Trotting star about to launch a comeback

The forgotten star of Australian trotting is about to launch a comeback.

Boom European import and 2024 Great Southern Star winner Callmethebreeze (Trixton) is over his long battle with hoof issues and on target for a Brisbane Inter Dominion campaign.

Trainer Andy Gath said: “He’s close. I’d say he’ll be at the trials in two weeks.”

Callmethebreeze, who boasts 18 wins and almost $1.8 million in prize money, hasn’t raced since galloping when 10^th in the Group 1 Bill Collins Trot at Melton on October 12, last year.

The entire’s owner Pat Driscoll enlisted the help of Ciaron Maher’s renowned farrier John Bunting to help with Callmethebreeze’s quarter crack.

“It’s been a long way back and he had a long time without shoes on, but the quarter crack is gone now. You wouldn’t even know he’d had it,” Gath said.

“It’s something he’s battled for a while, so it’ll be great to get him back without it.

“He had stints on a treadmill and the water walker before getting back into full work and he’s almost ready to go again.

“Pat (Driscoll) wants him to go to the Inter Dominion and the timing works well to get a good foundation into him before it.”

Callmethebreeze should be back racing in mid-May and the Inter Dominion starts at Albion Park on July 5.

The trotting final, boosted from $150,000 last year to $500,000, is on July 19.

Callmethebreeze won two European Group 1 races before being bought by Driscoll and moving to Australia.

In the care of Anton Golino, he raced six times for three wins, including the Great Southern Star, two seconds and a fourth.

He beat Just Believe in the Great Southern Star and ran second to him in last year’s TAB Trot at Cambridge.

He was then transferred to Gath and won his first three starts before the last-start 10^th when he galloped.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Victoria