Trainer sends star to the paddock

Boom Victorian three-year-old trotter Dont Care is enjoying life in a spelling paddock and is likely to be there for at least the next eight weeks.

“It was a pretty tough call, but it was the best one for the horse. He’s going through a growth spurt,” trainer Kate Hargreaves said.

“His first two runs this time in were great. Then in his following two he broke up under pressure and galloped, which was out of character, so there was something amiss.”

Hargreaves, based at Shelbourne, near Bendigo, is pragmatic about potentially missing some of the big feature races with her rising superstar.

“I’ll just see how it all goes. He may be back in time for the Vicbreds later in the year. But if he’s not, so be it. I think he will be a better older horse if we give him a good break,” she said.

Flashy chestnut Dont Care (Used To Me (FRA)-My Dreamweaver NZ (Lindy Lane US) posted the stable’s first ever Group One victory on December 31 last year with a sensational win in the $100,000 Skyvalley@Aldebaran Park VicBred Super Series 2yo Trotting Colts and Geldings final.

Hargreaves has a share in the horse, along with a big ownership group including Darren Carroll, Joel Matthews, Anna Matthews, Brian Cairns, Tom Cairns, Matt Delzotto, Brett Hargreaves, Brooke Palfreyman, Austin “Aussie” Mifsud and Kevin Weidenbach.

The horse, bred by Yabby Dam Farms at Cardigan, was snapped up for $11,000 at the 2019 Australasian Premier Trotting Sale.

The Group One win capped off a breakout season for Hargreaves in just her fifth year of training. She prepared 119 winners in the extended season and Dont Care was named as the 2020 Harness Racing Australia two-year-old trotter of the year for the colts and geldings. As well, he received the Victorian award in the same category late last month.

From just 16 starts, Dont Care has registered six wins, four driven by Alex Ashwood and two with Ellen Tormey, as well as three placings for stakes of more than $93,000.

Meanwhile another square-gaiting stablemate “country cups king” Well Defined will make a return to the trials soon.

“He’s probably about a fortnight away, but his work at home has been really pleasing,” Hargreaves said.
Well Defined (Majestic Son-Focus On Me (S J’s Photo) was unstoppable earlier this year with five cup scalps and a second placing in another.

The bay gelding started his winning spree with a victory in the Ararat G3 on February 12. Eight days later he was successful at Terang, then followed the Boort, Wangaratta and Mildura Cups. Jammed in between was a second placing in the Warragul Cup behind Stress Factor. On each occasion he was handled by Ellen Tormey.

“I plan to target the cup events in the country again, and I’m keen to go to the InterDominion in New South Wales in late November/December if he’s going well enough,” Hargreaves said.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink