ELMORE trainer Keith Cotchin hopes back-to-back wins with Exciter are only a promise of better things to come.
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The Art Major gelding followed up a convincing victory at Shepparton late last month with another at Lord's Raceway on Wednesday night.
It continued a fruitful recent association between Cotchin and star young driver Tayla French, which has yielded five wins and six seconds from 19 starts since early April.
The Heathcote youngster's steer aboard Exciter was one of the best of her flourishing career to date, angling the four-year-old clear from their spot two back on the pegs on the home turn, to power down the middle of the straight to record a 3.1m margin over Didnt I, with I Am Marquez back in third.
Cotchin could not have been more impressed with the performance.
"As she has got more opportunities with this regional racing, she has really made the most of them," he said.
"And if she keeps getting those opportunities, she'll keep on driving plenty of winners.
"She has done a great job for us - we've had a really good run."
The win was the gelding's seventh from 33 career starts, which have included a further 10 placings.
"He's starting to live to up to what we think and is starting to put it all together," Cotchin said.
"He's better than the average one ... he's got a few wins left in him for sure.
"We've always had a big opinion of him at home, but he's gone to the races and let us down - he hasn't quite been the perfect racehorse yet.
"But he's starting to put it together now and put a bit of consistency on the board.
"There's still a bit of improvement in him left yet. Hopefully he can keep going on with the job."
Cotchin and French had to be content with a second with Regal Assassin, whose bid to lead all the way in the NR 46 to 60 trotters handicap, was thwarted late in the piece by the Brett Shipway-trained and driven Di Li.
The five-year-old gelding was having his second run back in Victoria after a stint in Queensland, and Cotchin hopes it won't be long before he is able to add to his tally of five wins from 39 career starts.
"The owner lives in Queensland and he took him home, but he wasn't going too well in the handicapping up there, so he sent him back to me," he said.
"The horse had a few problems and got crook, so he gave him to us. Since we've got him back, touch wood, everything seems okay at the moment.
"He's sort of knocking on the door, so hopefully we can get that win soon."
Cotchin and Regal Assassin will head to Kilmore next Thursday, with Exciter some chance to join them at this stage.
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