Stewart/Tonkin team ready to rumble

Get ready for a Group 1 splurge from the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin barn.

Banglez’s Group 1 victory at Kilmore on Saturday night, is set to kick-start a romp for Stewart and Tonkin with dozens of their best horses just weeks away from returning to the races for the plethora of Victorian major races for the rest of the season.

It starts tonight (Monday) when young pacing stars Ladies In Red and Major Moth return from long stints out with trials at Melton. Out To Play, Fourbigmen and About Time are others expected at the trials tonight.

Fast-forward another week and Stewart/Tonkin will unleash truckloads of its best young pacers at the Melton trials, headed by one of Australia’s most popular pacers, three-year-old filly Tough Tilly.

And what about Ride High you ask? The news is good, very good.

“We had him scanned again a week or so back and it looks great,” Tonkin said. “He’s doing some serious fast-work now. He’s only three to four weeks from a trial.”

In more exciting news, working along every step of the way with Ride High is forgotten young star Be Happy Mach, who hasn’t for more than 18 months. He was almost unbeatable at two before injury struck.

“He’s right where Ride High is. We can’t wait any longer, it’s time to find out if they’re both going to make it back to the races,” Tonkin said.

“Both of them start stud duties for Alabar this season. We need to know if they’re going to mix racing and stud, or just go off to stud.”

Ride High won’t be back in time for the Victoria Cup, but could be ready to race about the same time.

“No Victoria Cup for him. Out To Play and maybe Mach Dan are our Victoria Cup horses,” Tonkin said.

Tonkin also revealed former top young trotter Alpha Male, who hasn’t raced for two-and-a-half years, is also on target for a return.

“There’s something special about him, real X-factor,” he said. “He’s coming-up and is another who is about three or four weeks away from a trial,” he said.

So who are some of the other big names returning in coming weeks?

“Tough Tilly will trial next week, along with others like Lightning Dan, Irish Black Label, Khafaji, Beach Villa, Petillante, Incipher, Act Now, Playing Up and Fiamma. Then there’s out nice young trotter, Utopia, as well,” Tonkin said.

“All our good mares are close to, the ones we’re setting for the Queen of the Pacific, like Maajida, Techys Angel, My Bettor Lady and Amelia Rose.”

Tonkin said exciting speedster Honolua Bay had also recently joined the stable.

“He’s just starting out, so he’s a few months away, but he’s fast and a lovely horse,” he said.

Anton Golino stopped a few people in their tracks earlier this year when he said young mare Im Ready Jet was potentially as good as his stable star Dance Craze.

Now we know why.

Im Ready Jet grabbed the eye with two outstanding placings to open this campaign then scored the best and most important win of her fledgling career in the Group 3 Maori’s Idol Trotters’ free-for-all at Kilmore on Saturday night.

It was the way she won, sitting parked and quickly putting the race behind doubt on the home bend.

“I think she could be a bit special,” Golino said.

Driver Jack Laugher added: “She could be the best horse, pacer or trotter, I’ve driven.”

Laugher continued his breakthrough season with a Kilmore treble – Im Ready Jet, Bettor Be The Bomb and Im Now Outlaw – to cement himself in second spot on the Victorian statewide and metropolitan driver’s premierships.

The night ran deep for Laugher as Im Ready Jet and Bettor Be The Bomb can potentially take him into some seriously big races in coming months.

By Adam Hamilton from thetrots.com.au