If you glance through the form of Aston Duke, take notice of the times when he’s stepped cleanly in front. All of those times have ended in the same result, a win, and that was also the case last Friday when he contested the regional qualifying heat of the GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase at The Gardens.
Aston Duke was straight on the bunny, racing away for an easy seven and a half length win in 29.33s, a time which would have been good enough to win last month’s Group 2 Sires On Ice Black Top at the same venue.
It’s the type of form he last showed when he was under Jason MACKAY’s care, winning the Maitland Cup in brilliant fashion back in April, but being sent to Seona Thompson in Melbourne to race.
“If he can get back to that Maitland Cup form and his old Wenty form, that’s his forte, straight to the front and away he goes,” said MACKAY.
”After the Maitland Cup win he went back to Victoria and won a couple of races and made a couple of group finals races. He’s not a star dog but he’s not that far off the top echelon of dogs. It’s a little bit harder in Victoria in those big races but he’s certainly right up to them here in NSW.
“He came back here for the Black Top, the Dapto Megastar and the Million Dollar Chase series. It depends on what they decide to do with him After this, whether he goes back again to Victoria or stays here. I stay out of that, that’s up to them (the owners). If he goes back that’s fine. I just do my bit up here, and so far so good.”
Aston Duke put in a fine effort, running 29.40s when second to Set To Storm in a heat of the Black Top, but as such missed the final.
After having a look Dapto the week before the heats of the Megastar, then he walked out of the boxes and was never a chance in the heat of the Group 1 event.
“He pulled up a little bit ordinary After Dapto,” MACKAY said. “He’s one of those dogs, he races on the speed and there wasn’t a lot there at Dapto.
“In his first run at Dapto, he got to the line nicely and then in the second run, the Megastar heat, he laboured to tell you the truth.
“We found he had come up sore in a hip muscle so we didn’t do a lot before the Million Dollar Chase heat, we just worked on it and let him have a quiet week and he came out and went super.”
MACKAY’s eyes will be fixed the wide boxes when the lure approaches the starting point. He has Aston Duke out in the seven, and alongside in the pink rug is True Talent who he also trains.
“He trialled super before the heats,” MACKAY said of True Talent who ran third to Drink Schooners in the other heat last week. “What he needs to do is lead and dictate terms in front and he’s a completely different dog.
“When he’s wide and off the bunny, he’s not so effective. It’s not a great draw for him and he hasn’t got a great record from box eight (one win from nine starts). I wouldn’t put a line through him, I just think Aston Duke is perfectly drawn middle to wide, that’s where he races best.
“Look we’ll see what happens, we have two chances and that’s better than one”.
The obvious danger to MACKAY’s pair is Drink Schooners who jumped on the bunny and led throughout in 29.45s.
MACKAY has great respect for his rival, but he also believes it will take around the 29.3s mark to win the final.
“I just think what I am seeing here, they are going to be around that 29.3s mark and Drink Schooners is a very fast dog. His 29.45s is a real good run as well,” MACKAY said
“Look it depends on what happens. It’s crucial in most of these big races where you’re positoned at the first corner. You don’t want to be running fourth and wide, you won’t get a look in.
“I guess we’ll see on Friday.”
