Volstead youngster in hit and run Queensland mission

A successful hit-and-run mission to Queensland will almost certainly not be the last for the Victorian-based Ainsworth harness racing stable.

While father and son Barry and Ashley, of Moyreisk, near Maryborough, fell just two metres short of their main mission, a $51K Qld Triad final with Singara Ted (Centurion), on August 17, it was nonetheless a lucrative experience for the pair.

Success came three days later when the “second stringer” Argyle Rocks (Volstead) was a thorough professional in the Ultimate Tools Trotters Handicap at Albion Park, scoring by three metres.

Watch the race replay here.

“We were up there six days, and it was a long way to go, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be back – the Q Bred bonus scheme is a pretty good scheme,” Barry said.

No doubt the team set the bar quite high for themselves – loading up a pair of 3yo square gaiters for the 3,000-kilometre round trip who had qualified from the standing start conditions only a few days before departure.

But the well-bred youngsters, both owned by Barry’s wife Katrina, didn’t let them down.

Singara Ted was set the main assignment in the Gr 2 final at Albion Park and performed faultlessly for trainer-driver Ash Ainsworth for a tough death-seat third behind red-hot favorite My Ultimate Sunny (Majestic Son). He was making just his third career start after winning first up this preparation at Melton on Aug. 2.

Watch the race replay here.

The cleverly-named Argyle Rocks now has a career record of three wins and two runner-up performances from 10 starts. The Ainsworths, formerly from Western Australia, named the gelding out of Pink Diamond after the home of pink diamonds, the Argyle mine in the Kimberley region.

Volstead, who is only available in Australia and New Zealand by frozen semen in 2024, continues to impress in the breeding barn.  At the end of his first season in Victoria, Volstead was the top performer on the 2YO sires premiership ahead of great pacing stallions such as American Ideal, Art Major and Captain Treacherous and his crop is continuing to show quality and depth.

Barry Ainsworth said the pair had made a late decision to head north.

“The trip hadn’t really been on our radar, but Singara Ted’s breeder rang and told us about the Triad and that he was eligible, so that’s what really made us think about it,” Barry said.

“Once we’d decided to go, we thought we’d take Argyle Rocks just in case, so we had to get them both qualified from the stand first (Aug. 7), then we had another trial on the Sunday, then headed up on the Monday.

“We were lucky to be able to stay at Grant Forrest’s place near Canberra on the way up, which was great, and we were stabled at Greg Elkins’ place (at Calvert, near Ipswich). We were able to break the trip, but Argyle Rocks certain travelled the better of the two on the way up. He just blossomed.

“Teddy (Singara Ted) did stagger a little bit after the trip up but travelled really well on the way back, so I think he’ll be worth another go at some stage.  He still has the $14,000 bonus, and we have a couple of QBred horses here in the same boat.

“We’ve got 17 in work and Ash has gone back to full-time farrier work, so it takes a little bit of organizing. But I think we’ll probably look at it again a little bit later in the year.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink