French import Holzarte Vedaquais has taken his time to develop and acclimatise but heтАЩs ready for his first metropolitan class test at Kilmore.
It is almost 11 years since Americain became the first French raider to win the Melbourne Cup and thatтАЩs inspiration for top harness trainer Tim Butt.
Early last year, Butt and a group of high-profile Australian trotting lovers bought young trotter Holzarte Vedaquais during a working holiday in France.
ItтАЩs largely been a deliberately slow burn since with the now four-year-old entire, but a brief chat with Butt makes it clear heтАЩs seriously excited about what the future holds for Holzarte Vedaquais.
ButtтАЩs a genius with trotters, heтАЩs climbed the greatest heights with champions like Lyell Creek, Take A Moment and Vulcan, and he wants to add some French flair to our biggest trotting races just like Americain and then Dunaden did a year later in the Melbourne Cup.
тАЬNot many people here would know it but France is pretty much the mecca for world trotting тАж and trotting is just about as big as thoroughbred racing over there,тАЭ he said.
тАЬWeтАЩve seen the influence some of the French stallions have had in our trotting here and we bought this young guy as a racehorse with a view to being a stallion later on.тАЭ
Holzarte Vedaquais raced just nine times in France, mostly as a two-year-old, for four wins and five placings, but started his Aussie career in less than spectacular fashion.
He led but galloped hopelessly on the first turn and lost all hope in a heat of the Victoria TrottersтАЩ Derby last October.
Butt regrets тАЬrushingтАЭ him into that race and atoned by then giving him almost 10 months break before Holzarte Vedaquais resumed with a sparkling win at Yarra Valley last Friday where he smashed the track record.
тАЬWe bought a young horse because it takes the best part of a year for them to fully acclimatise. He also had a few niggling issues with his feet and got a quarter crack when he galloped at the first run I gave him,тАЭ Butt said.
тАЬI was as relieved as I was excited when he won and went so well the other day.
тАЬWhen you go out on a limb and buy a horse like him, paying big money as well, you open yourself up to the critics, but IтАЩm really excited about where he can take us.тАЭ
For now thatтАЩs to Kilmore for his first metropolitan class race on Saturday night, but Holzarte Vedaquais could chase Group 1 glory as soon as September 11 at Melton in the $50,000 Australasian TrottersтАЩ Championship.
тАЬThe potential is there but it doesnтАЩt happen overnight with trotters. I think weтАЩll have a really serious trotter in 12 months, weтАЩll give him his chance to show heтАЩs ready for the big races before that,тАЭ Butt said.
тАЬThe Group 1 in a few weeks will be a good guide but heтАЩll need to keep improving if weтАЩre to take on the very best trotters in the biggest races early next year.тАЭ
A tricky barrier draw (inside the back row, gate eight) means luck and not just talent will shape Holzarte VedaquaisтАЩ fortunes on Saturday night.
тАЬItтАЩs probably the one draw we didnтАЩt want, but we wonтАЩt be staying on the inside. I want John (Caldow, driver) to get him into some space and if makes an early move around them or waits and comes with one run will depend on how the race is run,тАЭ Butt said.
тАЬHe blew up a lot over the back after the win the other day so heтАЩll definitely improve from the run, but heтАЩll need to as he keeps stepping up to stronger races,тАЭ Butt said.
тАЬWill he win this week? ThatтАЩs hard to say from the draw, but IтАЩm sure if things go his way heтАЩll be very hard to hold and heтАЩll just keep getting better and better with every start from here.тАЭ
* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor on harness racing for News Corp Australia
Originally published as Kilmore: French import Holzarte Vedaquais out to prove he has Group potential
