The much-anticipated race between Victoria’s top two pacers Ride High and Lochinvar Art could come as early as Saturday night at Ballarat.But Shepparton’s David Moran, trainer-driver of Lochinvar Art, is warning his superstar pacer won’t be fully wound up for the stoush if it eventuates.“He is still a couple of runs from being fully wound up,’’ Moran said after Lochinvar Art had bounced back from a previous sub-standard effort to destroy a nice field of fast class pacers at Bendigo on Saturday night.Moran said Lochinvar Art ‘‘felt more like his old self’’ sitting outside his conqueror from his previous start, Major Times, and running that pacer into the ground for an effortless win.
In what was a Shepparton quinella in the race the Isobel Walsh-trained outsider Rocknroll Icon got up to edge Major Times, who made the pace in the race, out of second placing.
It was found after the Ballarat race Lochinvar Art had a viral infection.Moran said his options at the moment were limited with his stable star who has won 19 of his 39 starts and is closing in on $700,000 in prizemoney.‘‘Races for him are limited at the moment. He has to go to Ballarat next Saturday night or wait for Shepparton the weekend after,” Moran said.‘‘So it might be Ballarat at this stage and Ride High will probably be in that race.’’Ballarat-trained Ride High is the pacer good judges are predicting could rewrite the record books.He has suffered just the one loss in 16 starts and currently boasts a record of 10 successive wins. Lochinvar Art didn’t stop the clock at Bendigo on Saturday night, but his 1:56.4 mile rate, which included a slick 55.9-second last half on a saturated track, was still commendable.Particularly when you consider his trainer said he isn’t fully wound up yet.
- Gus Underwood
