Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Five-year-old square gaiter Hold That Gold will end the 2024 season with an interesting record as the trotter with the most wins in the year in Australia.
The Bob Mellsop-trained gelding notched his fifth victory in a row when he worked hard before winning the Sky Racing Trot over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the $2 favourite from the No. 5 barrier when he began with his usual good speed, but was unable to cross to the front, with Nickys Son ($4.20) setting the pace from barrier four.
Deni Roberts was quite content to rate Hold That Gold in the breeze before the gelding burst to the front on the home turn and won by 2m from $8 chance Patched, who finished solidly after enjoying a perfect passage, one-out and one-back. Nickys Son wilted to fifth.
“Nickys Son is the only horse capable of holding out Hold That Gold,” said Mellsop. “However, Hold That Gold has adapted to the breeze, and that doesn’t worry him. He has won three times from the breeze, and did so against Nickys Son two starts earlier.”
Roberts admitted that she was slightly concerned when Hold That Gold was beaten for early speed and had to work in the breeze. “Two starts ago when we raced without cover and won from Nickys Son the first half of the final mile was almost two and a half seconds slower than it was tonight,” she said.
“Hold That Gold is quite fast, and I thought that the quick pace tonight might have taken the speed out of him. But to his credit he stuck on very well. I got the plugs out at the top of the straight and he kicked and held his ground.
“Sometimes he gets a bit weary, but he has got a lot stronger lately, and it’s good to know that we can now drive him like that (in the breeze).”
Hold That Gold has had 19 starts this year for twelve wins, four seconds and $99,363 in prizemoney, and his record now stands at 48 starts for 15 wins (three from 28 starts in Victoria and 12 from 20 starts in WA).
The trotter with the second most wins in Australia in 2024 is the outstanding Victorian-bred three-year-old filly Keayang Zahara, who has been unbeaten at her eleven starts in Australia this year before travelling to New Zealand where she has won very easily at her first three starts there to enhance her record to 14 starts for 14 wins and $688,701 in stakes.
Keayang Zahara, trained by Victorian Margaret Lee and driven by her son Jason, has won the Victoria, New South Wales and New Zealand Oaks as well as winning the Victorian, NSW and New Zealand Derbies.
The 67-year-old Mellsop, who has trained 599 winners this century, said that Hold That Gold would be set for the $31,000 Trotters Sprint over 1730m at Gloucester Park in four weeks (January 17) and was most unlikely to contest the $50,000 Trotters Cup, a stand over 2503m on January 31.
“There is another metro mobile for him next Friday week before the Trotters Sprint,” said Mellsop. “I’ll nominate him for the Trotters Cup, but he will be off at least 40 metres, so I think we will watch the Cup from the grandstand.”
Hold That Gold’s win on Friday night completed a treble for Roberts, who was successful earlier in the night with Street Hawk and Tualou, taking her tally of wins this year to 166 for a career total of 719.
Roberts (29) has formed a wonderful association with Mellsop, driving about 70 winners for the Bunbury trainer, including 40 in 2023 and 2024.