Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Winning a raffle for a free service to former brilliant juvenile pacer Follow The Stars has led to Pinjarra trainer David Young becoming the proud owner of a talented trotter Thats Not My Gait, who scored a runaway victory in the 2503m The Big Wall Kev Jev Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And that is only part of the unusual story which has seen Thats Not My Gait pacing perfectly as a youngster and then switching her gait to that of a square gaiter who has developed into one of the State’s best trotters.
Thats Not My Gait, the $3.50 second fancy, gave a bold frontrunning display on Friday night to win by nine lengths from $41 chance Sky Eagle to underline her prospects in the $31,000 Group 3 Trotters Sprint on January 19 and the $50,000 Group 2 Trotters Cup on February 2.
Thats Not My Gait is the second foal out of pacing mare Forever Happy, who was owned and trained by Doug Sutton and raced only eight times for one win — when driven by Young to beat Spirit Of Sparky at Bridgetown on December 19, 2010, and earn $2763.
“I drove her poorly, pretty much three wide for two laps, and she ran away from them and won like a good horse,” said Young. “Two runs later Forever Happy damaged a tendon, and I was able to lease her, and after two unplaced runs for me she broke down again.
“I wanted to breed from her, and Doug and Deb Sutton signed Forever Happy (who is by American pacing stallion Grinfromeartoear) over to me. Essentially, they gave the mare to me, and her first foal was a filly (by Canadian sire Village Jolt). That filly suffered from a brain disease and had to be put down, and the day after that I went to the Bunbury trots where I won the free service to Follow The Stars.
“From that service Forever Happy produced a filly (Thats Not My Gait) and after I broke her in, she paced beautifully. She hurt her hock during her education, and she paced again at her next preparation. But in her third preparation she would just trot.”
This was confusing because Forever Happy was a daughter of outstanding WA pacing mare Most Happy Lady, who raced 64 times for 22 wins (including the Race For Roses at Gloucester Park in May 2003), 15 placings and $132,507 in prizemoney.
“Three years ago, there were trotting races programmed in WA for two-year-olds, but there was only one other two-year-old trotter in the State at the time, and there were no races for her,” said Young.
Young then contacted champion Victorian reinsman Chris Alford, who agreed to take Thats Not My Gait, who was adjudged the second fastest two-year-old filly in Australia and won seven times from 38 Victorian starts before returning to WA in April this year. Her eleven starts for Young have resulted in four wins and six placings, taking her career record to 49 starts for eleven wins, 17 placings and stakes of $103,712.
Thats Not My Gait had to be driven out hard by Aiden De Campo from barrier two on the front line in Friday night’s standing-start race to withstand a spirited challenge for the early lead from Sky Eagle.
“She is pretty lazy, and Aiden had to pull the plugs at the start to make sure that she held up,” said Young. “What she lacks in brilliance she makes up in stamina and manners.”
Thats Not My Gait’s task was made easier by Marendo Bay, the $1.85 favourite, breaking into a gallop on the first turn after the start and losing about 100 metres. Marendo Bay made up a considerable amount of ground to finish seventh.