Queen continues her reign

JOHN DUNNE (HRV)

Chris Alford was quick to dismiss post-race speculation that Ebonys Avenger would have beaten Queen Elida if the despised $81 bolter hadn’t galloped over the concluding stages in the La Coocaracha Trotting Mares Free For All at Bendigo.

Sent out a $1.40 favorite, Queen Elida settled towards the rear of the field before Alford made a three wide sojourn on the back of Visionary with 800 metres to travel.

Ebonys Avenger, who enjoyed a cosy run behind the leader, darted through along the sprint lane and appeared set to grab Queen Elida with 50 metres to travel before she galloped.

Queen Elida kept trotting and scored by two metres from Ebonys Avenger with Revelstoke eight metres away third in a mile rate of 1:59.5.

After the race the champion reinsman was having none of the conjecture surrounding Queen Elida lowering her considerable colours.

“No,  she was still going to win even if the other horse hadn’t galloped,” Alford said.

“They just don’t get past her,” he said.

Queen Elida has now won her past three starts by narrow margins and Alford concedes the Brent Lilley trained daughter of Love You is racing below her best.

“If you look through her record, I don’t think she is at her absolute best during the hotter months,” he said.

It’s well documented Queen Elida had difficulty adjusting to the hot and humid conditions during the Brisbane Inter Dominion carnival in December.

“She came back from Brisbane straight into our summer and she also had issues with her feet,” he said.

Queen Elida is likely to have one more run in the $75,000 Sumthingaboutmaori Mares Trotters Free For All at Melton before heading across the Tasman to contest the Trot Slot at Cambridge on April 12.

“It looks like she’ll draw the pole which will help around Cambridge and the weather should be a bit cooler over there,” he said.

Later in the night the French born horseman Ben Aubron produced a fine training performance when his eight-year-old trotter Xebec took out the Nevele R Trot.

With Kate Gath in the sulky, Xebec emerged from the ruck but was still 15 metres off the leader and $1.55 favourite Hephaestus Phoenix on the home turn.

Having his third run back from a 26-month spell, Xebec ($6) kept coming in the straight and with the leader shortening stride the son of Orlando Vici scored running away by four metres.

A NSW Trotters Derby winner in 2019, Xebec hadn’t won a race since saluting at Cambridge in June 2020.