Brad with a big role in Aussie trotter’s US raid

Well-known Victorian harness racing horseman Brad Chisholm is set to play a crucial role in Aldebaran Zeus’ tilt at the MGM Yonkers International Trot in New York.

Chisholm, who has more than 170 winners as a reinsman, recently left the stables of Andy Gath to travel overseas and is currently in the United States working for top trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman.

Aldebaran Zeus (Muscle Hill) will be based out of Norman’s stables during his stay in the US and Chisholm is expected to help prepare the five-year-old squaregaiter for his shot at the $US1million feature on September 9.

Trainer Brent Lilley told SENTrack that Chisholm previously worked at his stable and the arrangement would allow him to continue working the big team in Bolinda during much of Aldebaran Zeus’ time abroad.

“(Brad’s) over there now working for one of the leading trainers in Nifty Norman, so they said we’re more than welcome to stay with them, which is great,” Lilley said.

“And obviously with running a big operation back here, it will mean that I don’t have to be there the whole time with him.

“I’ll leave Brad and Nifty in charge in my absence while I’m back home and I’ll get back over for the big race.”

Lilley said Aldebaran Zeus was booked to leave Australia late next month.

“He flies to Chicago on the 31st of July, has a week in quarantine there and then he’ll be out of quarantine virtually five weeks before the race, so that sort of gives him plenty of time to get back up to speed,” he said.

“We won’t be racing before the race, but he will possibly trial here before he leaves and also trial a week or 10 days before the Yonkers Trot over there, all going well.”

The star trotter is now back in Victoria following a five-start New Zealand campaign which ended with a sixth placing in the Group 1 Rowe Cup at Alexandra Park on May 26.

Aldebaran Zeus won his first appearance overseas in the Group 2 Waikato Flying Mile, but was unable to do better than fifth in his next four runs across the Tasman.

The son of Muscle Hill boasts a career record of 18 wins and almost $420,000 in prizemoney.

Two starts ago, he defeated Just Believe in the Group 1 Hammerhead Trotters Mile at Menangle before that horse went overseas and performed so admirably in Sweden.

by Tim O’Connor, for Harness Racing Victoria