The Turpins' three-pronged attack

By Brittany Graham

After making Cup Week his own last year, Queensland’s trotting hero Gus is bound for Addington once again.

The last start Inter Dominion Champion was one of six Australian-trained trotters nominated for the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion when the entrants were released early last week.

With the Grand Final of the Inter Dominion staged only six weeks ago, it gave a small window for the Chantal Turpin trainee to have a freshen, but he is well and truly into the swings of things once more.

“He is back and fast working now and is feeling great,” said Turpin, "he will trial in a month.”

Gus is currently a $6 second favourite with the TAB, behind fellow Aussie and superstar mare Keayang Zahara ($1.35).

While Gus has always been a lock to head across for another New Zealand tilt, the stable were originally a little pensive about bringing their pacing star The Janitor.

After having a luckless and disappointing Inter Dominion campaign, the former Southerner was looking unlikely to make another trip back to the homeland this year.

However, he is now also back to doing some more serious work and is likely to have a few trials.

“Craig (Whiteoak – owner) would like to see him come across for The New Zealand Trotting Cup so we will give him some trials from the stand to see how he handles it.”

And that may not be the totality of the team.

The stable has a happy knack of experiencing great success with horses out of the deep South and they may have found another future headliner.

Three-year-old trotting filly Raffie Jay has won four of her six starts since making her way to Queensland, and recently ran a close up fifth in The Great Square behind top mares Jilliby Dreamlover and Dash Dosh.

She is considered a “50/50 chance” of joining the travelling team for races like the New Zealand Trotting Oaks and Derby.