Aussie News with Adam Hamilton

COMEBACK star Poster Boy has Melton’s fast-class races at his mercy, at least until his stablemate Ride High steps out for his own comeback in the next few weeks.

With Australia’s most exciting pacer Lochinvar Art in the spelling paddock, Poster Boy is by far the best horse left racing in Victoria right now.

The 2019 Chariots Of Fire winner and Miracle Mile placegetter made it two sparkling wins from as many runs on the comeback trail at Melton last night.

In contrast to his swooping first-up win, this time Poster Boy worked to the front, controlled the tempo and won as he liked.

The son of Somebeachsomewhere ran home in 54.8 and 27sec flat without being asked for much at all by driver Greg Sugars.

It was Poster Boy’s 21^st win from just 29 starts and edged him very close to $800,000 in earnings.

Ride High, who boasts 10 wins from 11 starts, is very close to a racetrack return after being sidelined since last December and having a throat operation.

The other class winner at Melton last was Kylie Sugars’ four-year-old trotter Sammy Showdown, who toyed with his rivals.

Sugars changed her tactics from the previous week when Sammy Showdown weakened late. This time she settled him early then went to the breeze and scored well in a 1min59.7sec mile rate for 2240m.

He’s won six of nine this season and is one of the most exciting trotters in Victoria.

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FORMER superstar Hectorjayjay didn’t win his comeback race at Albion Park last night, but connections considered it a win.

In a tactical affair, the nine-year-old sat last with main danger, Glenferrie Hood, dictating terms in front.

Brendan Barnes had no option but to launch three-wide with Hectorjayjay at the 550m when those in front of him started to wilt, but the task was just beyond him.

Hectorjayjay ran last half in 55.1sec off the track and finished third, just 1.5m from leader and winner Glenferrie Hood with Clintal Do splitting them.

“We were thrilled with the run. We knew it was always going to be tricky given the main danger would be in front and we’d be last,” trainer Jack Butler said.

“A win would’ve been great, but it’s a win for us to get him back to the track, and hopefully, through that run well.”

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THIS has certainly been a breakthrough season for talented young WA driver Dylan Egerton-Green.

Winning the Group 1 WA Cup was big enough, but he’s since added the WA Derby and now last Friday night’s WA Oaks. He’s won four Group 1’s for the season.

The history books show Egerton-Green is the first driver to win the WA Cup/Derby and Oaks in the same season.

And he completed a treble by causing an upset on Terry Ferguson’s Sportswriter filly Sports Package, who camped on $1.30 favourite Double Expresso and ran her down in the Oaks.

Double Expresso did some work to find the front, but looked to have her chance.

The win was extra special to 70-year-old Ferguson, who bred Sports Package. He raced her mother, Ultimate Package and her grand-dam, Saabrina.

“There’s no doubt to me it’s extra special to breed them, watch them develop and then go on to win big races like this,” Ferguson said.

Interestingly, Ferguson sent his best horses to Ross Olivieri to train for a long time and Olivieri trains Double Expresso.

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BACKING-UP a third week in a row on the comeback trail might have been a tad too much for Chicago Bull.

After a fantastic comeback win and then fighting third second-up, Gary Hall Sr’s star suffered a shock defeat in moderate company at Gloucester Park last Friday night.

It was never going to be easy from the outside draw and having to sit parked, but Chicago Bull hit the lead rounding the bend and was swamped by Ross Olivieri’s handy pacer Iceenothink.

It’s hard to get your head around Iceenothink beating Chicago Bull.

That said, the times were solid, a 1min55.7sec mile rate for 2130m and the last three quarters in 28.6, 28.4 and 27.8sec.

Hall Sr and Gary Hall Jr snared the last race when recent Kiwi three-year-old import Raksjameson made it two-from-two in WA by leading throughout to beat stablemate Copy N Pace.

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TIM Butt showed why he is one of the great trainers of trotters when primed gifted but enigmatic mare Sassy Pants to win the Group 2 La Coocaracha Trotters’ Cup for mares’ at Menangle last night.

Butt’s always had a good opinion of the mare, but she was first-up and hadn’t flattered in the last four runs of her previous campaign.

Sassy Pants had just the one trial, a second at Menangle, in preparation for the return.

Anthony Butt pushed her out to lead from gate five, steadied through a 30.7sec second split over the mile then ran home in 57sec and 28sec to win strongly.

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CASH N FLOW continued his dominance of the Menangle free-for-alls with a four successive win last night.

He had to work harder than expected to find the front – they went a blazing 53.6sec first half - but still left them standing at the top of the straight and won easily.

He just missed a fourth successive sub-1min50sec mile when he ran smack-on 1min50sec.

His previous three wins had been in 1min49.8sec, 1min49.6sec and 1min49.7sec.

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VICTORIA Derby runner-up Governor Jujon warmed-up for his home state Queensland Winter Carnival with a sparkling first-up Albion Park win last Friday.

Fresh from running second to Hectorjayjay in an Albion Park trial, Governor Jujon made light work of a back row draw (gate 10) over 1660m to win by 7.3m in a brisk 1min53.9sec mile rate.

Grant Dixon’s colt boasts 10 wins and three seconds from his 15 starts.