the Jess Tubbs-prepared daughter of Creatine fought on stoutly in the home straight to grab Rockinwithattitude on the line.
Herbertson said he thought he was a winning chance on turning for home.
“At the top of the straight I thought that I could give it a shake,” Herbertson said.
“And then my filly made up a lot of ground in the last 50 metres of the race, it was probably a bit of both the favourite stopping and Shes Ruby Roo getting home.”
Herbertson revealed he almost eased onto the peg line when the opportunity presented itself in the first 50 metres of the race.
“Then I thought I’d give her a chance and stay one off as she had been going well,” he said.
Herbertson predicts a bright future for Shes Ruby Roo.
“She has nice speed, a strong gait and she tries, and I think Greg (Sugars) and Jess are still learning about her,” he said.
Later in the evening, the Wayne Potter-trained The Locomotive confirmed his dominance of the three-year-old colts and geldings’ trotting ranks with a soft win in the Prince Final.
The Locomotive enjoyed the run of the race in the one out-one back trail and with Nathan Jack sitting quietly, the son of La Coocaracha eased past the leader Grumpee to score by three metres in a mile rate of 1:57.7.
Potter acknowledged the colt’s premier standing in the current crop of three-year-old trotters.
“It’s probably not the best crop we’ve seen, but all you can do is beat them,” Potter said.
“He’s got speed and can stick on a bit – he’s just a real professional racehorse.”
A $60,000 purchase as a yearling, The Locomotive has now banked almost $310,000 from his 13 wins of which eight have been in feature races.
Potter said the son of Muscle Mass will get the opportunity to extend his stake earnings before the end of the season in the Victoria Trotters Derby and the Breeders Crown Series.
The Mark and Nathan Purdon trained filly High Step outclassed her rivals in the Bob Conroy 2YO Trotters Classic while Queen Elida chalked up her sixth consecutive victory in The George Gath and Keayang Chucky led all the way in the Tornado Valley Trot Final.
