Stable welcomes back big guns

Emerging young Bendigo harness racing trainer Alex Ashwood has just notched up his 100^th career training win – but he and partner Tayla French are looking forward, not back.

The pair are not only working overtime at putting the finishing touches to their impressive new training base at Heathcote, but they’re eagerly anticipating getting the stable’s four A-graders back to the track in coming weeks.

Tay Tay (Rock N Roll Heaven), Parisian Artiste (Love You), Humble Ladd (Majestic Son) and Accelere (Auckland Reactor) are all set to resume racing over coming weeks.

“Tay Tay is our best pacer by a mile, and she’s likely to be back in two or three weeks,” Ashwood said.

“She has matured a great deal off her last campaign. I definitely think by racing against some extra smart ones like Ladies in Red and Tough Tilly it helped with her development,” he said.

“Obviously she will be aimed again at the Breeders Crown and VicBred towards the end of the season. But there are also some ideal feature races for mares along the way.”

The four-year-old had nine wins and four placings from 29 starts for earnings of $68,000 and was due to make her race return at Melton just over a fortnight ago but was scratched due to a setback.

“It was only minor, and she’s all okay now. She’s well in herself and usually improves with racing. In the past she hits her straps with three or four starts under her belt,” Ashwood said.

“She’s very forward and her couple of trials have been good.”

Sensational four-year-old trotter Parisian Artiste really hit top gear late last year before heading for a spell.

The gelding put together four consecutive victories, culminating in Group One success on New Year’s Eve when he took out the $100,000 VicBred Super Series Final at Melton.

“He’s come back in great order and is 60 or 70 kilograms heavier than he’s ever been. He will have a few trials before he heads to the races, but we’re rapt with the way he’s coming along,” Ashwood said.

Parisian Artiste has won eight races with six placings from 27 starts for stakemoney of $108,000.

Under-rated trotter Humble Ladd, who made it through to the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final at Menangle on Dec 11 last year, is working well.

Humble Ladd was last seen at Cobram in the Group 2 Trotters Cup in January (taken out by Illawong Stardust) when he was sent out a $3 favorite but blew his chances with a bad getaway from the standing start.

A winner of 13 races and more than $130,000, the gelding was a force to be reckoned with in New Zealand and if he can bounce back and recapture anything like his best form, there are exciting times ahead for the stable.

Ashwood makes no secret of his high opinion of Auckland Reactor-sired gelding Accelere, an impressive winner of both his starts for the stable.

“He’s got gate speed and seems pretty tough as well. I really like him and I’m keen to tackle some of the country cups next year,” Ashwood said.

Accelere had two metropolitan wins at Auckland before being sold to stable clients of Kevin Pizzuto in NSW.  The pacer won two races at Menangle and one at Penrith.

He was put up for sale early this year and after finding his way into the Ashwood stable, impressively won a heat and final of the $25,000 Tenderprint series at the Mildura Pacing Cup Carnival (Apr 19 and 23).

Accelere is a 76 national rating with seven wins and 14 placings for $86,000.

Ashwood, whose father Rodney is an astute Tasmanian horseman, prepared his 100th career training win at Cobram two weeks ago when victorious with two year old Cheeky Eagle (Bettors Delight).

All going to plan, Ashwood has hinted a trip north for the Queensland winter carnival may be on the radar for some of the team.

“We’ll see where we’re at when the time comes— but it would be lovely if Tay Tay could get an invite to the Rising Sun,” he added.

Ashwood has trained 40 winners and had 25 wins as a driver so far this year, while French is in her fourth full season of driving, with 42 wins for the season so far.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink