Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Veteran square gaiter Patched continues to race enthusiastically for trainer David Young and reinsman Aiden De Campo, and he proved too good for his rivals when he scored an easy victory in the $21,000 TABtouch Place A Same Race Multi Trot over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Patched ($3.40) enjoyed a perfect passage behind the pacemaker Luvaflair ($3.90) before De Campo brought him home with a solid burst to beat the $1.90 favourite Chumani by two lengths, rating 2.0.6.
Chumani, beaten out from the No. 2 barrier by Luvaflair (barrier three), was eased off the pegs and into the breeze after 600m, enabling Patched to get an ideal run in the one-out, one-back position.
Gary Hall Jnr sent Chumani to a narrow lead on the home turn, but he was unable to hold out the strong-finishing Patched, who took his record to 88 starts for 25 wins, 32 placings and $280,243in stakes. After four wins in Victoria the eight-year-old Patched has won 21 times, with his victories including the 2023 and 2025 Trotters Cup.