JUNORTOUN trainer Anthony Crossland is gearing up for a big few months ahead with his young and talented trotter Rules Dont Apply.
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The three-year-old Muscle Hill gelding made it back-to-back wins with a plucky performance at Maryborough on Monday.
It followed an exciting victory at Ballarat 11 days earlier in only the Group 1-placegetters second start back from an eight-month spell.
Rules Dont Apply ($3.70) did well to recover after being shuffled back in the field approaching the home turn at Maryborough, but showed plenty of resilience and strength to regain his composure and notch a 3.9m win over the Brent Lilley-trained favourite Son Of A Whiz ($3.30).
Crossland was quick to praise his three-year-old's fighting spirit.
"He lost his momentum and dropped back, and he had to gather himself up again and get going," the trainer-driver said.
"But he's got quite a good turn of foot; he was able to pick up that lost ground fairly quickly.
"What was surprising was he was pulling a flat tyre doing it.
"Two good wins in a row makes all the owners happy.
"He's programmed to not be at his best until the good, big races roll around, so whatever he is doing now is a bonus."
A large ownership group includes several from The Mighty Burra Syndicate, whose membership comprises representatives from the Eaglehawk Football Netball Club.
Rules Dont Apply will now be set for a $14,000 three-year-old free-for-all at Shepparton on September 5.
Crossland makes no secret of his desire to target the rich Breeders Crown and Vicbred Super Series features in November and December and is quietly confident he has the horse to be competitive.
"We've got a bit of time up our sleeves, so we'll see how he comes through this run, which I have no doubt will be really good," he said.
"We will have a look at going to Shepparton on September 5 providing he keeps ticking along nice; it's a free-for-all three-year-old trot for a bit more money.
"Those races haven't been on, so when they are we have to take a look at them."
His latest win boosted Rules Dont Apply's career record to three wins and a placing from just nine starts.
He registered his maiden win at Ballarat in late November, two starts before his second behind Keayang Ignite in the Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic Final last December at Group 1 level.
Crossland confirmed a return was nearing for his promising three-year-old filly Lola Devereaux.
"She'll probably be back at the trials in three or four weeks," he said.
The daughter of Bacardi Lindy stamped herself as one of the stars of the regional racing period with three-straight wins at Lord's Raceway during April and May, becoming the first horse to achieve the feat.
Following the third of those wins on May 5, she ended her campaign with a second at Bendigo behind Countess Chiron on May 14.
Rules Dont Apply and Lola Devereaux have combined to give Crossland six of his seven winners for the season from just 32 starters, at the healthy winning strike-rate of 21.9 per cent.
His other winner was the two-year-old Heavenly Belle, who claimed her maiden victory in July at Shepparton.
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