Experienced trainer Colin Webster has backed a WA Derby (2400m) campaign for Trix Of The Trade after the promising son of Trade Fair maintained top form at Pinjarra on Sunday.
Posting his fifth win from six starts and second straight this time in, Trix Of The Trade gave further notice of his ability when he coasted to a maiden stakes success in the Listed Misty Valley Greenfields Lodge Breeders Classic (1400m).
“He’s a very promising horse and has done a great job so far,” Colin Webster said on Tabradio.
“We’ll just take him along quietly for now and down the end of a trail we thought he might be a Derby prospect.
“We’ll run him through the three-year-old races leading up, but at any stage if it looks he can’t get a distance we will back off and keep him to shorter races.”
Ridden by Troy Turner, Trix Of The Trade was sent out a raging $1.24 favourite.
Webster said the gelding carried the weight of punter support comfortably.
“We just had to treat it as another race,” Webster said.
“He was a short price and you hope he can live up to the expectations.
“He certainly did that anyway.”
Trix Of The Trade ran home confidently and hit the line one length ahead of Fine Romance with a further half-length to third place getter Hear Me Sing.
Valency ran fourth and Primitive faded to a distant last in the five horse line up after leading to the turn.
Webster said Trix Of The Trade had recovered in great fettle from his win.
“He pulled up a treat from the run and had a heart rate of 88 after the race,” Webster said.
“It means he didn’t get fully extended at any part of it really.
“He pulled up extremely well and cleaned up last night (Sunday).”
Despite all signs pointing in the right direction, Webster believes patience has been the key to Trix Of The Trade’s success.
“We’ll pick out a race when he is ready,” Webster said.
“We’ll probably go through the normal three-year-old races if he is able to.
“We won’t do anything spectacular; we’ll keep him within his class and his age group if we can.”
Webster says Trix Of The Trade is delivering on the potential he underlined last year.
After flashing ability in a hat trick of trial wins, he made a flying start with wins from his opening two encounters.
“He had a couple trials and had a break and then came back and had another couple,” Webster said.
“He’s a big strong horse and we didn’t want to push him too young.
“We just wanted time to get him matured.
“But he’s developed into a lovely, big, strong horse now.”
The feature lead up races for Trix Of The Trade before the WA Derby are the Challenge Stakes, the Lex Piper, JC Roberts and Melvista Stakes.