Saint rises to the top

Jack Laugher headed on to the track quietly confident Torrid Saint (Shadow Play) could claim the biggest scalp of his harness racing career in the My Lightning Blue Free For All at Melton on Saturday night (Aug. 20).

Punters deemed the Julie Douglas-trained pacer the horse most likely to thwart a successful return to the race track by the reigning Victorian Horse Of The Year Lochinvar Art ($1.60 fav), sending him out a $3.40 second elect.

Torrid Saint speared out from his wide draw to wrest the lead off Boncel Benjamin and Laugher proceeded to release the reins on the leader, who was kept company by Lochinvar Art from the bell.

Nathan Jack was forced to feel for the whip on the favorite as Torrid Saint slid down the back in 27.6 before bounding away around the home turn leaving his rivals in his wake and holding a three metre advantage on the line in a mile rate of 1:51.7.

“I really thought we could beat Lochinvar Art going on his last two runs,” Laugher said on Sunday.

“The favorite was first up and my horse was race fit so if we were ever going to beat him then it was last night.”

Laugher admitted he realised the race was his mid-way down the back straight.

“At the 600-metre mark I looked across and saw Nathan turn his whip around and he was struggling to get to me as we straightened,” he said.

Laugher admitted he uncharacteristically asked the question of Torrid Saint from the moment the mobile released the field over the 1720-metre sprint trip.

TORRID SAINT REPLAY

“He is probably been regarded as an opportunist and has always been driven that way with a sit but last night I had to ask him to work the hardest he ever has if we were going to beat Lochinvar Art,” he said.

Earlier in the evening boom three-year-old Catch A Wave too lowered his colours on his return to the track when he was beaten into second place by the Chris Lang trained Giveitatry in a heat of the TAB Vicbred Championship.

It was a bitter sweet result for prominent owner Richard Matthews who races both the winner and runner up.

After the race Andy Gath revealed there were excuses for the Catch A Wave’s defeat.

“When Kate went to pull his block blinkers the near side one snapped and couldn’t release so she struggled to drive him out over the concluding stages as he was inclined to hang in on top of the Givitatry,” Gath said.

“It was a freak incident and all things being equal he was unlucky not to win, but at least it happened in this sort of race and not a heat of the Derby.”

Gath is delighted with the way Catch A Wave has returned from a three-month spell.

“He has furnished into a powerful horse and his race track manners are improving- he’s only had 11 starts so he just needs racing,” he said.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for thetrots.com.au