Melton Harness Preview – Saturday 22nd August

OVERVIEW: What a cracking way to start the night at Melton, with a wide-open free-for-all pacing contest where most have claims. There does appear to be plenty of tempo in this race given most of the key chances are either drawn on the back row or out wide off the front, and I’ll take a slight leaning to SIR JIMMY (10) third-up from a break. He was a dominant winner first-up from the front here on July 18 and then unleashed a sizzling 54.12 last half from the rear to run second behind stablemate The Art Of Success recently. He’s flying and has come up each-way odds, so looks a nice play. CATCH A WAVE (7) comes up with the front row draw for the first time in a campaign where he hasn’t had races run to suit and there’s a chance he presses forward and finds the front. From there, over the 1720m, he’d be a huge player. HOORAH PHILTRA (9) is airborne and continued his great form with a fast-finishing second last weekend to Fairplay, while FIGHTER COMMAND (11) returns to Melton after a Brisbane campaign where he won a heat of the Inter Dominion and ran fifth in the final. He’s a good horse. TRIPLE EIGHT (2) is one at odds that I think will run well from a good draw, while it’s great to see arguably the country’s most popular horse, BULLETPROOF BOY (12), back at the races, but he heads in without a trial and a horror draw so he’d need to produce something special.

OVERVIEW: Amazing edition of the time-honoured VHRC Holmfield, where the three-year-old trotters do battle in an intriguing contest. THE PREACHER (10) was brilliant from the front at Melton when winning by a big space on August 12, which followed a big triumph in the Warragul Trotters Cup off 30m. He ran a great race to beat MUNNY THE MUNSTER (7) in a heat of the Nutrien series at Wagga before that horse overturned the result in the rich final from the top. With a nice trailing draw, he looks a good each-way play. MUNNY THE MUNSTER (7) is first-up from that Nutrien series victory and heads here on the back of a solid trial at Cobram, where he placed third. Stacey Towers will likely press forward in a bid to find the top, and he’d be very hard to beat if he got there easily. PASTOR DUNBAR (9) is the Group 1 NSW Trotters Derby champion and trialled well against the pacers ahead of his return, as did NOTANOTHA NAUGHTY (8), who is now back in the care of Hugh Cathels, the trainer for his Group 1 Redwood Classic success as a two-year-old. UNCLAD (11) and HOWDY MATE (12) head the other chances, while TIMMY WHIZ (3), BROTHER MOUNTAIN (4) and HALLEBESOFINE (5) are all factors from the front line.

BACK: THE PREACHER (10) – 1 unit (each-way)

OVERVIEW: IJUSTCALLEDTOSAY (11) was badly inconvenienced last time by galloping rivals, but still did a good job to run sixth behind the flying Alrighty, and before that looked the winner when grabbed in the shadows by Muskee. His defeat prior had excuses when he began badly and sustained a flat tyre, and the two runs in late June and early July were dominant wins. He’s going really well this campaign and looks very hard to beat in this grade. That said, there’s plenty of others with winning hopes. ALDEBARAN ABEL (5) finally had things go his way when beating RINGER WELLS (8) here on August 8, with the latter galloping in the home straight when looking a serious chance of victory. KEAYANG GYPSY (4), who was a brave fourth from the chair here last weekend and won from the top first-up from a break, is another key chance. There’s a few others that wouldn’t shock, including FREIGHT SHAKER (9), FARROKH (12), THUNDA STRUCK (10), SAM NIEN (1) and ROCKY VALLEY (2) for the late Ian Caruana, who has this race named in his honour.

BACK: IJUSTCALLEDTOSAY (11) – 2 units (win)

OVERVIEW: Taking a chance here on a horse I’ve got a lot of time for who needs luck in his races, and that’s TWISTING BY (6). He’s a slow beginner and will probably end up in the back half of the field, but he possesses a good turn of foot and might be able to round them up given the likely early tempo with WITH IN REASON (5) and SOHO DARKNSTORMY (7) drawn on the front row. Last start, he was held up but savaged the line for third behind Always Be Blakey in a good race and he just needs the right trip to figure. CROCODILE SOCKS (1) returned from a break with a good second to the smart mare Wicked Confession in fast time at Wagga on August 14 and draws for a nice trip in this wide-open contest. He contested some key feature races as a three-year-old last season and should run well. WITH IN REASON (5) was incredible winning from the rear at huge odds last time at Melton and will run well again, while GOOD TOBE LOCKSLEY (8) gets the draw to improve on recent runs and the talented IMA TERMINATOR (4) hits this third-up ready to fire. They head the other chances in a race where most can win.

BACK: TWISTING BY (6) – 1 unit (each-way)

OVERVIEW: I AM THE STORM (9) looks like running a short-priced favourite here for leading trainer Emma Stewart after a strong start to the campaign that has seen three good wins and a brave fourth when doing plenty of work in a frantic race here at Melton on August 8. He was only beaten 5.8m there and never really got much peace after eventually working to the top on the back of a rapid lead time. This is suitable and he’s sure to go close. OLLIES THE BOSS (1) hasn’t won a race this preparation, but looks ready and draws for a lovely trip. He chased home the impressive Words here on August 7 and has racked up five placings from six starts this time in. GUNFORHIRE (2) was a bit plain last time at Terang, but his effort prior when fourth to Rocknroll Willow was very good from the back and he now gets the services of Ewa Justice, who has won on him before. MIGHTY JOLT (5) has been sparingly raced since joining the Dean Braun barn, but did run a cracker for second on debut for the stable back in late March when he led from this draw. Keep safe.

BACK: MULTI – I AM THE STORM/VERBICI/I AM WILMA – 4 units (win)

OVERVIEW: Awfully hard to oppose THE LAST TRIP (7), who looks a star on the rise since joining the Emma Stewart barn. He won his first two starts for the stable by 25.8m and 48.6m before taking out a heat of this series last weekend by 11.6m in good time once again. He has drawn awkward here in gate seven, but you’d anticipate Taylor Ford working forward and probably finding the front. Looks the horse to beat, but you’ll have to take the shorts. LOUGLE (1) was sensational running third in the other of the qualifiers last Saturday night. He settled towards the rear and came with a sustained three-wide run in the last lap to only miss a neck in a race won by THE NAKED ART (12), who was brilliant from the breeze. LOUGLE (1) has never drawn the front row here in Victoria, so his gate speed is a query, but he’s a nice horse and is sure to run well. PICK UP ELVIS (4) charged from the back to grab second behind THE LAST TRIP (7) and is a winning chance, while TELEMACHUS (3) might be able to run well at odds given his good gate speed and ability to find the fence. Other key runners include THE NAKED ART (12) and LILLY LOTUS (6).

OVERVIEW: VERBICI (6) looks a very, very promising two-year-old trotter for Chris Lang and Sonia Mahar, and he resumes from a break with an undefeated record after four career starts. He won the rich Nutrien Final at Wagga easily in late May and then was a tad unimpressive when scoring in the Group 2 Trot NSW Final after that, but did sustain a flat tyre and still got the job done. He beat KYVALLEY DIABLO (4) in a trial at Melton last week and again performed well at Kilmore in a hit-out there on Tuesday. The one to beat. KYVALLEY DIABLO (4) made an early break on debut at Bendigo in June but still won in a super display, and then galloped again in that Group 2 Trot NSW Final and ruled himself out of contention. He’s trialled well recently and is the key danger. INSULATOR (1) made an early error first-up last weekend, but had trialled well prior and has shown really good ability, while REGAL GALA (5) won that aforementioned race after finding the top with his good gate speed and has been racing well all season.

BACK: MULTI – I AM THE STORM/VERBICI/I AM WILMA – 4 units (win)