Rejuvenated El Salto turns back the clock

VETERAN Bendigo galloper El Salto has continued his blistering form resurgence, making it two wins in his last three starts at Ballarat early last week.

The much-travelled eight-year-old gelding, now trained by Long Gully-based Leslie Robertson, turned back the clock with an emphatic benchmark 62 victory on the grass over 1000m.

It followed a 1000m win on the Ballarat synthetic less than a month earlier.

In between wins, El Salto was second, again on the synthetic at Ballarat.

Best known locally for previously winning on the Bendigo Jockey Club’s two biggest days – Bendigo Cup day and Golden Mile race day – in 2022 and ’23 respectively for his former trainer Brent Stanley, the son of Written Tycoon could potentially be a cup day runner again, three years after his last appearance.

In the years since, El Salto has been trained in South Australia by Garret Lynch at Murray Bridge and Indianna Weinert in Albany, Western Australia, before making his way back to Bendigo to Robertson, who purchased him for $20,000.

After a spate of indifferent performances early under Robertson’s care, El Salto has won two and been placed four times in his last nine starts, well and truly recouping his purchase price.

Unwanted in the betting, El Salto jumped as a $31 chance.

His win on the Ballarat grass, where he raced keenly early, but ducked through along the rails in the straight to quickly put his rivals to the sword, was as a sign there still might be a much better race win still in the tank.

“He’s been knocking on the door,” an ecstatic Robertson said.

“The beauty of it was, I said to my mate Joe McGee, who helps me out with the horses, go over and put $30 each-way on him, as I reckon, he’s not far away.

“There were three smart horses in the race and they (the punters) were backing them.

“Joe said to the bookie, he’s $31 – he should be $50. He went to walk away and the bookies said, I’ll take that bet, so he gave us 50-1.

“A nice little earner on top of the $19,250 prize money.”

A trainer for the past 58 years, 84-year-old Robertson pinpointed dental work a few months ago as a key to El Salto’s revival.

“He’s always hung in his races. He finished fourth one day (in June) at Ballarat, and the jockey Sam Kennedy said to me, he was on the wrong leg coming around the turn, and she reckoned had he been on the right leg, he could have just about won,” he said.

 

“There had to be a reason he was hanging.

“I took him down to the vet and had him scoped and there was nothing wrong.

“I got him to check his teeth and he said his back teeth were cutting into his gums.

“We fixed that then and there and then I brought him home and washed his mouth out with salt and water and decided to put a lugging bit on him.

“He’s never hung since and is going straight as a die.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s improved.

“He’s jumping out of skin. You wouldn’t know he’s the same horse as the one that arrived here last year.

“He’s so placid now.”

Another major influence in the turnaround has been El Salto’s affinity with three-kilogram claiming apprentice Sam Kennedy.

The 22-year-old has been aboard the gelding in both his wins for Robertson and two further placings and two fourths from nine rides.

Kennedy has three wins in total from 14 rides for Robertson, having piloted Raging Monkey to victory at Echuca in late July.

“I’d give her 10 out of 10 for that ride the other day,” Robertson said.

“This horse goes really well for her.

“A few people ring up for the ride on him, but I’ll stick with Sammy.

“She doesn’t get the opportunities she should, but I’m happy to put her on mine.”

Robertson has earmarked a benchmark 66 over 1000m at Ballarat on October 14 as El Salto’s likely next start.

On a potential Bendigo Cup day nomination in one of the sprint races, the evergreen trainer said: “Never rule anything out.”

It’s been well over a decade, if not two, since Robertson last had a cup day runner.