Gus heading back to the trials

By Adam Hamilton 

New Zealand Cup Week trotting sensation Gus is about to kick-start his Brisbane Inter Dominion campaign.

The brilliant trotter, who famously won the huge Dominion/NZ Trotting free-for-all double at Addington last November, is set to trial at Albion Park in Brisbane next Friday.

Gus and star pacing stablemate The Janitor were given a week off after returning from their NZ raids at Cambridge's Night of Champions last month.

Gus won the Waikato Flying Mile Trot on April 2 before a terrific third to champion Aussie mare Keayang Zahara in the TAB Trot on April 10.

The Janitor won the pacing version of the Waikato Flying Mile in great style before making a costly break in the Race by Sport Nation won by the amazing Leap To Fame.

Trainer Chantal Turpin told Racing Queensland The Janitor would probably trial a week after Gus.

“They are both back fast-working now,” she said. “Ideally, we would like to give Gus two or three runs before the first round of (Inter Dominion) heats (July 4) and The Janitor maybe two runs.”

With Keayang Zahara bypassing the Inter Dominion, Gus is the $2 pre-post favourite.

The benefit of racing in his home state around Albion Park, especially the experience he has gained over the past seven months, is enormous.

The Janitor is $4 second favourite to dual Inter Dominion winner Leap To Fame ($1.70) in the pacing series.

He finished a whisker behind Leap To Fame in last December’s Group 1 Blacks A Fake and then ran a terrific second to him in the Miracle Mile on March 14.

The Janitor looks Australia’s next top pacer when he fully matures and puts it all together.

Beyond the Inter Dominion, Turpin and McMullen are keen to return to NZ Cup Week with Gus and The Janitor this year.