Verbici is all class in his VicBred win

The unbeaten Verbici showed why he’s the best two year old trotting colt around when he stormed home to win the APG VicBred Super Series Final at Melton on Saturday night.

A false start didn’t deter Verbici (Orlando Vici) who had to come off the second row.

Last week’s other heat winner Insulator had plenty of support and he was taken to the lead by Michael Bellman while the ever reliable Regal Gala took the trail behind the leader.

VERBICI 12 SEP REPLAY

Verbici worked for a trail but he was left racing outside the leader from the bell. Insulator was free wheeling out in the lead while Regal Gala was poised and along the back straight Verbici looked to be struggling to be in touch and punters would have been worried.

Insulator still had a lead on straightening but once Chris Lang on Verbici let him go the brown gelding sprinted quickly and he was drawing clear at the finish to win by just under nine metres from the ultra consistent Regal Gala while Orlando Veyron edged out Insulator for third.

Verbici has now won all his seven starts for a tidy $144,109. He’s trained by Lang and his partner Sonia Mahar.

Lang reflected after the event.

We got a good run through early which was very nice. We were sort of going a little bit too quick I felt young horses over that sort of journey.

But when Michael Bellman’s horse (Insulator) went to the front, I thought, well, that wasn’t ideal for me and it helped I think the one that was leading. So he did a good job, and then they kept running the whole way. ButI wasn’t sure coming around the bend, how much we had left. But to be quite honest, when I pulled him out, it was over in a couple of strides, which is, why I had plenty of time to think about how what I was going to do when I got to the line.

Obviously, you can’t ask him to do any more than he’s done. He’s arguably becoming the best two-year-old that I’ve had and I’ve had a fair few good ones, of course. So he’s got to develop into an older horse to be compared to some of the greats. But I mean, as far as juveniles go, his manners, the way he does it, we think he’ll develop a lot further yet. He just keeps getting better as the year goes on. So if he keeps going like this for another few years, we’ll start talking about comparing him to the good ones.

It’s a good ownership group, most of them. But, a few of the owners in this syndicate have been with me for 30-odd years. Robert and Brenda Thompson, they worked for my dad 40,  to 50 years ago in Romsey.  So it’s great to get a horse like that for any owner. There’s another guy standing over there. It’s his first horse.

I don’t know where he’s going to go from here. But anyway, I should be able to buy him another couple before he gets sick of it. So it’s great. These things are great to win, but it’s more about the sharing. It’s been a long journey. When he first came from the yearling sales, it’s hard to believe, but really couldn’t trot that very well. And if I’d have been able to get out of him, I would’ve, but I’m glad we didn’t.

For complete race entries, click here.

By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink