Love You mare wins the Australasian Trotting Championship

Champion reinsman Chris Alford leaves the country on a winning note after steering Queen Elida (Love You) to an all the way harness racing victory in the Group 2 Australasian Trotting Championship at Melton tonight (Sep. 2).

The Brent Lilley trained Queen Elida ($1.70) stepped straight to the lead from the tapes and Alford was only forced to allow the mare more rein over the final 200 metres of the race to score from the Chris Lang/ Sonia Mahar trained stablemates Ollivici and Bullion Harry.

Queen Elida wins first back after a break in the Group 2 TAB Australasian Trotting Championship for trainer Brent Lilley. pic.twitter.com/xXAslBvjUh

— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) September 2, 2023

Alford admitted he was happy with the way the standing start panned out for the daughter of Love You.

“She stepped away quite well and I wasn’t sad to see the pole horse Ollivici dwell a little bit at the start and us get in front of him,” Alford said.

“It was one of those races where they were all in Indian File for a while and she wasn’t used to being in front as she hasn’t led all that often and she was just gawking around,” he said.

Alford said the race only got serious in the home straight.

“We didn’t really get going even at the 400,” he said.

“I thought that Chris (Lang) was struggling but then he gave a big roar at the top of the straight and his horse just took off and I reckon we would have run the last furlong in about 12 and a half seconds we were going that quick.”

Alford departs Australia tomorrow to join forces with Queen Elida’s stablemate Aldebaran Zeus who will contest the $US 1m MGM Yonkers International Trot in New York on September 9.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink