Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Exciting square gaiter Patched will be set for the $250,000 Interdominion Trotters Championship at Brisbane’s Albion Park in December.
The six-year-old’s Pinjarra trainer David Young announced this ambitious plan after Patched had scored a runaway victory in the $20,250 Westside Auto Wholesale Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Patched has been a revelation since arriving at Young’s stables ten months ago with a Victorian record of 30 starts for three wins in country-class events at Kilmore, Ballarat and Bendigo and eleven placings.
He has emerged as West Australia’s best trotter, with his 17 starts in the State producing ten wins, six seconds and one fourth placing for earnings of $108,453.
Patched began from the outside barrier in a field of eight on Friday night and was the $1.50 favourite, who was given plenty of time to settle down by Aiden De Campo. He raced in last position for the first lap before he sprinted brilliantly, three wide, approaching the bell when he burst to the front and careered away to win by just under six lengths from $18 chance Line The Starzzz.
“We put the Dollys on him tonight because as good as he went in winning the Trotters Cup a fortnight earlier I still thought that there was a bit more there than he should’ve been giving us,” said Young.
“It was just a change of head gear; he was getting a bit blasé doing the same thing over and over again. Since he has been here, he has raced with an open bridle or with a Murphy blind. So, I thought I’d change things up a bit.
“It is unbelievable what he has done here, for a horse who was expected to win just a couple of races. He probably will have three more runs in his current preparation. There is a race for him at Gloucester Park next Tuesday week, and then there’s the $11,000 Trotters Sprint over 1684m at Pinjarra on March 6 and the $50,000 Trotters Sprint over 1730m at Gloucester Park on March 24.
“Then he will have a break, with the idea of setting him for the Inters in Brisbane in December. Unless something goes wrong, we will take him to Queensland and have a crack. It has been an unbelievable ride already.”