Vic co-trainers pull the plug on Qld trip

Uncertainty over COVID-19 and the changing landscape surrounding border rules has forced connections of Victorian rising star Western Sonador to shelve plans for a tilt at Queensland’s Group One riches.

Queensland’s Constellations Carnival was clearly on the radar for co-trainers Steve O’Donoghue and Rebecca Bartley after the gelding’s impressive performances in Sydney earlier this year, most notably a second in the Newcastle Mile.

And at his first run back after a four-month spell, Western Sonador (Western Terror – Refresh Me (Classic Garry) turned in a clinical performance at the recent Bendigo metropolitan meeting to account for a handy fast-class field.

O’Donoghue and Bartley have been weighing up the best options for the past week to get their star to Queensland for the TAB Blacks A Fake Queensland Championship on July 24.

“In the end it was just all too hard and too uncertain,” Bartley said.

“It’s disappointing, because the run first up was just what he needed. We never really drill him at home, and he’d had two trials which were pretty easy for him too, but the Bendigo run was perfect to top him off,” she said.

“We’ve weighed it all up and looked at all the options, and we’ve decided not to go up. It’s disappointing, but we can’t really do much about it – it is what it is.”

During his previous preparation, Bartley had described Western Sonador as a “bit of a firecracker” who “still had to learn a few things”, but after the Bendigo victory she was surprised at a calmer and more mature horse this time in.

“He was really good,” Bartley told Trots Vision. “I was a little bit worried in the stabling area, he was really quiet and a completely different horse to what I had in Sydney. We learned a lot when he was in Sydney, he was just over the top carrying on and by the last race everyone knew who he was.

“So this is just more of a learning experience, to let him grow and mature and hopefully it does make him a better horse.”

The O’Donoghue and Bartley training partnership enjoyed a dream ride with star pacer San Carlo (Mach Three – Bridge Player (Classic Garry), a winner of 30 races from 63 starts.

They work a team of about 18 at Morley Park, near Shepparton and Western Sonador is emerging as their new headline act.

“We’ll just probably run him in a couple of metropolitan races down here now to keep him ticking over,” Bartley said.

“Then we will aim him at the Kilmore Cup (September 24) and then the Victoria Cup (October 9) all going well.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink