CONNECTIONS of Tasmania’s best pacer Triedtotellya are hoping to make a statement and salvage something from their trip to Perth in Friday night’s $300,000 Group 1 Fremantle Cup at Gloucester Park.
Managing owner Braden Howlett admitted it was “a tough watch” seeing NSW raider Max Delight upstage WA’s best pacers after having to scratch Triedtotellya from last Friday night’s $1.25 million Group 1 Nullarbor.
“I think he stacks up very well with a horse like Max Delight and we’d have gone close with a good draw and the sort of run the winner had,” he said.
“I couldn’t help but watch and wonder what might have been even though we’d had time to process that he wasn’t in the race.
“All the talk was about how good the two local stars were and how they would fight it out, but old Max (Delight) came along and upset them.”
Triedtotellya, a winner of 19 of his 26 starts and recently crowned Tasmanian Horse of the Year, didn’t handle the plan trip from Melbourne to Perth well and was off his food for several days, which forced him out of the Nullarbor.
“If things go well over the next few days, at least we’ve still got this second chance,” Howlett said.
“He’d picked up by the end of last week. His bloods were much better and Rohan (Hillier, trainer-driver) said he worked well enough at Wanneroo last Friday.
“So far, so good, but he’ll have a decent hit out Tuesday to determine if he’s good to go for Friday, which he’ll need to be against a similar field (to the Nullarbor) over 2900m.
Most of the stars from the Nullarbor will back-up again, including beaten Nullarbor favourite Minstrel, who has recovered well from a rare below par run.
“He’s pulled-up sound and was bright at the beach today (Sunday). He’s all go for next week,” co-trainer Greg Bond said.
Howlett is sweating on a good workout and nice barrier on Tuesday.
“If Tuesday goes well, then getting a good draw is so important, as the Nullarbor showed. If we get a good draw and he’s near his top, gee I think he can give the race a real shake,” he said.
Despite Triedtotellya’s untimely setback, there was still strong Tasmanian flavour to the Nullarbor with Max Delight owned by the Tassie-based Mick Maxfield, who was too ill to make the trip to Perth.
His son Dean flew the family flag and accepted the trophy.
“I rang Dad straight after the race and it meant the world to him. He was in tears and said how much he wished he could’ve been at the track,” he said.
Mick Maxfield paid a then Australian record price of $245,000 for the 10-year-old Max Delight as a yearling in 2017.
Despite missing a year of racing with injury, trainer David Aiken has nursed Max Delight past $2 million in earnings.
Max Delight will try to do what the past two Nullarbor winners, Mister Smartee and Catch A Wave, have done by completing the big double and winning the Fremantle Cup.
Veteran Victorian star Bulletproof Boy is another who needs a good draw after getting back to last and never being sighted in the Nullarbor.
“It’s just too hard from way back there,” trainer Scott Ewen said. “Hopefully we get a better draw and can settle somewhere up near the speed this time and I’m sure he’ll be a different horse.”
PHOTO: Triedtotellya – Stacey Lear
