Ride High’s waltz into rare air is expected to continue at Shepparton tomorrow night, with the speed freak tipped to build on his already enormous reputation and notch a 10th-straight victory.The horse, who’s nicknamed “Chainsaw” and become renowned as “the Ballarat Beast”, steps out at 6.05 pm in the Neatline Homes Pace, where he’s likely to be a short $1.04 favourite amid a six-horse field.While tomorrow night won’t gift sports fans the coveted match-up between Ride High and Victoria’s fastest ever pacer Lochinvar Art, with the Shepparton-trained star recovering from a minor viral infection, entertainment is guaranteed if Ride High’s most recent performances are any gauge.Kima Frenning will again have the best seat in the house and Ride High’s reinswoman said the five-year-old was the perfect racehorse.“He doesn't spend any more energy than what he has to,” Frenning said.
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“I think that makes him a really, really good racehorse. He's got the whole package. I have still never pulled the plugs on him.”That’s the daunting message for Ride High’s rivals, with Frenning still yet to pull the ear plugs nor urge the horse in search of a quicker performance: he’s running opponents off their feet by his own volition.Ride High’s winning streak now stands at nine, having won 14 of his 15 starts including four on the trot this campaign, when his extraordinary finishing bursts have delivered unprecedented times.That was never more evident than in Ride High’s last hit-out at Bendigo on August 1, when Sirletic, trained at Avenel by David Aiken, took the fight to the short-priced favourite.After a searing 27.6-second first quarter, Ride High clicked into top gear in a 26.1 third quarter, breaking the hearts of his rivals.
He would waltz away to a 21 m win, stopping the clock in a 1:49.0 mile rate — a staggering 2.7 seconds quicker than the previous record.“There's been a bit of talk about how he hasn't beaten a lot and he's got to prove that he's really good and I think he just did that,” Frenning said post-race.
“He does it so easy, it's just crazy.”Much of the credit for the quick time goes to Sirletic and his reinsman Josh Aiken whose front-running performance extended Ride High, and that team will be present again — this time at its home track — hoping to unseat the superstar.Tomorrw night’s Neatline Homes Pace is race two of a nine-race card at Shepparton, which kicks off at 5.34 pm.While the track remains closed to all but participants and essential staff owing to COVID-19 protocols, race caller Lachie McIntosh will be joined on course by Paul Campbell and Shepparton’s Daniel Hibberd, who will provide wall-to-wall coverage from the parade ring to the winner's circle live and free on Trots Vision at thetrots.com.au
