IF the success of Victorian harness racing trainer Vince Vallelonga at the Launceston meeting is any guide he will be back for certain for the state’s Summer Carnival.
Vallelonga travelled three from his Victorian stable last weekend and emerged with two winners.
He scored the double with Fergus MacCool and Smart Pay while Doves Patch let the team down when he broke at the start of the Tenirama Pace and tailed out to last.
Nevertheless a 66% strike rate for a fringe player in his home state is a top effort.
Vallelonga said the trip was to “test the water”.
“I hadn’t done it before and I wanted to see if I could get it right,” Vallelonga said.
“If I got it right, and I think I have, the idea is to come back for the nice races around Christmas,” he said.
Vallelonga travelled his horses to Tasmania by sea on the Spirit of Tasmania last Wednesday and they all returned by sea two days after they raced
“They all travelled good, ate well and held their condition,” he said.
The trainer expects to take a larger team at carnival time.
“Fergus MacCool and Smart Pay are both nice bread and butter type horses and they might come back at Christmas but I’ll also most likely bring a couple of my better-class horses that can go to the next level and they’ll come for the god races.”
“I’ll probably bring a team and stay for two or three weeks,” he said.