Brotherly love in for a clash

Brotherly love goes on the backburners at harness racing’s Menangle track on Tuesday (Sep. 27) when two of Menangle’s leading lights prepare to clash.

Rickie and Jarrod Alchin have been two of the form trainers at Menangle in recent weeks and Saturday night was Jarrod’s turn in the spotlight when he landed a winning treble, including the night’s two feature races, the Gold Sovereign finals with My Ultimate Ronnie (colts) and Madrid (fillies).

The brothers will clash in two events on today’s 12-race card and it looks as if the score will finish one apiece at the end of the day.

Rickie has the up and coming Montalbano (Huntsville) in Race 7, where he has been installed a $1.65 favourite as he chases his fourth win from just eight starts.

Rickie will take the reins himself but will keep a watchful eye out for his brother Jarrod’s pacer Smirks Lika Boss (Smiling Shard), who has won four from seven and after drawing gate three and shapes as the main danger to Montalbano.

The following race will see the brothers clash again, although this time Jarrod may have the edge as My Ultimate Baxter (Cam Hart) is the $2.25 early favourite while Sugar For My Honey, with Will Rixon getting the drive for Rickie, shaping as the main threat.

“We are brothers, so we do clash a bit but it’s usually just brotherly love,” said Rickie.

“Occasionally we do give each other a bit of advice but in this game you can never stop learning and there are always ways you can improve.”

Meanwhile, Rickie revealed there would be one more preparation for his own stable star, Tough Monarch, who is currently being given a short let-up.

“I wasn’t happy with the way he came back after his last let-up and he just wasn’t quite right,” Alchin told National Trotguide’s Mike Ko’cass.

“So, I’ll let him go and have a bit of a munch on some spring grass then bring him back for one more preparation.

“He seems happy enough in himself but he’s a horse that has always had a few issues and he is getting on in years now.

“But he’s been my once-in-a-lifetime horse and I won’t be just sending him around for the sake of it, unless he can be competitive.

“He’ll be given a happy home . . . but it won’t be far from me, that’s for sure.”

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by Michael Court, for HRNSW