Group 1 win not all smooth sailing

The result may have given harness racing trainer Peter Manning his first Group 1 victory in more than a decade but it was not all smooth sailing when Plymouth Chubb won the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic at Melton tonight.

Manning has built his illustrious career as a renowned juvenile conditioner and the 76-year-old trained 2700 winners since the 1980/81 season.

And even after all that success and experience, nothing prepares you for that feeling when you watch your young trotter gallop and giveaway ground.

That is what happened when Plymouth Chubb headed around the first turn tonight in the $50,000 feature.

Manning’s daughter Kerryn Manning was in the sulky, a veteran of 4021 wins and even she was “worried”.

“He came out quite good and then a gap opened up behind Puppet (Chris Alford) and as I made up my mind to go there, just as I pulled him down he put in a roughie and went off stride,” she said.

“I managed to get him down reasonably fast but I had to make the ground back up and he didn’t steer great after that he wanted to hang in all the way.

“I was in a bit of trouble at the 800m and once I got him in the middle of the track by himself he made ground.

Despite his mishap, Plymouth Chubb cruised to the line to beat his rivals by more than 17 metres.

Clocking 2:00.0, the two-year-old gelded son of Majestic Son and In The Pocket mare Pocket Fantasy extended his record to four wins in five starts.

Watch the replay here:

By Amanda Rando for Harnesslink