BASIL Dooley appears to have a smart youngster on his hands.
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Lotsa Life ($5.10) overcame an early mistake to dominate on debut in the BDTC 100 Year Three-Year-Old Pace, 1710m, in Ballarat on Wednesday night.
The colt went into a gallop as the field was released from the mobile, with reinsman Greg Sugars admitting he momentarily thought his race was over.
Lotsa Life quickly settled and then from last stamped his authority on the event.
Sugars eased the son of Life Sign three wide with 1000m to run and 700m from home cut him loose.
He put the race away in a few strides, charging to the line 8m clear.
Dooley trains a small team at Allendale, which has also features winners such as Luv Tha Aces Lombo, Make A Fuss and Dance With Mia.
Lotsa Life is out of a half-sister to 1999 Hunter Cup winner Paris Affair, which finished his racing career with Smythes Creek trainer Peter Tonkin - winning 17 races and earning almost $400,000.
Five winners over two nights for Stewart
THERE is no stopping the Smythes Creek stable of Emma Stewart.
Stewart produced five winners over two nights – a treble in Ballarat on Wednesday and double at Kilmore on Thursday – to rocket into third position on the Victoria trainers’ premiership.
Group 1-winning filly Our Femme Fatale ($1.20 favourite) marked her return with a first-up victory in the Tanya Daniels Three-Year-Old Pace, 1710m, at Bray Raceway.
Metro Mike ($1.70 favourite) then out-classed his rivals in a Country Clubs Championship heat, 2200m, and Yankee Rockstar ($1.80 favourite) scored on debut in a Fashions on the Field Two-Year-Old Pace, 1710m, in the treble.
Metro Mike is in first preparation with Stewart’s Smythes Creek stable and has strung together three wins on end – giving the four-year-old 10 wins in 21 career starts.
Yankee Rockstar is a colt by Rocknroll Hanover and the first winner out of US-bred mare Aston Villa, which won four of nine Australian starts.
Stewart’s Kilmore double comprised improved three-year-old colt Truman ($1.40 favourite), which has won races on end, and Mister Sheedy ($1.30 favourite) in a C4-C5 pace.
Meanwhile, Stewart’s classy four-year-old Restrepo is joint backmarker in the group 3 $30,000 Central Victorian Pacing Championship final, 2100m, at Charlton tomorrow.
Restrepo (20m) followed up a second in the opening round heat with a win in the second round at Maryborough on Monday.
It is Billy is certainly going places
IT IS BILLY ($1.90 favourite) is going places for the Daylesford stable of Michael Barby and Anne-Maree Conroy.
The four-year-old made it five wins in seven career outings in the Food Court Pace, 1710m, in Ballarat on Thursday night.
It Is Billy won three of four starts last season and has continued his improvement since returning.
Ross Creek trainer on cups campaign
SAVESOMTIMETODREAM continues the dual-pronged cups campaign by Ross Creek trainer Paul Rowse.
The emerging open class pacer has his second tilt a country feature event in the group 2 $50,000 Shepparton Gold Cup, 2690m, tonight.
He comes off a first-up sixth to Our Arlington in the Hamilton Pacing Cup on Sunday.
Savesomtimedream had not raced since October after a setback.
Rowse gives Decorated Jasper a break this weekend after unplaced runs in the Horsham and Bendigo Cups, having been forced back to the tail of the field in each event.
Decorated Jasper will have his next outing in the $150,000 PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup on Friday night.