Gus may head straight into $500,000 Dominion

DON’T panic if you’re wondering why Inter Dominion trotting champion Gus (Majestic Son) hasn’t returned to the races yet.

Co-trainer and driver Pete McMullen said the superstar trotter was “raring to go” but he and wife Chantal were weighing-up options ahead of his flight to NZ on November 1.

Gus will have his third Albion Park trial tomorrow (Friday), but hasn’t raced since winning the Inter Dominion final on July 18.

His targets are defending the two Group 1 crowns he won at Addington last November – the Dominion Trot and NZ Trotting free-for-all – in Cup Week.

In a daring move, McMullen said there was a big chance Gus could go into the $NZ500,000 Dominion on November 10 without a lead-up run.

“It’s 50-50 if he’ll have a race before he goes to NZ on November 1,” he said. “He’s raring to go and right where we want him, but it’s finding a suitable race for him that’s the challenge.

“There was a mobile mile race for him recently, but that’s not an ideal lead-up for a race like the Dominion.

“Yes, there are standing-up races up here (Albion Park), but they are discretionary handicaps and we’re worried he’ll get 50m or something like.

“He could probably still win, but it makes for a very hard run and that’s not ideal either as we build to NZ.

“It’s a tricky one, but there’s a real chance we could just stick with a couple more trials where we can control the sort of hit-out he has, even if it means putting a few of our other horses in the trial.

“We’re really happy with him and we know him well. We can get him where he needs to be without a race, if that’s the way we go.”

McMullen said he and Chantal had also decided to take their exciting three-year-old trotting filly Raffie Jay to NZ.

“Yes, she’ll go with him (Gus),” McMullen said. “She can’t do much more than she has here. There are some good races over there for her and the prize money is good, too.”

Raffie Jay has raced just nine times for five wins and three placings.

She hasn’t started since winning the Springboard final at Albion Park on September 1 but has been kept up to the mark with two recent trials at the same track.

McMullen said star pacer The Janitor is still having a break.

“He got a bit crook when he came back and wasn’t going to make NZ, so we turned him out again,” he said.

“We’re in no rush with him. If it means we miss the Blacks A Fake (in December) as well, then so be it.

“He’s still young and has shown how good he is. We might give him a good break and aim towards the Miracle Mile again.”

The Janitor ran second to Leap To Fame in last year’s Miracle Mile.

by Adam Hamilton for Harness Racing Australia