Volstead sires $40,000 Listed winner with first NZ success

G1-winning trotter Volstead was a champion on the track in Sweden, and he is quickly asserting himself as a harness racing sire of the future.

While it is still early days in the juvenile trotting season, last weekend the son of Cantab Hall achieved his first siring credits when his daughters Violet Stanford and Third Eye produced a Volstead-winning double at Maryborough.

He didn’t have to wait long for his first New Zealand winner which came tonight (19 May.) in exhilarating fashion at Alexandra Park when another daughter, We Can Have It All, proved too good in the inaugural Listed $40,000 IRT Young Guns North Island 2YO Trotters Final

The Mark and Nathan Purdon trained filly was having just her third race day start, and is often the case in juvenile trotting features, a blend of manners, and a sharp turn of foot were the recipe for success in the first 2YO trotting feature for the season.

Safely away in from the 1700m mobile dispatch point, We Can Have It All showed good gate speed to lead early and found herself well clear with reinsman Blair Orange giving a quick glance at the carnage behind him before pressing on.

The unbeaten Monkey Bones filly and race favourite, The Moonstone, was fractious in the score up and was forced to chase the mobile before navigating the early gallopers and pressing forward to find the lead as the judge’s bell was rung.

The seven-horse field was down to four live chances with the blue blood and full sister to High Energy, High Step (Father Patrick), following the stable mate three back along the marker pegs, with another Breckon bred stablemate, Lovemeagain (Love You) following her.

Nicky Chilcott set a solid tempo with her charge but when Blair Orange peeled off the back of The Moonstone at the 400m, it was clear she had her work cut out for her with We Can Have It All trotting the final bend like a stag.

The daughter of Volstead poked her head in front at the top of the lane and despite The Moonstone fighting on bravely, We Can Have It All and Orange were too strong in the finish.

WE CAN HAVE IT ALL REPLAY

“She hasn’t really had an opportunity to show her potential but obviously tonight she showed how good she is,” said Orange post-race while speaking with Track Chat’s Jo Stevens.

“Her first start at Addington she jumped off the track on me, and her second start she unfortunately she got a check on the home turn. Mark and Nathan have been supporting me lately and its great to get a win like this in these colours,” he said.

The Yabby Dam Farms bred We Can Have It All was a length clear of the previously unbeaten The Moonstone, with a further two- and three-quarter lengths back to High Step.

The winning time of 2:08.3 for the 1700m mobile was only a second outside the national record held by Tickle Me Pink which signals a bright future ahead for both We Can Have It All and her up and coming sire.

Should he continue in this vein, New Zealand trotting breeders will be petitioning Haras Des Trotteurs to bring Volstead back down under for the forth coming breeding season.

For complete Alexandra Park race fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink