MAIDEN Gully trainer Maree Campbell hopes her promising young pacer Belittled can gradually make the step up to city-class performer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The four-year-old gelding notched up his third win in just 13 starts with a 1710m sprint win at Ballarat's Bray Raceway on Friday night.
Belittled has returned to racing after a two-month spell from early July through to early September clearly a better horse.
His four runs this preparation have included a pair of wins, including first-up at Maryborough on September 9, and placings at Bendigo and Kilmore.
Campbell could not speak highly enough of Belittled's Friday night win, which was one of four on the night for champion reinsman Chris Alford.
"He is only a small horse, but he's genuine. His four runs this preparation have all been good, so I couldn't be happier with him," she said.
"He has come back as good as ever and is happy.
"I haven't really had a look at what we will do next. He'll have a nice hit-out at the end of this week and we will have a good look around. There are plenty of good country races for him, which we can aim him at.
"With any luck he will make the metro-grade, but that will be a few runs down the track."
Belittled has already had a couple of cracks at city racing, including an unplaced effort in a strong VicBred Super Series Silver Pace final at Tabcorp Park Melton in the final run of his last preparation.
"He's just a very honest horse. His first couple of runs he was still learning his caper and then all of a sudden he hit those better races," Campbell said.
"But when he's in the right race he's a very consistent horse.
"He's only 350kg, but if he gets things his way he can usually get home. Sometimes racing doesn't allow him just to sit and sprint and he has to do a little bit more work than you want.
"He'll learn as he goes."
Campbell currently has four horses in work, including the progressive trotting mare Lucinda Mac.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.