Alford confident as Elida returns

Chris Alford is confident Queen Elida (Love You) can return to the harness racing winner’s circle in the Group 3 Aldebaran Park La Coocaracha Trotters Free For All this Saturday night.

The multiple Group 1-winning mare is resuming after being stood down for 28 days following her unplaced run behind Just Believe in the Great Southern Star Final.

Alford said the daughter of Love You was ill prepared for her tilt at the Great Southern Star.

“She banged her head after the Inter Dominion Final and wasn’t 100 per cent going into the Great Southern Star,” Alford said.

“But I drove her in a trial at Kilmore last week and she felt good.”

Alford said Queen Elida was a victim of circumstances when beaten into third place as the $2.30 favorite in the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final late last year.

“By the time she saw daylight around the home turn the two leaders had got away,” he said.

Alford indicated he would allow the La Coocaracha to unfold before him on the $1.90 favorite.

“There is a bit of speed on my inside and Queen Elida races better when driven off the speed, so in the small field we’ll make one run at them,” he said.

Alford is certain to keep one eye on his main danger Sleepee ($2.20), who is trained by wife Alison and will be driven by Josh Duggan.

“She only returned racing late last year after being out for 12 months with an injury and I think she will find the front at some stage,” he said.

“Her past three runs have been a lot better and she is flying at the moment.”

The only other runner in the race under double figures is the Margaret Lee-trained Keayang Livana ($5.50), who was runner-up behind Sleepee in the Group 2 Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed For Speed Gold Series Final last start.

That race was the first leg of the Kerryn Manning Trotting Mares Triple Crown, with the La Coocaracha the second stage of the series.

A $10,000 bonus is payable to the winning owner of the horse that takes out the Triple Crown, which swells to $20,000 if undefeated in the series.

The third and final leg is the Group 1 Aldebaran Park Sumthingaboutmaori Trotters Free For All at Melton on March 25.

LEADERBOARD: Sleepee 8, Keayang Livana 5, Hopeful Beauty 3, Thebestbourbon 2, Aldebaran Keepa 1.

For complete race entries, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harness Racing Victoria