John Dunne
It seems impeccably bred race mare Aldebaran Vera’s value in the breeding barn may prevent her racing on at the end of the year.
The daughter of Trixton enhanced her status as one of Victoria’s best trotting mares when she led all the way to score a comfortable win in the Hygain Lightfoot Laurels at Melton on Saturday night.
Sent out favourite, Aldebaran Vera bounded away from the tapes to lead while her main danger Virginia Clowers landed in the one out one back trail.
Glen Craven appeared to have plenty in reserve on Aldebaran Vera on straightening and the five-year-old merely cruised down the home stretch to score from the Chris Svanosio trained pair Aldebaran Miley and Sacred Mountain.
Trainer Marg Lee has the feature trotting mares’ races in her sights.
“Hopefully she will be heading to the good mares races later in the year,” Lee said.
Aldebaran Vera has returned to the racetrack in stellar fashion this season posting three wins and two placings from six starts
“She galloped in a race at Bendigo so we spelled her and she has really strengthened up and has been more consistent this time in,” she said.
“She is getting better with each run.”
Aldebaran Vera is owned by Boko Stables who lease the mare to the Craven family.
“I think the lease expires at the end of the year and it looks like they will want to breed from her,” she said.
Aldebaran Vera is a daughter of Kyvalley Aldebaran who is a sister to multiple Group 1 winner Allegro Agitato and a half-sister to the Group 1 winning successful stallion Skyvalley.
Meanwhile, Jack Laugher admits he was fighting it out for second prizemoney on Clear Left as the field turned for home in the Catanach’s Jewellers Pace.
Jackie Barker’s daring tactics looked like being successful when Layden dashed from mid-field in the back straight to straightening more than 10 metres ahead of his rivals.
The effort ultimately took its toll on Layden and the Julie Douglas trained Clear Left kept coming and grabbed the lead to score by a metre on the line from Layden and Big Boy Mel.
“I thought Layden may have gone a bit far from home but he was still 10 metres in front at the top of the straight, so I kept driving my horse for second,” Laugher said.
“My horse lacks a bit of high speed but he keeps trying and he kept going when the leader started to get tired,” he said.
Later in the night Laugher completed a stable double when he partnered Kosimo to a minor upset victory in the Nevele R Stud Pace.
Kosimo settled two horses back in the running line in the small six horse field trailing favourite Petracca who joined Yambukian in the lead around the home turn.
