John Dunne
Former New South Wales trained pacer Cantfindabettorman could make a return to his home state and contest this month’s Inter Dominion after taking out the Hygain 4YO & 5YO Championship at Melton on Saturday night.
Chris Alford took Cantfindabettorman to the front mid race and the son of Sweet Lou proved too strong for his rivals in the home straight scoring by seven metres from the favourite Perfect Class in a mile rate of 1:52.9.
Alford was happy with the early race proceedings which enabled him to find the lead with 1200 metres to travel.
“Things worked out pretty well as we got a good run through in the first 200 and we were able to get one off for a while when they were burning up front,” Alford said.
“Once the speed slackened we were able to get to the front and he maintained a good solid tempo and was too strong on the line,” he said.
Alford said the Isabel Walsh trained pacer was full of running on the line.
“I thought he could have been in a bit of bother about the 400 because he had done a bit and the other horse just keeps coming, but to his credit he held it off really well,” he said.
Alford said Cantfindabettorman’s immediate racing agenda was yet to be determined.
“It’s a bit up in the air whether he stays down here for the country cups or they take him up to Sydney for the Inter Dominion,” he said.
One horse who will be making the trek north of the border later this month is the lightly raced five-year-old Keayang Chucky who outclassed his rivals in the Aldebaran Park Trotters Free For All.
Jason Lee adopted aggressive tactics on Keayang Chucky urging him to the front from his wide front row draw while the $2.60 favorite Im Ready Jet landed in the one out one back trail.
Keayang Chucky rounded the home turn in full flight reeling off a 27 second last 400 metres to score comfortably by 10 metres from Ollivici and the comeback horse Plymouth Chubb an encouraging third.
The win was Keayang Chucky’s 15th success from only 39 starts and Lee said the son of Love You hadn’t been extended as a young horse.
“He felt super tonight and he’s really been in the zone lately and we’ve asked him to do a little bit in this grade the last couple of times which we hadn’t done,” Lee said.
“We have protected him a lot to make him into a really good racehorse to hopefully have him at this level for a period of time and it’s starting to show some rewards now,” he said.
Lee said Keayang Chucky is Sydney bound to contest the Inter Dominion at Menangle.
“His plan now is to maybe have another run here and then he’ll get set to go to Sydney for the Inter Dominion,” he said.
