20 April 2018
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HARNESS MEDIA CENTRE NEWS | AMANDA RANDO
AUSTRALIAN Trotter of the Year On Thunder Road has embarked on a trip to his new home overseas and former trainer Darren Hancock hopes he has found his next converted trotting star.
Hancock swapped On Thunder Road’s gait from pacing to trotting which proved to be a lucrative move.
The Bettors Delight gelding won at Group 1 level as a trotter and earned $410,475 in prizemoney before being sold to America.
And while Hancock will start On Thunder Road’s pacing full-brother Majestic Kiwi at Menangle on Tuesday, the Pheasants Nest mentor will also start Drop The Hammer which he believes could be the next trotting star.
“He raced in a heat of the New South Wales Derby (pacers) two starts ago but all he wants to do is trot,” Hancock said of Drop The Hammer.
“He won well as a trotter the other week and I think he will end up being a nice trotter.
“He is very similar to what On Thunder Road was like at that age and is even by Bettors Delight too.
“On Thunder Road left for America this morning (Friday) and will do the rest of his racing around New York.
“He did a great job for us. We got a pretty good offer for him.”
Another new trotter stepping out for the Hancock stable is The God Botherer.
The former New Zealand squaregaiter will have his first Australian start in Saturday night’s Group 2 Bulli Trotters Cup (2300m) at Menangle.
Ranked as a $9.50 chance with TAB Fixed Odds, Hancock was happy with the gelding’s third-placed effort in a trial at Menangle on Tuesday.
“He trots well and does everything right,” Hancock said.
“I watched him racing in New Zealand and saw that he was for sale and thought he wold be a nice horse for Eddy (Bidder – owner/driver).
“He’s good from a stand and steps away well . . . he’s had plenty of practice being an eight-year-old.”
Harness Racing NSW (HRNSW) is the controlling body for harness racing in New South Wales with responsibility for commercial and regulatory management of the industry including 33 racing clubs across the State. HRNSW is headed by a Board of Directors and is independent of Government.
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AMANDA RANDO | MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
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