Warton enjoys a super Saturday

Geelong horseman Ash Warton landed a winning treble on Saturday spread across both racing codes.

Warton was in the winner’s stall at the Bendigo gallops meeting after his eight-year-old mare Crown Harmonium saluted in the final race.

A couple of hours later the Warton trained 11-year-old pacer Morvah (Tell All) led all the way to take out the Pat Bellman Memorial Pace at the Terang Cup meeting.

Having his first start in Warton’s colors, Morvah held the lead and driver James Herbertson could scarcely believe his good fortune when he was allowed to take the field through the first half of the last mile in a pedestrian like 64 seconds.

Morvah ($9) subsequently dashed home in 56.5 seconds and comfortably held his rivals on the line scoring by seven metres from the $2.70 favorite Royal Division.

Warton said he thought Morvah would be hard to run down if he found the lead.

“He had trialled well and I thought he’d be hard to beat if he led and then he got really comfortable mid race sectionals,” Warton said.

“He’s back to a rating of 58 and I think he can still run through the grades a bit,” he said.

Later in the evening Warton’s affinity with aged horses was franked when his evergreen pacer Modern Bliss outsprinted his rivals in the APG Pace.

With emerging young reinswoman Annalise Scott in the sulky, Modern Bliss ($4) enjoyed the run of the race behind the leader and $2.15 favorite Highway To Heaven before making full use of the sprint lane scoring by four metres from Delightful Major.

Warton said Modern Bliss is Tasmania bound this week.

“He is safe from the stand and we will give him a crack at a heat of the Tasmania Cup,” he said.

Warton admits he and his family’s antics raised a smile from Scott as she went across the line.

“We’d won with Crown Harmonium at Bendigo and then Morvah, so when Modern Bliss was going to win we were yelling and screaming so much Annalise looked across and laughed,” he said.

Warton has no special recipe for his success with older horses of either code.

“I try to find horses that have run well in the past and have lost form for some reason and its often just a change of scenery that brings them back,” he said.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink