Racing: I Can Doosit stays home

I Can Doosit stayed home from the Australian Trotting Grand Prix after having issues with transport. Photo / Dean Purcell

I Can Doosit's bid to shed his Melton hoodoo has been thwarted by travel problems.

The Interdominion Trotting champion was set to make a surprise raid on the Australian Trotting Grand Prix in Melbourne this Saturday night after returning to winning form at Alexandra Park last Friday.

But trainer Mark Purdon's best intentions came undone yesterday when he could not get a confirmed flight back to Auckland for I Can Doosit. "I could get him over there and was really keen to go but there was no guarantee I could get him back in time for the race here on December 31.

"That is an $80,000 race and the risk we might miss that made the trip a little less enticing."

I Can Doosit would have been a hot favourite for Saturday night's A$125,000 group one, with Australia's best trotter Let Me Thru sidelined by a throat operation and his champion stablemate Sundon's Gift starting to show signs of age.

But I Can Doosit was beaten out of a place when galloping in the same race last season and again raced below his best at Melton in February.

"He doesn't seem all that happy at Melton but I think it is a shoeing issue," said Purdon. "At least now we will have time to get on top of it before the Interdominions."

I Can Doosit's defence of that title culminates at Melton on February 4.

His stablemate Sammy Maguire will also not be at Melton on Saturday as planned but not by choice, rather because he didn't make the field for the Victoria Cup.

The former Australian pacer has looked the goods in his limited New Zealand career for Purdon but with Saturday's Cup boasting plenty of form, Sammy Maguire missed a start.

Meanwhile, Purdon's stable star Auckland Reactor is jogging after missing the New Zealand Cup with injury and could be racing in February.

"At this stage both the Interdominions in Perth and the Auckland Cup are possibilities," said Purdon.

While Purdon was in fine form at Alexandra Park last Friday one of his key owners, Neil Pilcher, boosted a record that few in the industry could ever dream of equalling. Pilcher is a hugely popular figure in both equine codes after a lifetime in the horse transport business so there would have been plenty of handshakes after six horses he shares in the ownership lined up last week for five wins and one second.

"And the second was when one of ours, Ohoka Dallas, beat another one in Major Mark in the big mile at Methven," said Pilcher.

"So from six starters I had five wins and a quinella. By Sunday afternoon, I started to think it was easy, but of course we all know it isn't."

Pilcher not only shares in the ownership of pacing's 3-year-old of the moment, Smolda, but last season's Harness Jewels winner Fly Like An Eagle.

And he has another topline 3-year-old in Mr Nickel, who won last season's Australian Pacing Gold, when trained by Purdon but has now joined the Dean Braun stable in Victoria.

Friday's Alexandra Park premier meeting will again contain 13 races, with the feature, the Queen Of Hearts, thrown wide open by Carabella drawing the second line while De Lovely and Bettor Cover Lover have drawn the front.