Chubb makes it 10 straight

Plymouth Chubb is poised for a third Group 1 success in his two-year-old season after winning a Breeders Crown Series heat at Maryborough on Thursday.

The powerful young trotter gave punters a little scare when he seemingly switched off in the run to the line, but driver Kerryn Manning woke him up over the concluding stages to hold off Mattie Craven-trained Hautacam by a metre at the post.

The result was a 10^th straight win for the Peter Manning-trained star, who will almost certainly start favourite in the elite level final regardless of what happens at Monday night’s barrier draw.

Plymouth Chubb’s winning mile rate of 2:04.5 over the 2190m trip was the same as Keayang Chucky recorded in his Aldebaran Park Breeders Crown Series 2YO Trotting Colts and Geldings heat, where he sat in the one-one and then grabbed the previously unbeaten Lettuce Trot (Russell Jack) just before the line.

The Paddy Lee-trained trotter was a well-beaten seventh behind Plymouth Chubb in last month’s Redwood Classic, but showed good professionalism in his performance on Thursday.

The quickest of the three heats was the one won by Chris Lang-trained-and-driven Courage Stride, who found the early lead and held off a late challenge from stablemate More Wanted by a half-neck.

His performance came in a mile rate a full second quicker than his rivals and helped register a fourth career triumph.

The first four horses in each of the three heats now move through to the $100,000 Group 1 final on November 20 at Tabcorp Park Melton.

In the two-year-old trotting fillies’ division, it was trainers Jodi Quinlan and Rickie Alchin that rounded out the day with respective heat wins.

Quinlan was at the controls for Illawong Benita’s all-the-way victory, with the daughter of Muscle Mass leading and sprinting home in final quarters of 28.8 and 29 to record a mile rate of 2:02.9.

It was much quicker than the one NSW visitor Tough Love was able to clock, but her win was also full of merit.

After being beaten into second by Plymouth Chubb in the Redwood Classic, the Love You filly went one better with a front-running success in the last race on the card.

With Chris Svanosio in the cart, she prevailed in a mile rate of 2:03.9 after final splits of 30.1 and 29.4.

With just two heats for the juvenile girls, the first six fillies across the line in each qualifier have booked a place in the $100,000 Group 1 final on Saturday week.

Barrier draws for all Breeders Crown Series finals will be conducted live on TrotsVision on Monday night.

ALDEBARAN PARK BREEDERS CROWN SERIES 24 (2YO TROTTING COLTS & GELDINGS) FINAL (GROUP 1)

COURAGE STRIDE

EDS DREAM

EVERYBODYLUVSKENNY

GOOD HEART (1st Em)

HAUTACAM

JESSIES SON

KEAYANG CHUCKY

KING CITY NZ

KYVALLEY PAINT NZ

LETTUCE TROT

MERCENARY

MORE WANTED

PLYMOUTH CHUBB

ALDEBARAN PARK BREEDERS CROWN SERIES 24 (2YO TROTTING FILLIES) FINAL (GROUP 1)

ALDEBARAN MISTY

ALDEBARAN VERA

DOUBLE JOEY

EGRET

HIGH ON LOVE NZ

ILLAWONG BENITA

JUST A BIT TOUCHY

KIMORA SAFFI

LINDYS LOVE

MUMPAYSTHEBILLS

PARIS KAY

THUNDER WING (1st Em)

TOUGH LOVE

To view all the results from Maryborough on Thursday click here.

By Tim O’Connor for HRV