By John Dunne
A couple of Andy Gath-prepared Group 1-winning trotters couldn’t have been more impressive at Melton on Saturday night.
However, it’s unlikely either Watts Up Partytime or Im Ready Jet will contest this year’s Inter Dominion series at Albion Park in July.
“For a start Im Ready Jet wasn’t nominated for the series as this is her last preparation before she heads off to stud, and Watts Up Partytime is a very good short course horse but struggles over 2240 metres and beyond and the final is over 3100 metres,” Gath said.
The Gath stable will be represented in the series by another Group 1-winning performer, Callmethebreeze.
Somewhat of a forgotten horse, Callmethebreeze hasn’t been seen on the racetrack since being well beaten in the Bill Collins Sprint at Kilmore in October last year due to foot issues.
Andy Gath is confident the French-bred trotter will face the starter in the first round of heats in Brisbane on July 5.
“I know he hasn’t raced for a while, but he has done plenty of groundwork and is close to trialling,” he said.
Watts Up Partytime confirmed his status as the premier sprint trotter in the state when he comfortably accounted for his rivals after sitting parked in the Haras Des Trotteurs Trot.
“He’s a lovely horse over his right distance and you don’t fluke winning a race like the Great Southern Star,” he said.
“For whatever reason over the short he seems to excel and each preparation he gets better and handles the workload.
“He got into that race well tonight, but he will be racing in free-for-alls from now on.”
Later in the night, Im Ready Jet proved a class above the other mares in the Waste Sense Trot.
Sent out a favourite, Im Ready Jet worked to the front with 1600 metres to travel, and when Kate Gath asked her for more effort, the eight-year-old bounded away around the home turn to score by 13 metres from Aldebaran Acrux in a mile rate of 1:57.6.
Kate said she was happy how the mare responded after finishing fourth behind Susan Is Her Name in the Group 1 Macarthur Mile for mares at Menangle last week.
“It was a really strong win, and she bounced back good from last week,” she said.
