Revealed: It’s Shartin’s owner who’s chasing our little warrior Trojan Banner
By Barry Lichter • 6 August 2019
The owner of the world’s hottest pacer Shartin is chasing Trojan Banner who was untouched to win his trial at Albion Park tonight.
Test driven by Emmett Brosnan with a view to buying Lincoln Farms’ colt, Trojan Banner led throughout the 1660 metre heat, ripping off a final 800 metres in 54.3 to beat Bettor Vision by 4.6 metres.
And afterwards Brosnan, son of veteran trainer Richard Brosnan, told trainer Al Barnes “he loved the horse” and would be advising American owner Richard Poillucci to buy him.
Shartin … the hottest pacer in the United States.Only last weekend Poillucci enjoyed the thrill of a lifetime when his former Kiwi pacer Shartin ran the fastest mile ever by a mare, clocking 1:46.4 in winning the Lady Liberty Final at the Meadowlands.
Lincoln Farms and its partners in the colt are still considering Poillucci’s offer, but Trojan Banner will be vetted for sale on Thursday morning.
The colt has been in scintillating form since arriving in Queensland earlier this year, winning seven races on end and clocking the fastest closing sectionals when fifth in Self Assured’s Queensland Derby.
He cruised it tonight, with a very slow second quarter of 33.5, asked only to run home his last 800, with his overall mile rate a sedate 1:57.2.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 9: Kevin Kline
9.55pm
“When Maurice asked him to go at the top of the straight at Cambridge he got lost and didn’t quite know what to do. He wound up well in the end but just left it a little late. He’ll learn from that and should go well again.”
Race 10: Debbie Lincoln
10.22pm
“She has ability but she’s a work in progress. She’s fast but she needs to harness it. She gets a little claustrophobic when they come around her so the mission on Friday will be to get round without her doing anything stupid. She’s a much stronger individual now than when she started off in April.”
