LONGLEA trainer Matthew Gath will be out to add another city win with Ball Park, when the gelding returns to Tabcorp Park Melton this Saturday night.
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The ultra-consistent seven-year-old scored the 10th win of his career from 52 starts at harness racing headquarters last Saturday, with four of those wins now having been at Melton.
"To pick up any race is good, to do it at Melton is even better," Gath said.
"Especially if you own the horse, and train him and drive him - it's pretty handy and puts a bit of money in the bank.
"He's been a wonderful horse. He was only cheap - I got him for about $8000, but I loved everything about him at the yearling sales.
"He was potentially going to be better than he has, he has had a few niggling problems along the way, which a lot of horses have, but on Saturday night he ticked over the $100,000 (prize money) mark.
"It's a pretty good return on $8000."
Underlining his consistency, Ball Park has been placed in the top three at 30 of his 52 starts, including 11 seconds and nine thirds.
His previous five starts before last Saturday night included a win at Melton, a pair of seconds and a fourth at Bendigo and a sixth at Melton.
Gath indicated the gelding rarely - if ever - disappointed on race day.
"He tries every time he goes out there, he just has a few problems which are hard to iron out all the time," he said.
"But if you can get a nice pattern of racing into him - like two or three runs in a row - he gets better.
"Fitness is a key to him - I try to look after him and protect him - but once he gets that fitness he improves every run.
"A lot of people would like to have him. I've had a lot of comments over the years from Bendigo people at trials saying they would love to have him.
"He's just a really good consistent horse that you would love to have in the stable."
Gath, who has seven horses in work at Longlea, believed Ball Park would again give his usual honest account of himself at Melton this Saturday.
"It's a $20,000 race and will be a strong race, but he won't be out of his league," he said.
"He's raced against these type of horses before."
He's just a really good consistent horse that you would love to have in the stable.
- Matthew Gath
The wins of Ball Park and the Glenn Douglas-trained Bernie Winkle at Melton on Saturday, and those of the Chris Svanosio-trained Clarkes Hill and Norquay at Maryborough on Monday, capped a prolific month for Bendigo region trainers.
September produced 29 locally-trained winners, with Douglas leading the way with seven, ahead of Kate Hargreaves with five.
Young reinswoman Michelle Phillips finished the month with a flourish, with driving wins for Warragul trainer Jennifer Lewis at Cranbourne on Sunday, and a double for Chris Svanosio at Maryborough on Monday.
Her four wins for the month were just two shy of Alex Ashwood (six) and one behind Svanosio (five).
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