VETERAN harness racing trainer Wayne Rattray remains confident his well bred four-year-old gelding Twilight Town can make it to open class by the end of the season.
Twilight Town scored his third win of the season when he led all the way to take out the Betty Lee Pace over 2200 metres at The TOTE Racing Centre in Launceston on Sunday night.
The gelding was used up early from a wide front-row draw but he had enough pace to cross to the front and after setting a solid pace he left his rivals in his wake when he sprinted clear in the home straight to score by almost nine metres.
Rattray purchased Twilight Town from an advertisement in a national harness magazine in February for what he says was a “sizable piece of money”.
Twilight Town began his career in Victoria and debuted in January with a game second at Warragul but that’s when his original owners opted to sell.
He didn’t make an impact when he first stared racing in his adopted State; in fact he probably gave Rattray a few sleepless nights after he had failed to flatter at his first three runs in Tasmania.
“He was very lively on the track early in the piece and fairly uneducated when we first got him home,” Rattray said.
“It took us a bit of time to sort him out but we got there eventually.”
“He developed a habit of pulling real bad but with the help of my son Kent he began to settle better.”
“We took a punt buying him but he is bred that good the temptation was just too strong and thankfully he’s proven to be well worth the gamble.”
“The way he darted away from them on Sunday night you’d reckon by the end of the season he’d have made his way to free-for-all class,” Rattray said.
Last Sunday night the Bettors Delight gelding clocked a mile rate of 1m.59.3s which was his best so far. He ran home his last half (800m) in 1m.09s but his first and last quarter were identical at 29.6sec.
It was an emphatic win and it made up for a blemish on his record at his previous outing when he galloped for no apparent reason as he was about to make his move to claim the leaders in a similar race at the same venue.
“We have analysed his previous run a few times and we are still baffled as to why he got out of his gear so we are putting it down to being a one-off thing,” he said.
“John (Walters) drove him more aggressively this time and the horse reacted as we thought he would.”
“He’s won six in quick time but he is still learning and that’s probably the most pleasing aspect,” Rattray said.
Twilight Town’s half-sister Jazaam (Christian Cullen-Keep It Hot) won almost $250,000 and won 24 and placed 21 times from 86 starts.
Jazaam won the 2009 Ladyship Cup at Moonee Valley and last year she was placed third in the $100,000 Ladyship Mile behind Make Mine Cullen. Last season she also won the Jane Ellen at Tabcorp Park Melton before being retired to stud.
Rattray said Twilight Town, that has won six and been placed four times from his 15 starts in Tasmania, would more than likely be sent for a spell.
“We’ll probably back off him for a week or two because he’s won six races in quick time and he is probably in need of a little break,” the trainer said.