Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
There were heart-rending scenes as emotions boiled over at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Patched unleashed a sizzling late burst to score a dramatic victory in the $50,000 Trotsynd Trotters Cup.
This ended a traumatic week of enormous sadness for the gelding’s Pinjarra trainer David Young and his wife Sian, whose 14-day-old son Brodie Kane died the previous day.
“This is a hard industry, but there has been a lot of love, and everybody has made things a little bit easier for us,” said Young, whose son had a stroke and suffered irreversible brain damage.
“We have been through hell in the past week, and to lose a child, especially one so young, and then having to tell your daughter (Eliza, who turns four in April) that her little brother wasn’t coming home made it the hardest day of my life. This is the proudest and happiest night, racing-wise, of our lives.”
Drivers wore black armbands for the Trotters Cup in which the Victorian-bred Patched was the $2.70 favourite from the 20-metre mark, just ahead of the 40m backmarker Tricky Ric ($3), who was attempting to notch his tenth win in a row.
Aiden De Campo, who had finished a close second to Majestic Dream with $17 chance Tears Of Joy in the Trotters Cup 12 months earlier, drove a supremely confident race to bring Patched home with a powerful three-wide burst from seventh at the bell to win by two lengths from the fast-finishing Chumani ($4.80), with the pacemaker Sky Eagle ($23) a half-head away in third place.
Gary Hall Jnr sent Tricky Ric from the rear with a three-wide burst in the first lap to race in the breeze for the final two laps. Tricky Ric was still second on the home turn before he wilted to finish sixth.
“I wasn’t particularly worried when Tricky Ric was so far in front of me,” said De Campo. “But when the pace slackened in the middle stages I was a bit concerned. However, I knew that Patched can really sprint.”
Patched has flourished under Young’s care since his Victorian owner Vicki Woodhouse sent him to Western Australia ten months ago. Young now has given Patched 16 starts for nine wins, six seconds and one fourth placing. Patched won four times in Victoria and now has a record of 46 starts for 13 wins, 17 placings and $127,382.
“Patched was sent over to me, with the connections hoping to win a couple of races,” said the 36-year-old Young. “I was lucky to have the trotter Conquer All about ten years ago when he won five times in WA. Conquer All and Patched were driven in their Victorian races by Chris Alford, who was my idol, growing up. Having this connection with Chris Alford has been great.”