Craven’ for some Sunshine features

Trainer-driver Matty Craven is no stranger to the Queensland winter features, having been a major player in recent years with the likes of Pink Galahs and Master Moonlite.

Craven hopes Bettor Isolate can headline a team of “about 10” raiders he will take north in coming weeks.

“He’s very fast, very exciting and still very untapped,” he said.

“He could potentially be up with the best horses I’ve trained.

“I’m mindful how inexperienced he is and how he’s probably a preparation away from being right at his top, but I’m keen to take him away. It could be the making of him.”

Craven has his sights on the Group 1 Rising Sun – restricted to three and four-year-old pacers – at Albion Park on July 9.

“We haven’t got a lot of time for him to force his way into what will be a strong race and a hard race to get a start in,” he said.

“He’ll need to win again this week and then I’m looking at getting him to Queensland for the 4&5YO feature at Redcliffe to give him the chance to make a statement up there.

“Redcliffe may not be an ideal track for him because it’s so tight and he’s not the best gaited horse, but it looks one of the best and only ways he can push his cause for a spot in the Rising Sun.”

BETTOR ISOLATE MAY 28 REPLAY

Bettor Isolate, who has gate seven in the opening race at Melton on Saturday, has looked fantastic winning all three starts by a whopping aggregate margin of 48.2m since returning from almost a year out.

“He’s a horse we’ve always liked,” Craven said.

“He ran fifth in the Australian Gold 3YO final last year and then he’d had about 6-8 weeks spelling when we noticed he wasn’t right.

“They found he had two bone chips in his nearside hock, one may have been there and maybe he did the other in a paddock accident.

“They operated to take them out and that’s why he had so long away from the races.”

Another of Craven’s Queensland hopefuls, Crime Writer (Sportswriter), tackles race five at Melton on Saturday.

“I’m looking at taking about 10 up (to Queensland),” he said.

“Lotamuscle will go for the Redcliffe Trotters’ Cup first and another trotter, Credit Master, will go for the two big trotting races at the end of the Carnival.

“I’ve also got a couple of three-year-olds I’ll take up.”

In other stable news, Craven said current stable stars Pink Galahs (Skyvalley) and Heza Son Of Agun (Art Major) were only now back in work for longer range plans.

“Pink Galahs’ goal is to try and win a third Bill Collins Sprint in a row,” he said.

For complete Melton Saturday fields, click here.

by Adam Hamilton, for Newscorp