By Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE Harness Racing Club’s Saturday night meeting was highlighted by a stunning performance from three-year-old prospect Ulos.
The Michael Hughes-trained pacer, patiently driven by master reinsman Chris Alford, took advantage of the inside sprint lane to overpower odds-on favourite Jazz Musician in the final straight to win the Evison Racing Stables 3YO final by a neck.
Alford accepted the trophy after the race on behalf of Hughes and owner Gary Rogers, saying the Longwarry trainer always prepared his horses to perform at their absolute best.
Hughes was thrilled with the win and later said the horse had the potential to go on and win better races but was still learning the caper and tended to get lazy when he hit the front.
“He probably could have won by a lot further but when he gets to the front he bludges a bit,” the trainer said.
“I thought he was home but he made it a bit closer than he should have.
“He’s had his fair share of problems, but he’s had 15 starts for three wins so you can’t really complain. We probably just need to get him to concentrate a bit better.”
Alford drove a double on the night when he added a win with Salute Two Alabama in the sixth event to his earlier victory.
Saturday’s meeting was the forerunner to the club’s annual Christmas in July feature meeting, to be held on Saturday night, 7 July.
